Bra John Ntshibilikwana(87), trumpeter, Saxophonist, teacher, panel beater, interpreter and band leader was born on 4 September 1938 and died on the 12 April 2026 in Cape Town.
Bra John was born in a small Karoo dorpie (town) called Graaff-Reinet – now Robert Sobukwe Town. It’s the poverty and his love for jazz that made Bra John move to Cape Town in the 50’s.
It was completely impossible to acquire musical instruments in a place like eRafu. “If you wanted to play guitar you were forced to make one out of a paraffin gallon”, Remembered Ntshhibilikwana.
He saw the Merry Macs playing eRafu in 1948 and he wished he could join the group. In the early 1950s he moved to Cape Town for educational purposes. Although iRafu was a small dusty town it produced some of the most amazing artists and politicians, namely Gilbert Matthews and Robert Sobukwe.
After completing high school, Bra John fell in love with music. The first instrument he played was the trumpet due to the huge influence Louis Armstrong had on him when he heard him playing over the radio – a tune called “They can’t take this away from me” .
After Bra John learned how to play the trumpet, he joined an orchestra called the Merry Macs in 1965 which was a big band from Langa, led by pianist Themba Mathole. That group included people like Columbus Ngcukana.
After that, the band split due to a lack of funds, so Bra John started another band with whom he rehearsed at Langa flats.
He later started a music school, but in the back of his mind he always wanted to start a band. He eventually started another band called the Langa Big Band but unfortunately did not have the funds to keep the band together.
Later he started another band that rehearsed at Luyolo Community Centre in Gugulethu. They only had one gig at a jazz club called the Jolly Carb in Retreat. Having a band coming from the black townships, in those days it was difficult to keep it together without income.
When Bra John started a music school, one of his best students was McCoy Mrubata according to him. Most of the musicians playing for Amampondo were his students and did very well.
Bra John always emphasized that musicians should learn how to read and write music. He often told me that he gave up on some well-known township musicians. He also joined the Merton Barrow band in town, but never stopped teaching those musicians that wanted to learn how to read and write music for free.
I once went with Bra Don to rehearsals at UCT where Bra John was playing for the “Biggish Band” led by Mike Cambells father who played the piano.
He would always teach young and old musicians how to read music at night after he finished with his panel beating work in his workshop. Even in his late 80s a frail John would still be teaching someone.
When I sometimes visited Bra John, because of his love for jazz he would still sit and talk about starting a music school. Bra John put so much energy and passion into jazz and did not expect anything in return. Long live the generous spirit of the Bra John.
John Ntshibilikwana will be buried in Robert Sobukwe Town on the 25th April from the Methodist church at uMasizahke .
