One of the Tanzanian earliest lady musicians, Tabia Mwanjelwa has passed away in Germany where she has been living since leaving East Africa more than 35 years ago.
News regarding the musician’s death say Tabia passed away on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
Tabia who was living in Saarbrücken, Germany, died a week after she celebrated her Birthday which is usually observed on January 11.
The soprano-voiced Tabia Mwanjelwa, who first appeared on the East African Music scene in 1983 when she took to the stage with the popular Maquis du Zaire band of Dar-es-salaam, was living in Germany where she relocated together with her daughter Jane.
Tabia, tall brown and essentially beautiful lady, debuted into Tanzanian airwaves with the hit ‘Nabwela Mziko Lya Zambia,’ at the time when it was very rare to hear female singers in local songs, or bands for that matter.
But it was her 1994 mega-hits, ‘Jane Nahangaika,’ and ‘Maisha ni Safari Ndefu,’ that placed the Mbeya-born Tabia on top of music charts, not just in Dar-es-salaam, but all over East Africa, then comprising Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Her voice resembles the former DR Congo songstress, Abeti Masikini and South Africa’s Miriam Makeba, but where Tabia shone even brighter is the fact that she could play guitars.
Tabia did not stay long in the Maquis du Zaire ensemble, then led by Chinyama Chiyanza, she soon defected to the newly formed, King Kiki Double ‘O’ band, managed by Kikumbi Mwanza Mpango who also died a few months ago.
She penned the hit ‘Kachele’ while with King Kiki Double ‘O’ shortly before flying to Germany.
Tabia’s sister Ng’wazi tried to follow into her elder sibling footsteps in music but gave up attempts.
Mwanjelwa, who once lived in the Sinza area of Dar-es-salaam, had two children, a girl (now lady) called Jane and her brother John.
There was a sad story about one of her children, John disappearing under mysterious circumstances in the hands of his babysitter, who allegedly stole the boy, causing Tabia great grief and in fact this could be the reason why she decided to leave the country altogether.
While many believe that Tabia was born and bred in Mbeya region, South of Tanzania, there are reports that the singer’s family had previously lived in Zambia.