As the funeral procession solemnly makes its way into the Bryanston Catholic church, Bianca Naidoo, the wife of late rapper Riky Rick is already seated with their young children, Jordan and Maik, surrounded by family and loved ones.
Dressed in all white, she looks composed, only her sorrowful gaze revealing her grief. She's lost the love of her life, champion, father of her children and friend. Tribute follows tribute at the final send-off of Riky and the young widow and her kids watch on, the pain they feel palpable.
When she steps up to the podium, you can hear a pin drop.
“Today I am here to pay tribute to my partner, my soulmate, Bubzie. When I think about nine years together, here are the things I am grateful for,” she began in her message to Riky Rick at his funeral, a small, intimate ceremony attended by those closest to the family.
“Our journey as parents started at the beginning of our relationship. He was an amazing father to Jordan; they had the most incredible journey since day one," she said.
“Riky and I were then blessed with our beautiful son, Maik. We loved taking family trips and he taught us to connect with the locals and immersed ourselves in the culture of whatever land we found ourselves in. He loved them deeply, he was their protector, biggest fan, and Mandalorian (American space Western television series) and he will continue to be.”
The late rapper brought softness to his life and his to hers, Bianca continued. “He wanted me to shine and find what soul on fire, little did he know he was it."
Read more l ‘I am not okay’ – Vyno on finding out about friend Riky Rick’s passing after eviction on #BBMzansi
Being with her husband, she experienced unconditional love, she said. “Ours was a destined, preordained match as though God himself made it so we found each other in this lifetime. I was put in his life to love him, to help him on his journey to fulfil part of his purpose. Ours was a deep ,pure love,” she added.
“Part of my role was to help elevate and shine his light into the world and I will continue. His love for me was honest, authentic, and transcendent, as mine for him. He often said that I was saving his life without realising. But he too was saving mine.
"My king, my heart, my forever love. Thank you for giving us all that you had to give in this lifetime. Thank you for choosing me, teaching me, and believing in us. I will forever be grateful for your gift of you. I promise to give our children all your love and might.
"To keep your memory shining brightly I promise to continue fulfilling your purpose and honouring your memory and make sure your legacy lives on, in your children, your work, the whole time. To the fans, friends, and family. I thank you for your love and compassion and understanding and embracing Riky’s energy.”
Taking a line from Riky’s song, Stay Shining, Bianca quoted him, saying: “Riky would want you to remember this ‘ It's gotta be right. It's gotta good. It's gotta be nice. Keep smiling for the joy. Keep looking for the joy. Stay shining."
Read more l ‘When possible, pray for us. And show us love’ – Loyiso Bala on struggles that SA artists are facing
Mom Louisa Zondo and the man Riky considered a father figure after his biological father passed on, Kumi Naidoo, spoke fondly of the rapper.
Kumi recalled Riky calling him 11 days before his passing. “He wanted to thank me for a list of things. I had a bit of a disagreement with him because he didn’t need to thank me because he was my son, everything we do as parents we do as joy,” he said.
“I want to thank him for preaching the message of love and unity. Thank you for sharing your anger and heartbreak at the injustice and corruption in our county. I wish it did not drive you to such sadness and depression. Thank you for your courage in dealing with your addiction in a mature and public way to say it's not a crime but an illness.”
Louisa Zondo said words no longer have relevance. “There is nothing to be said at this point. You are no longer this or that, you are everything. You are no longer here either, you are everything,” she said.
“I want to thank you for the opportunity to be your mother, for the lasting lesson I learned from your vulnerability. I want you to now rest and go meet with your freedom. We will carry on your legacy. Your beautiful children will be led, loved, and guided. May it be well with you, my son.”
Thanking Riky’s mom for raising him well, family representative Johnny Makhado said: “You gave us Rikhado, the most beautiful soul and I’ve come here thinking we should celebrate him, despite the short time he gave us. We need to celebrate what he gave us.”
Speaking on behalf of his siblings, Themba Mdladla says Riky was a loving brother. The last time the brothers spoke was a day before his passing, said Themba.
“You told me you need me tomorrow at 9am. I rushed you off the phone because I was busy with whatever I was doing. I didn’t need to know more because I was going to be riding with my big brother and that’s all I needed,” he recalled.
“To my mom, your son was too beautiful for this world. I know how much of a sacrifice it was to share him with the world, knowing how sensitive he was. He felt too deeply, and he loved too much. To Bianca, Jordan, and Mike, thank you for keeping his light shining and keeping him here for as long as you did. You gave his world meaning when he couldn’t find any. I wanted to end with one of your quotables, but there was a way too many.”
From the Naidoo family, Bianca’s brother Dean Naidoo shared his highlights with "Rickster", as he affectionately called him. “After meeting Riky on many occasions when he and Bianca first met and spending time with the two of them, I used to sit back in awe. I observed the love the two of them shared. I knew then I had a brother who would love and take care of my sister.”
Dean says when he went through a tough patch in 2021, Riky was there for him. “I called him all the time and he is comforting me and ensuring me that everything will be okay and that it's just a passing phase," he said.
“He has a gift of always making you feel like a brand new person, and I will really miss those chats.”
Breaking down in tears, Dean says, “To my sister, Maik, and Jordan, there are no words that I can say to comfort you. But there is one thing you know is that Riky loved you and adored you all.” Giving tribute on behalf of the Zondo family, Riky’s cousin Fez Zondo says the Sondela singer was ambitious, “he took action, he made things happen and that his legacy will live on.”
