Her untimely death came as a shock for South Africans. One morning she was bagging gigs like no one’s business and the next, she was no more.
She had just left How to Ruin Christmas and was not returning for season three. She had just landed a role on the e-tv soapie Scandal and had two other productions in the pipeline.
Actress Busi Lurayi’s career was at its peak.
But four days before it was announced that she had been nominated in the Best Actress category, alongside Ashley De Lange, Shamilla Miller, Julia Anastasopoulos, and Ilse-Lee Van Niekerk, her management company, instead, announced her passing.
“We are deeply saddened to notify you of the passing of our beloved Busisiwe Lurayi. Busisiwe passed away suddenly and was pronounced dead at her residence on Sunday 10.07.2022 by medical personnel,” the statement reads.
“The reason for her death is still unknown as we wait for the results of the autopsy report.”
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The country is still in shock and Busi's close friends are in disbelief. Brian Mauku, president of Eye Media Artists says Busi was more than just a client to him but a friend.
The two met four years ago after Busi was seeking a management company. Brian says he last spoke to her on Wednesday and, after that, could not reach her.
“We were talking about a new project on Wednesday and that was the last day we actively communicated. She wasn’t feeling well and took a bit of a nap, and then her phone was off,” he says.
“I was scared because we had some papers to sign and she knew she needed to be available. So [colleague] Megan went to her home on Thursday but she could not get inside the property.
"She screamed for her but there was no reply.
"We looked for her. Production was putting pressure on me. It was only when her father was phoned that he had access to her home and found her,” a devastated Brian says.
“Busi was more than a friend to me,” he says.
He will remember her passion for her craft. “She was a firecracker and bombshell and was in her lane. SA has very few people like her. She was fun, dramatic, and a diva,” he says.
“She would fire me and rehire me after an hour. She brought me flowers all the time. When she was wrong, she was quick to apologise. We had a good relationship. She loved people.
"I got assaulted in April and I was in a coma. For four to five weeks she phoned my family every day. Now that the tables were turned, I realised how much I loved her so much. I want this to be a joke.”
Blackbrain production co-founder Mandla N had known Busi since she was 17 years old.
“We did our first job together. I was 19 at the time and she was about 17 when we met. We were young, full of life all we wanted to do was execute the art,” Mandla says.
“We worked on the last season of Ses’Top La. I was booking her for this season, and she was busy with shooting How to Ruin Christmas, so we were not heavily close because we were all busy.”
But Mandla remembers Busi as a fearless actress in her approach to her craft.
“She was a fiery brand and very excited. She never stopped speaking her mind about things she wanted to change.
"She researched everything – her script was always so colourful. And if she didn’t understand anything, she would call her uncles for advice.”
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Motlatsi Mafatshe who recently worked with Busi on How to Ruin Christmas says: “I first met her briefly years ago at AFDA.
"She was always around with Mandla N. She was just an amazing actress who had a presence on stage. She used to sing perform and dance.
"I met her officially after her fame and when she had won SAFTAs. She was always such a ball and I always wanted to work with her, and the chance came on How to Ruin Christmas,” he says.
“She was something else. That is when we became tight.
"We were locked together in a bubble, shooting the first season. She was the first one there and I was the second person.
"Her room was close to mine and she became like a sister to me.”
“We had to be naked in the pool together and we had to develop some level of honesty and security between each other so that she knows she is safe in my hands and I in hers.
"I remember she was covering my private parts in the pool, and she was there making sure I was protected.
"She would make fun of me and when the water made my parts shrink and we would laugh. We became very close.”
Motlatse is crushed and says he will miss Busi for always speaking up.
“Her passing hurts. Busi was a diva. She knew what she wanted. She knew how a performer and artists should be treated and she fought for it because our industry doesn’t give you roses while you’re still alive.
"She fought for her roses. She had big dreams and we spoke over the phone about us showing love to the people who have paved the way for us, the legends.
"She was a human being, she made mistakes, but she also loved her daughter dearly and would do anything for her and we will miss her.”
