Mega-tombstone tribute to Dumi
LATE Rhythm City actor Dumi Masilela was laid to rest on Saturday and tombstone maker Bataung Memorials has explained the inspiration behind his three-ton‚ rotating tombstone that cost R160 000.
The company’s chief executive, Lebohang Khitsane, said his team wanted to come up with a concept that would capture the multi-talented star’s personality.
“We wanted to capture who Dumi was to his family‚ his friends and his fans across different platforms. So the stone was inspired by his multi-talented nature,” he said.
“He was an actor‚ singer and soccer player‚ of course, in addition to his other life roles like being a husband‚ son and brother.”
The tombstone‚ which weighs more than three tons, had to be delivered by a truck and was assembled using a crane.
The headstone rotates so one can see the different talents of the late actor.
Khitsane said they had carved a stone camera‚ which would face the rotating headstone.
He said the camera symbolised the way Dumi shared his talents with the world through the camera lens.
“We work hard to capture the essence of the people whose tombstones we create. Dumi was an amazing young man‚ so his stone had to have meaning and be amazing‚” Khitsane said.
Bataung Memorials was also responsible for making Joe Mafela’s flashy living room tombstone‚ as well as a stone with Mount Kilimanjaro features for racing car driver Gugu Zulu‚ and a gold statue for Mduduzi “Mandoza” Tshabalala.
Masilela was shot dead in a botched hijacking.