“The pain of losing my daughter… I try to be strong, but every night I go to bed crying.”
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| Image of Shebeshxt performing at peter mokaba stadium during the tshela thupa rally |
South African rapper Shebeshxt is enduring one of life’s deepest heartbreaks the loss of his nine-year-old daughter, Onthatile Gladys Chuene. Her life was cut short in June 2024 after a devastating car crash on the R37 near Smelters Mine, south of Polokwane. The rapper’s Volkswagen Polo collided head-on with a heavy vehicle. Onthatile died at the scene, while Shebeshxt and her mother, Kholofelo Moloto, were both seriously injured.
Thanks to EFF leader Julius Malema, he was later moved to Netcare Pholoso Private Hospital for better treatment. But no level of medical care can touch the kind of pain that comes from burying your child.
In a tearful documentary titled My Music, My Story and a gripping interview on the E4 Podcast, Shebeshxt recounted the events surrounding the crash, dispelling rumors of intoxication and expressing the weight of his guilt. “There was nothing else I was living for. She was my only reason for living,” he confessed.
Since returning to public life, however, his grief has sometimes turned volatile. While his transparency has earned him widespread empathy, his behavior has raised concern. On several occasions, Shebeshxt has lashed out not just verbally, but physically at fans. Videos have surfaced showing the rapper allegedly pushing or confronting supporters during live events or public appearances.
What began as emotional outbursts is now being viewed by many as troubling behavior, possibly rooted in unresolved trauma. Online, fans have begun expressing a shared message: he needs help before things get worse.
“He’s hurting, and we feel for him,” one supporter commented. “But hurting others isn’t the way. He needs to speak to someone a professional. Therapy isn’t shameful. It’s survival.”
The rapper himself has acknowledged the ongoing pain: “You can never recover because every second, the pain doesn’t go down… I go to sleep crying every night.”
He attended his daughter’s funeral in a wheelchair, physically weak but emotionally shattered. The images from that day his face swollen with sorrow, held up by oxygen support are now seared into the hearts of his fans. TikToks of him and Onthatile dancing and laughing before her death have only deepened the public’s compassion.
Despite everything, he is still creating. His upcoming single Tlala, featuring Naqua SA, Makhadzi, and Mr Diego, is expected to drop soon. For him, music is both therapy and lifeline.
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