Condolences pour in for Lucky Dube

Police says they have put their best team on the case to find the men who killed the reggae star

Messages of condolences are continuing to pour in following reggae legend Lucky Dube's death. Senegalese singer Youssou Ndour has voiced his profound shock at Dube's murder. Ndour says he is concerned about the dangers facing artists in South Africa.

Dube recorded more than 20 albums in a career spanning two decades. During his career Dube performed across the world and shared the stage with the likes of Sinead O' Connor, Peter Gabriel and Sting. British High Commissioner to South Africa Paul Boateng is among the fans who are shocked by Dube's sudden death.

Meanwhile, a team of detectives has intensified its hunt for Dube’s killers in the midst of public outrage. Dube was shot dead in front of his teenage son and daughter in a botched hijacking in Rosettenville, Johannesburg, last night.

Gauteng police commissioner Perumal Naidoo has hand-picked a team of investigators to track down Dube's killers. He says the team will do everything possible to identify and arrest those responsible. Police director Charles Johnson a very experienced senior detective in Gauteng will now oversee every step of the investigation.

A life well lived
Dube was born on August 3, 964 on a small farm outside Ermelo. Due to poverty he attended school at a very late age, and it was in the school choirs where he started nurturing his singing talent.

In 1982, Dube joined his first band Love Brother, started by his cousin Richard Siluma. The Love Brothers played traditional Zulu music known as mbaqanga. Dube and the band produced five albums before he ventured into reggae.

In 1984, he began working on his first reggae release, Rastas Never Die. In 1985 the album was banned under the apartheid regime.

Dube produced a total of 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans. He was ranked in over 20 national and international awards for his music and videos, and was the first South African artist to sign with Motown Records.