Basil Coetzee was a South African saxophonist and flute player born in 1944 in Cape Town. He was a prominent figure in the Cape Jazz scene. A self-taught musician, he learned to play the pennywhistle and drums before settling on the flute at age 16 and the tenor saxophone at age 21. He received the nickname "Manenberg" following his participation in the recording of the song “Mannenberg” (1974) with the pianist Abdullah Ibrahim. The track became a cultural symbol of resistance to apartheid. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Coetzee worked in a shoe factory to support his musical career. In 1986, he founded the band Sabenza and helped establish the Musical Action for People's Power music school. He toured Europe from 1988 and performed with Ibrahim's various ensembles. His solo recording history included the studio albums Sabenza (1988), Monwabisi (1993) and B: (1998), all released through the label Mountain Records. A digital collection, Passport - The Best of Basil Coetzee, was issued in 2014. Coetzee died in 1998.
