Tell me this man does not have a divinely beautiful voice:

And then tell me it is not a tragedy that words cannot convey that he has died of acute meningitis, aged just 34, a mere two weeks before he was due to open the World Cup.

The track features President Mandela speaking for the first time on a track, intoning: “The generosity of the human spirit can overcome all adversity. ‘Through compassion and caring we can create hope…. We can create hope.”

Ntshebe was a substantial example of the power of hope: emerging from abject poverty on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, he ultimately won a place at the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied from 2004 to 2006.

Having performed in front of Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, his debut album and single are due to be released with Sony Epic next month.

His demise comes too soon. Far too soon.