{
  "id": 5061865,
  "title": "Selema Masekela on Hugh Masekela’s addiction, their five-year estrangement",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/selema-masekela-on-hugh-masekelas-addiction-their-five-year",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-02T09:43:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/lifestyle/entertainment/celebrity-news/sal-masekela-hugh-masekela-addiction-five-year-estrangement/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a lengthy and emotionally charged interview, Selema Masekela opened up about his complicated relationship with his father, South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela. The Emmy-nominated broadcaster and X Games host discussed their five-year estrangement, which began when Hugh was battling alcohol and cocaine addiction in his 20s. Selema revealed that he cut contact with his father for five years, from around age 25 to 30, stating, \"Let me just have this man be dead so that when he dies, I’ve already got a head start.\" This gut-wrenching admission sheds light on the emotional toll Hugh's addiction had on his son.\n\nSelema's account of their estrangement is particularly poignant, as it provides insight into Hugh's struggles and the interventions that eventually brought them back together. The turning point, according to Selema, was when his uncle took his father \"kidnapped\" from South Africa and flew him to a rural English rehab facility with ties to a member of The Beatles. It was there that Hugh began his journey towards sobriety at the age of 58.\n\nInitially, Selema was furious rather than relieved when he learned of his father's recovery. However, the reconciliation took place in a New York hotel room, marking the end of five years of silence. Hugh reportedly became Selema's \"best friend on earth\" after this, a bond that endured until Hugh's death from prostate cancer in 2018.\n\nIn addition to discussing his relationship with her father, Selema also made his first-ever public comments on his past relationship with actress Lupita Nyong'o. The couple dated for about three years before their split in October 2023, which Lupita described as a love \"extinguished by deception.\" Selema remained guarded about the details of their breakup, praising Lupita's talent and expressing his desire to maintain a respectful distance from high-profile romances.",
  "summary": "Selema 'Sal' Masekela's raw ONE54 Africa interview goes viral, from cutting off Hugh Masekela over his addiction to reconciling with his father and opening up about dating Lupita Nyong'o.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}