Agnes Masogange was a Tanzanian model, personality and social media star.
Part of the entertainment industry for just over a decade, Agnes Masogange’s life was cut short at just 28 years old.
This is her biography.
Agnes Birth
Agnes Masogange was born as Agnes Gerald Waya in Tanzania on 8 September 1989.
She is one of four children, and dropped out of school to pursue a career in entertainment – something her father wasn’t keen on.
Agnes Masogange family
Before her passing, Agnes hadn’t seen her father in 12 years. Although they spoke on the phone often and were planning on meeting, this visit never happened.
After Agnes’s passing fans were especially surprised to learn she had an 11-year-old daughter. Agnes had always been particularly private about her family life, and only friends in her inner circle knew of Sania Shaaban. Her friends contributed money to ensure Sania, who lives with an aunt, will still receive a quality education.
Since Agnes Masogange’s passing, but her friends are keeping her memory alive. The actress Irene Uwoya’s first tattoo was a tribute to Agnes and the friendship they shared.
Agnes Masogange relationship
Agnes was linked to some of the entertainment industry’s biggest names. She was romantically linked to the singer Tekno and dated the Ugandan socialite Ssentongo.
In 2015 rumours swirled she was dating the Nigerian superstar Davido.
After some questionable social media posts, fans speculated Agnes was pregnant with Davido’s child. His record label was quick to dispel the rumours of a child, but never denied the two were romantic.
Agnes also dated the Bongo movie star Rammy Galis, with whom she starred in the movie Hukuma. They were together for 11 months before splitting.
At the time of her passing, Agnes was in a relationship with a Tanzanian businessman.
Agnes Masogange career
In 2008, Agnes Gerald Waya hit the big time, when she was the star of Belle 9’s music video, Masogange.
This wasn’t Agnes’s first starring role in a music video. She launched her career with appearances as a video vixen in Mwanafa and AY’s Nangoja Ageuke.
But it was her appearance, and her voluptuous body, in Masongange that catapulted her into the spotlight, and earned her the nickname Agnes Masogange a name she carried throughout her career.
In her short career that spanned just over 10 years, Agnes Masongange was only featured in 14 music videos. It was these appearances that won her Best Video Vixen awards in 2009, 2011 and 2012 at the Zambian Music Awards.
Although most famously known for her video vixen roles, Agnes was also a successful businesswoman and actress. She starred in the Bongo movie Hukuma, which wasn’t yet released at the time of her passing.
Agnes Masogange Controversy
Agnes enjoyed a glamorous life as one of Tanzania’s biggest celebrities. But her life was also marred in controversy; arrests, guilty verdicts and drugs.
The Tanzanian star found herself on the wrong side of the law. In 2014, she was arrested at South Africa’s OR Tambo International Airport along with a friend Melissa Edward, and the two were charged with drug trafficking.
Initially officials assumed she was moving drugs, but they later discovered it was the ingredients to making drugs, which ensured a lighter sentence. After being imprisoned for two months, Agnes also had to pay a fine before returning to Tanzania.
In 2017 a Tanzanian court ordered her arrest when neither Agnes, nor her defense team, appeared in court. This was the second time Agnes didn’t honour a court summons.
Two weeks before her death, Agnes was again sentenced to a prison term – this time two years. This imprisonment was also because of drugs. She was also found guilty of drug use. Agnes ended up paying the fine and avoided a jail term.
Agnes Masogange Death
On 20 April 2018, Agnes’s lawyer confirmed she had passed away at the Mama Ngoma Hospital. Four days prior, she had been admitted and was being treated for low blood pressure and pneumonia.
Upon hearing the news, fans descended on the hospital, in disbelief, and wanting to pay their respects. Some of Tanzania’s biggest celebrities, like Diamond Platnumz and Vanessa Mdee, took to their social media pages to share messages of condolences.
Family, friends, fans and government officials all paid their respects to Agnes at a memorial service at the Leader’s Club.
Many celebrities attended the service, including Ali Kiba and Diamond Platnumz.
Singer Barnaba delivered a powerful performance of Upendo wa Keveli and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. The two had previously worked together when Agnes appeared in his music video for Magubegube. The poet Mrisho Mpoto also did a reading.
A few days later, thousands of people attended the funeral and burial service in Agnes’s ancestral home in the Mbeya Region.
Agnes and Avicii
In a strange coincidence, Agnes Masogange and the Swedish DJ Avicii were both born on 8 September 1989. They both died on 20 April 2018.
