title: Madi Phala
text: # Madi Phala
  
  Madi Phala (2 February 1955 – 2 March 2007) was a South African artist. His later works were predominantly painting and collage and dealt with the theme of the African herd boy.
  
  ## Biography
  
  Phala was born 2 February 1955 in Kwa-Thema, Springs, South Africa.
  
  Phala's work is represented in several private and corporate art collections, including the French Embassy; De Beers, London, as well as Minister Pallo Jordan and art historian Barbara Lindop. His sculpture SS Mendi Memorial, commemorating the sinking of troopship Mendi in 1917, was designated a national heritage site in 2016.
  
  He was murdered outside his house at Langa, Cape Town on 2 March 2007 during a robbery.
  
  