WeeklySA_AdminBy Gugu Sibiya
One of the most amazing voices of our time, Tshepo Tshola (67), is no more! He died at a Lesotho hospital.
The gravelly voiced singer, affectionately called The Village Pope, reportedly succumbed to Covid-related complications.
He was part of the Afro-pop group, Sankomota, which relocated to Britain where they honed their craft, before going solo later in his singing career. On their return from overseas, Sankomota moved to South Africa, churning one chart-buster after another. Their lyrics which encouraged black children to rise and be independent, fell on fertile soil.
Among the eclectic hits were Ho Lokile, Madambadamba and Stop the War and Boipatong, a duet with Brenda Fassie. A grief-stricken Joe Nina, still mourning singer Steve Kekana’s recent passing, said it felt like a double blow. “I last spoke to Tshepo on Thursday. I was at Steve’s funeral. He was very sad about the loss, telling me how he wished he could have been at the funeral as well. He said he understood that he had to respect the Covid protocols. Our conversation was normal, he didn’t sound sick or complain about any pain.
“At the time, he was already in quarantine for Covid. When I got the news of his passing, I was shocked. I was not even aware that he’d gone to hospital,” Nina said, adding he once shared a house with Tshola for two years, and learned a lot from him.
Miss Soweto pageant founder Leonard Sithole said: “Tshepo’s passing, including that of Steve Kekana, Peter Mokoena, and now Pat Shange, is devastating. They’ve been around for so long, producing good music and just like that they’re gone. To me they are not just artists, but friends.”
Sheer Entertainment owner and promoter Joe Chakela said he was devastated.
“Tshepo and I have had an on-and-off relationship for years. However, in recent times we were really tight. When I got a call last Tuesday that he had collapsed and the doctors diagnosed him with Covid. I was to talk to him about looking after himself, I was devastated.”
