Music legend Tsepo Tshola, who sang about peace, love and resilience, died due to Covid-19 complications a week after burying his sister.
Tshola, 67, who died on Thursday morning in his home country Lesotho, will be remembered as one of the talented artists who left an indelible mark on the music industry with his gift and distinctive, deep voice.
The well-travelled musician affectionately known as The Village Poet died just a week after burying his sister in Berea, Lesotho.
According to his Lesotho-based manager and band member Tlali Lebitsa, the legendary musician was admitted to Berea Hospital on Thursday last week after complaining about not being well.
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Lebitsa said at the time of his death, Tshola was building his retirement home at Thaba Bosiu in Maseru district, where he had hoped to further his love for farming.
He said though Tshola was hospitalised he did not seem severely ill and they believed he would bounce back.
“He was communicating with us. It came as a shock that he passed on.”
Lebitsa added: “I have been working with Ntate Tsepo since 2014 and he was like a father to me. What I liked about him was that he allowed you to explore as a instrumentalist. We played with him in Swaziland, SA and Lesotho. When we travelled with him we used to laugh because he was a good comedian. His last performance was here in Lesotho in December.”
Stop the War, Now or Never and Ho Lokile are some of the Tshola's hit songs that espoused the feeling of peace and wellbeing like many of his other songs, both as a soloist and member of band Sankomota.
As SA navigates civil unrest and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that took Tshola's life, these songs are relevant.
Tshola first made his name as the charismatic lead vocalist of Sankomota, the internationally acclaimed Afro-jazz band. He and Frank Leepa, who is also late, wrote many hits for the group like Stop the War, Bakubeletsa, Lehlapahlapa, The Fruits of Toil and Vukani.
The group started out as The Antiques and later changed its name to Uhuru. In 1996, four members of Sankomota were killed in a road accident. After the accident Tshola and Leepa tried to revive the group but it just did not work out.
Tshola pursued his solo career, releasing albums such as The Village Pope, Lesedi, A New Dawn, Let's Hold Hands, Winding Rivers, Reconciliation, and Nothing can Beat the Truth.
In a career spanning more than four decades he collaborated with local artists like Thandiswa Mazwai, Brenda Fassie and Cassper Nyovest.
Friends and people who worked with Tshola have defined him as a true humanitarian. Joe Nina will remember Tshola as a “loving brother”.
He described Tshola as a beautiful soul who was “abnormal, yet in the most beautiful way”. At the height of their brotherhood, the two legendary musicians shared a home in Kensington, Johannesburg, between 2016 and 2018.
They had an in-house studio and Nina recalled recording music until 10am on most days.
“We have lost a legend, I would say a loving brother to me and our industry is never going to be the same because we have lost a lot in the last couple of weeks,” Nina told Sowetan while struggling to hold off tears.
“He [Tshola] would find joy in the midst of pain, that kind of abnormal. He was just crazy, special and different.”
Nina said he had many unreleased songs with Tshola in his studio, most memorable being a duet dedicated to mothers. Nina said he had no plans to release the music now, but maybe in the future.
Philpott Mqikela, who played guitar for Tshola for more than 20 years, described him as a dedicated, loving and talented person. Nqikela, who also co-wrote some of Tshola’s songs, defined him as humble and good guy who loved people.
“Tsepo was one of the greatest musicians that I ever worked with. I met him just after leaving Sankomota... What I will miss about him is his great voice, his energy on stage and he made you enjoy the performance, especially when he was performing live.”
Tshola, who was based in SA, is survived by his two sons and grandchildren.
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