Five years ago today, the Sesotho jazz voice known as the Village Pope was given an official state funeral at Heroes Acre in Thaba-Bosiu, after the government changed both the date and the standing of his send-off.
By Staff Reporter
On this day in 2021, the jazz musician and songwriter Ts’epo Tshola, known across Southern Africa as the Village Pope, was laid to rest at Heroes Acre in Thaba-Bosiu. The Teyateyaneng-born singer, a former lead voice of Sankomota, was given an official state funeral.
Tshola had died on 15 July 2021 at the age of 67, from COVID-19 complications. His burial was first set for 23 July.
How the send-off became a state funeral
The government, under the then prime minister Moeketsi Majoro, raised the burial to an official state funeral and moved it to Friday 30 July 2021, to allow for the logistical and diplomatic arrangements a state occasion required.
Remembering the Village Pope
The ceremony drew senior figures, among them His Majesty King Letsie III and Dr Majoro. Julius Malema, leader of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters, attended in person. Before the service, Malema praised the Village Pope for his impact on the liberation and culture of Southern Africa.
In his tribute, King Letsie III called Tshola a person for all, a musician Basotho could take pride in, who blessed and entertained audiences around the world.
“A person for all because of his music.”
His Majesty King Letsie III
Ts’epo Tshola began singing professionally in 1970 and rose to prominence with Sankomota before a solo career that carried his 1994 album, The Village Pope, and its stage name across the continent. His brother told mourners that his passing had touched not only the family but Lesotho, South Africa and the wider continent.
Related stories:
More on this day, from the Lesotho Tribune
Source: Ts’epo Tshola, biography
