Final farewell to Regalo
'He is gone but will never be forgotten. He made us proud. He waved the South African flag in the music industry' arts and culture deputy minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi
LIMPOPO – FUTURE generations will have a tough time measuring up to the efforts of the late gospel star, Mpho Regalo Gangashe.
This was according to arts and culture deputy minister, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, who was speaking at Regalo and his mother, Violet Gangashe’s funeral at Khubvi Sports Ground outside Thohoyandou on Saturday.
Regalo and his mother died in a car accident between Polokwane and Louis Trichardt last Saturday night on their way to their home in Khubvi. His wife and son survived the horror crash and are recovering at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital.
Regalo’s funeral saw over 5 000 people from different provinces traveling to Venda to pay their last respects. Some local residents went as far as to climb into the trees that surrounded the graveyard to have a final view of the coffins.
The gospel star’s fans, politicians, pastors, soapie stars, radio and TV presenters, church members and locals wept uncontrollably as the coffin was lowered into the ground.
Many described Regalo as a young man who never looked down on other people.
Mabudafhasi said she saluted Regalo for singing most of his songs in his mother tongue.
“He is gone but will never be forgotten. He made us proud. He waved the South African flag in the music industry. If you are not proud of your mother tongue, who will respect you? I’m not saying that singing in other languages is a sin, but don’t feel ashamed to speak in your mother tongue,” she said. Mabudafhasi also spoke out against music piracy.
Pastor Richard Mbedzi of the Remnant Church of Christ said Regalo came to church at the age of 9 years in 1994, with his mother. He said Regalo had an interest in singing and would never miss an opportunity to take the microphone and start singing after the church service.
“The song he liked to sing when he was in Sunday School was ‘Don’t block my ways to the Lord’. When his mother moved to join the Apostolic Unity Church, he followed her, but never stopped keeping in touch with us. It didn’t surprise me to see him rocking South Africa with his gospel music. I still remember when famous gospel star, Lufuno Dagada, came and convinced him to join his band, but his mother told Regalo to first complete his schooling.
“His death came as a shock to us and people are devastated. He was the darling of the people, especially the young people,” Mbedzi said.
Pastor Hilda Mabaya of the Calvary Christian Church in Pretoria told Regalo’s band members not to stop singing because their colleague was no more.
She encouraged them to produce and sing more because death was not something new. “It is a difficult time but we must go on serving the Lord,” Mabaya said.
