Veteran gospel musicians Kholekile Qongqo, left and Sithembiso Soboyisi entertain the crowd in Langa.
Two musicians who have been starved of an income due to the lockdown restrictions which prevented gatherings and live performances shared with Vukani what it has been like to finally perform in front of a live audience.
On Saturday, Kholekile Qongqo and Reverend Sithembiso Soboyisi launched their new album, Thembalimbi, at Phandulwazi Hall in Langa.
“It has been difficult for all the artists country-wide. We were forced to sit at home with nothing to show.
The province has not even given us the relief funding. We only heard about it in the newspapers and (on the) radio. But we are grateful to have a chance to perform in front of an audience.
“This is something to be proud of. We only hope that as time goes, things will be different,” said Sithembiso.
Sithembiso and Kholekile took full advantage of the day to perform their best songs, among them duets, for their enthusiastic crowd.
“This is the first show since March. We have never seen our fans for such a long time. We missed the stage and performances like this. As gospel artists we ought to give hope to the masses and it is now that time that we should do that. The only hope we have now is that the virus can go away so we can have big shows and concerts.
But we are happy with the little chance we have to perform for them, give them hope through the song,” Kholekile told Vukani.
The two applauded their audience for adhering to lockdown protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19. They said it was good to see people sanitising their hands and wearing masks.
“This is not the time to break the rules but encourage our people to live a clean life,” said Kholekile.
“As gospel artists, we have a responsibility to not only spread the word of God but to make people aware of their surroundings and dangers. We are all aware that there is word of a second wave, so we want people to be vigilant at all times.”