The various gospel artists who were lined up for the Mangaung Gospel Festival in Botshabelo have fulfilled the organisers’ vision to turn the town into a place for spiritual renewal and to praise God by singing in their unique voices.
In total, 22 artists, both established and upcoming, from the Free State enthralled a crowd of approximately 2 000 at the Kaizer Sebothelo Stadium on Saturday (01/04).
Genres at the festival included traditional gospel, clap and tap gospel, contemporary gospel, as well as praise and worship. The various gospel artists echoed the famous “O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer’s praise” (“Mphe maleme a sekete”).
Those who did not attend, missed out on exceptional performances by Hlengiwe Mhlaba, Lebo Sekgobela, Manana Ramongae, Youth Ablaze, Bloemfontein Mighty Creators, Teboho Moloi and Sello Malete.
The organisers also added Thina Zungu as a surprise guest artist, ensuring the audience got their money’s worth and signalling the festival’s future intentions.
This was the first gospel event in Botshabelo post the Covid-19 pandemic, and was pioneered by a crew of five local men: Sam Motheoane, Apostle Muso Motsoikha, Mohlolo Mochela, Kegorapetse Melamu and Thabo Mafanyolle.
According to Motsoikha, successfully staging the event and honouring artists’ agreements was the test for the potential to host the festival annually.
“What also stands out is that the event was crime free. We did not receive any negative news,” he said.
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