A 51-year-old gospel singer from Matangari village in the Vhembe District, Ms Betty Netshiongolwe, has released her seventh album, Ro pfa phungo ya Vho Betty.
The six-track album was released in May this year and continues the musical journey she began in 2017 with her debut, Joel Muporofita. All of her albums have been recorded at Ismael Malala Studios in Tshaulu village.
Speaking from her home on Sunday, Ms Netshiongolwe — daughter of the late Archbishop Simon Netshiongolwe of Matangari — said she had started singing in church at a young age. "I used to sing in the church choir when I was still very young. I was encouraged by my father to become a singer, as he realised that I had the ability to spread the word of God through music," she said.
Her other albums include Yehova ndi mulisa wanga (2018), Yehova muimeleli wanga (2019), Yehova ndi wa Madembe (2020), Zwi vho tou vhonala uri Murena vha khou vhuya (2022), and two from 2023 — Dzina lavho a lingo nwaliwa and Munna wa mimuya mivhi.
She said her latest offering, which translates as We Heard Rumours About Vho Betty, was inspired by criticism she faced after her husband had died. "After I lost my husband, people began talking badly about my love life. As a child of God, people expected me never to fall in love again, and when I did, they began questioning my faith," she said.
The album speaks directly to the stigma around widows finding love again. "Whenever I find someone to live with, people start talking negatively about me. It has affected me so badly that I am now living alone. But if I meet someone again, I will fall in love. Only God in heaven can judge me — not jealous people on this earth," she said.