A Harmonist of African Destiny on the Occasion of the Fifth Eisteddfod in his Honour
A Tribute to Dr. Shalati Joseph Khosa by Dr Reuel J. Khoza I 11 July 2025
Opening Salutation & Invocation
Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, Esteemed Youth, we gather not merely to commemorate a name or a melody - but to invoke a legacy, one borne aloft by choir and conscience, strophe and stewardship. We gather in honour of Dr Shalati Joseph Khosa, whose life’s work was not confined to manuscript or microphone but vibrated across the moral architecture of our nation.
As we paid homage to Tsietsi Mashinini on June 16, a symbol of youth defiance and deliberate leadership—let us now summon Khosa’s symphonic soul to illuminate the path ahead, as we move from homage into harmony, from memory into mandate.
Music as Moral Compass - Transition into Theme
Let us first attune our spirits to the moral rhythm of Khosa’s compositions. In a landscape so often awash with performative speeches and hollow declarations, his work begins not with sound - but with substance.
“Mintirho Ya Vulavula” - Deeds speak. They speak in a language. A language that is understood. Understood by everyone. Be Still. Deeds themselves shall speak. Good deeds never hide, not ever.
“The highest good is that which is done—not said.” Aristotle
This is no mere choral aphorism - it is an ethical overture, a summons to the kind of leadership our youth must embody. Just as Tsietsi Mashinini converted protest into purpose, so too must today’s leaders convert vision into verifiable impact. Let their deeds speak.
Identity Rooted in Ubuntu - Transition from Morality to Belonging
Having tuned our ears to the moral charge of music, we now shift from what we do to who we are. Dr S J Khosa did not compose to entertain the elite—he composed to awaken the African soul. His compositions articulate identity not as isolated ego but as shared humanity. In harmony with Ubuntu, he reminds us that leadership must draw from communal empathy, not personal ambition.
*“Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu.”
A person is a person through other persons. I am because you are, you are because we are. We are inter-related and interdependent.
In his soaring anthem “Vumunhu Bya Afrika” (Lyrics by Reuel J Khoza, music by Shalati J Khosa), Khosa extends Ubuntu from proverb to praxis. Tsietsi Mashinini, too, did not act as a solitary rebel but as a collective conscience, proving that leadership born of empathy births community, not chaos.
Stewardship, not Sovereignty - Transition from Identity to Leadership Philosophy
Once identity is firmly rooted in relational ethics, leadership must evolve from privilege to principle. Khosa’s regal tribute “Nghunghunyana” invites us to reimagine kingship—not as conquest, but as custodianship.
“Power should be a trust, not a trophy.” Reuel Khoza
This echoes Tsietsi’s embodiment of earned authority, forged in the fires of activism. For youth today, the throne is not a seat - it is a set of wholesome standards. Leadership is not inherited - it is earned through service.
Reviving Indigenous Wisdom - Transition from Governance to Legacy
And what is governance without a grasp of origin? What is influence without a memory of language, the language of music in particular? From stewardship, we now descend into the ancestral vault, where Khosa’s children’s songs dwell—gentle yet profound.
In “Ndzhaka ya Tinsimu”, he urges us to revive that which colonisation and neglect have tried to erase. Tsietsi Mashinini fought for educational reform; Khosa taught through melody. Both remind us that true leadership begins in linguistic liberation, in cultural literacy, in the preservation of soul. Khosa’s song Limpopo, is a war cry of life. It fosters unity across ethnic and generational lines. His lyrics are cosmopolitan yet deeply African, creating a shared emotional vocabulary for communities navigating post-apartheid transformation.
“To lose your language is to lose your soul.” Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Closing Call to Action: Music as Nationhood - Transition from Memory to Mandate
In essence, S J Khosa’s oeuvre is a sonic blueprint for societal healing; addressing fragmentation, moral drift, and cultural amnesia with melodies that provoke reflection and inspire action.
From memory, we now move to mandate. If music be the food of progress, let us play on.
Let Khosa’s legacy be a score - not shelved, but sounded. Let his compositions animate ministries, classrooms, boardrooms, and town halls alike.
Dr. Reuel Khoza reminds us: “Ethical leadership is a symphony of values.”
Thus, in this Memorial Lecture, let us commit anew - not only to perform Khosa’s music but to live it. Let our youth become the living lyrics of African rebirth, sung in harmony with justice, innovation, and Ubuntu.
Closing Salutation
To the spirit of Dr Shalati Joseph Khosa - composer, philosopher, patriot -
We do not merely commemorate
We take up your baton.
May your scores continue to sound,
May your spirit continue to soar,
And may your service continue to sanctify this soil called South Africa.
Khanimambo