A send-off one year in the making … stunning Soul Jah Love tombstone unveiled

HARARE – Three years after his death a tombstone to celebrate the life of the the late Zimbabwean musician Soul Jah Love was unveiled recently at the Warren Hills Cemetery in the capital Harare.

The granite masterpiece reportedly took almost a year to make and was donated by Tendai Mbofana of Ngoda Granites.

Only the chanter’s brothers, sisters and close friends reportedly attended the ceremony which saw Jah Love immortalised in granite through an eye-catching tombstone that seemed to reflect the larger than life character of the musician.

Jah Love died in February 2021 after a long battle with diabetes.

Soul Jah Love’s brother Solomon Musaka said they had opted for a small burial because they did not want to see a repeat of the chaos that surrounded the musician’s funeral.

“We are forever grateful to Tendai Mbofana of Ngoda Granites, we have been working with him on this project for a very long time.

“Finally, a tombstone had been erected in honour of Soul Jah Love and we are sorry to the fans for making the event a private affair.

“We didn’t want to have a repeat of the day of his burial when his fans destroyed many graves around the cemetery,” he said.

Musaka urged fans who visit the tombstone to respect the sanctity of his grave.

“The tombstone is a first of its kind by Ngoda Granites and we urge all Soul Jah Love’s fans that when they visit the site, they must do so in an orderly manner.

“They should not tamper with anything and leave everything as it is,” said Musaka.

Fellow musician Silent Killer said despite his death, Jah Love was still an inspiration.

“May his music continue to inspire us kusvikawo tafa nekuti tese tiri muRoad,” he said.