{"id":42402,"date":"2025-11-20T14:42:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T14:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=42402"},"modified":"2025-11-20T14:42:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T14:42:06","slug":"former-thobela-fm-presenter-kwetepe-village-boy-matlakala-dies-at-37","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2025\/11\/20\/former-thobela-fm-presenter-kwetepe-village-boy-matlakala-dies-at-37\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Thobela FM presenter Kwetepe \u2018Village Boy\u2019 Matlakala dies at 37"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"mvp-content-main\">&#13;<\/p>\n<p>Thobela FM has confirmed the death of its former presenter, Kwetepe Matlakala, affectionately known to listeners as \u201cVillage Boy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Limpopo-based station shared the sad news on its social media platforms on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, prompting an outpouring of condolences from fans across South Africa.<\/p>\n<p>Matlakala, remembered for his warmth and effortless connection with audiences, made his mark at Thobela FM through several popular shows, including Reggae ke Mmino, Re ka Kgona, and Lent\u0161u ke Bophelo.<\/p>\n<p>He also worked closely with the late radio legend JJ Menu and was admired for his contribution to Sepedi radio.<\/p>\n<p>At just 37, his passing has left many shocked.<\/p>\n<p>The station has not yet released details about the cause of death, but further information on memorial and funeral arrangements is expected to follow.<\/p>\n<p>Listeners and loved ones continue to honour his legacy, celebrating a broadcaster who brought energy, authenticity and heart to every show he touched.<\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 4 -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Thobela #presenter #Kwetepe #Village #Boy #Matlakala #dies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#13; Thobela FM has confirmed the death of its former presenter, Kwetepe Matlakala, affectionately known to listeners as \u201cVillage Boy.\u201d&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42402"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42403,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42402\/revisions\/42403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}