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  The name, Ernest Rammutla, is well known amongst Northern Sotho traditional music lovers. His dipela (finger organ/xylophone) tunes proved him to be a highly talented artist, a talent that was aptly showcased through frequent radio airplay and the occasional television program as his music came to be enjoyed by listeners and viewers alike. 
  
  Ernest Rammutla was born in a place known as Mohwadi, Ga-Tjale in what is now Limpopo Province. The actual date of his birth cannot be verified thanks to contradictory official records, a not uncommon problem amongst Africans who were denied western education in the days of the old apartheid government and its predecessors.  Rammutla’s ‘dompass’ (reference book) rather improbably lists his date of birth as 11 August 1954, while another record shows a date of 19 March 1936. However, in an interview, with Radio Lebowa traditional programmes presenter, Ramosibihla Ramakgolo, Rammutla stated that he was born in 1914, a date which seems entirely more probable. 
  
  Most of the details of Rammutla’s early life are now lost.  We know he was born blind and apparently he never received any formal education.  He married a first wife but unfortunately she passed away without bearing any children (perhaps one reason why we know so little about his early activities.)  In about 1957, Rammutla met and then married a second time to Mosima Mpša from Mohlajeng village. She was born on 10 August 1935 and thus was probably somewhat younger than her husband. Their union was blessed with six children, four sons and two daughters.  Mosima loved her husband’s musical artistry and often sang or ululated with him as he performed. 
  
  In his Radio Lebowa interview with Ramakgolo, Rammutla stated that he bought his first dipela at Ga-Tjale for “lesome-le-sehlano” (an equivalent of today’s R275 roughly). He then painstakingly taught himself to play the instrument until he was able to accompany his first song, Seremela. One day, he went to a place called Tlepeng-la-Mohodi where he found people drinking beer and started playing his music there. The people were so enthralled by his songs that they began to offer him gifts of sorghum. By the end of the performance, he had enough sorghum to fill five bags, each of which he subsequently sold for pontwana (one pound – probably the equivalent of about R350 in 2013). He then sold his old dipela and bought a bigger and more sophisticated instrument, a harepa (harp). He then also realised that he had talent, and resolved to work hard and produce more songs. 
  
  Rammutla was an artist who incorporated and reflected both his cultural and natural heritage in his compositions. He often spiced his music with humourous lyrics that dealt with social issues but he also sang about the physical environment and its natural beauty and phenomena, mentioning for example the wild fruits abundant in his Blouberg-Makgabeng-Senwabarwana area such as dinobe, dihlakauma, dithokolo, matlobja, dimupudu and dihlatswa. Some of Rammutla’s well-known hit songs include Ba Mo Loile, Ba Re Koleketše, Ntetele Ke Sa Hlapa, Tshehlana, Lori E A Duma, Re A Ithalokela, Mmane Waka, Ga A Kgone Go Raloka, Kokoo Re Bulele, Letintela, and Mamelodi.

  
  Rammutla recorded on three separate occasions for the SABC. The dates of the first two sessions cannot now be exactly determined but they appear to have taken place sometime in the early 1970s while the final SABC session was recorded in 1984. Rammutla also made one commercially released album in 1983 for Gallo Records, produced by Lucky Monama and entitled ‘Mamelodi’. All these recordings were given extensive airplay by the SABC’s Radio Bantu ‘Pedi’ service, later to be re-named Radio Lebowa, (and currently known as Thobela FM.) The radio station played a major role in preserving and publicising the traditional ‘harepa’ style of Rammutla as well as Johannes Mohlala, Johannes Mogwadi, and Alex Mathunyane, among others. (Of all the other traditional artists that he heard, Rammutla said that that he thought Johannes Mohlala’s composition and style was the most impressive, because ‘Mohlala does not hurry his music’.) Radio Lebowa personality Hlabje Aser Mahlase, who had a keen interest in harepa, extended the station’s Astera award competition to encompass traditional artists, enabling Rammutla to one year win a prize of R100 and a cup for his song Mamelodi. Through the efforts of the late radio and TV personality, Champ Metse Ramogoebo, Rammutla’s songs and talent were further exposed on national television on Champ’s SABC TV programme, Mmino Wa Setšo.
  
  Ernest Rammutla died on 9 June 1992 from tuberculosis – which at least partially resulted from his impoverished living conditions. Sadly, he died a pauper – “a se na le pudi ya leleme le letala” as the Sepedi saying goes (‘without so much as a green-tongue goat’) – this despite his musical and poetic talents and the publicity received through singing for millions of us on radio and television. His humble remains were buried at Ga-Rammutla (Vergelegen), the village where he spent his final years. May His Dearest Soul Rest In Peace.
  
  Dr. Tlou Setumu
  Heritage practitioner, cultural activist, researcher and author.
  
  Leina le, Ernest Rammutla, le tumile kudu barating le bathekging ba mmino wa Sesotho sa Lebowa wa setšo. Ka mmino wa gagwe wa dipela, Rammutla o itšhupile go ba sethakga se segolo kudu. Talente ya gagwe e ile ya ba ya bonwa le ke ba diradio le ba dithelebišene ka gore mmino wa gagwe o ile wa gašwa gomme batheeletši le babogedi ba go fapanafapana ba ipshina ka ona.
  
  Ernest Rammutla o belegwe Mohwadi, Ga Tjale, mo profinsing ya lehono ya Limpopo. Gore o belegwe neng, ga go name go hlaka gabotse ka gore go hweditšwe ditokomane tša go se bolele taba ye tee. Ka gare ga “dom pass” go bontšha a belegwe ka la 11 Agostose 1954 (taba yeo e sa kgodišego), mola ka go tše dingwe go laetša a belegwe ka la 19 Matšhe 1936. Se ga se bothata bja Rammutla a le noši ka gore bontši bja Babaso ba naga ye, ba ikhwetša mengwaga ya bona ka dipukwaneng tša boitsebišo e šaeditšwe ke mmušo wola wa maloba wa makgowa, gotee le yela ya dinagamagae. Ge a boledišana le Ramosibihla Ramakgolo mo radiong, Rammutla yena o re o belegwe ka 1914, seo se tlogago se kgodiša ka nnete.
  
  Bontši bja tša bophelo bja Rammutla go bonagala bo timeletše lehono. Go bonagala a se a ba a hwetša thuto ya ka sekolong, kudu ka ge e be e le sefofu. O ile a nyala mosadi, mme ka go hloka mahlatse, mosadi yoo a hlokofala ntle le thorwana ye tee. Morago ga fao, ka bo 1957, Rammutla o ile a kopana a ba a nyalana le mosadi yo mongwe, Mosima Mpša go tšwa Mohlajeng, yoo ditokomane tša gagwe di laetšago gore o belegwe ka la 10 Agostose 1935. Bona ba ile ba šegofatšwa ka bana ba tshela, barwa ba bane le barwedi ba babedi. Mosima o be a rata mošomo wa mogatšagwe wa bokgabo ka gore o be a opela naye goba a fela a hlaba mokgolokwane ge monna a pidinya dipela.
  
  Poledišanong yeo ya gagwe le Ramakgolo, Rammutla o re o rekile dipela tša gagwe tša mathomothomo kua Ga-Tjale ka lesome-le-sehlano. O re o ile a ikokoropa, a ithuta go letša dipela ka boyena. Koša ya gagwe ya mathomo o re e bile Seremela. O re ka ‘tšatši le lengwe o ile a ya kua Tlapeng-la-Mohodi a bapala dipela tša gagwe, batho ba kgahlega mme ba mo fa dimpho tša dikotlelo tša mabele, fao a ilego a tlatša disaka tše hlano. O re o ile a nama a lemoga gore ka nnete o be a kgona go letša dipela gomme a nama a tshwela mare diatleng. O ile a tla a lahla dipela tša kgale gomme a reka harepa ye kgolo.
  
  Rammutla e be e le sethakga sa go kgona go kopanya bohwa bja setšo le bja tlhago. O be a opela ka bobotse bja tlhago, dilo tša go ama tikologo, tša leago, bj.bj. Gape o opela ka dienywa tša naga tša Blouberg-Makgabeng-Senwabarwana go swana le dinobe, dihlakauma, dithokolo, matlobja, dimupudu, le dihlatswa. Dikoša tša gagwe tša go tuma ke bo Ba Mo Loile; Ba Re Koleketše; Ntetele Ke Sa Hlapa; Tshehlana; Lori E A Duma; Re A Ithalokela; Mmane Waka; Ga A Kgone Go Raloka; Kokoo Re Bulele; Letintela; Mamelodi le tše dingwe tše dintši.
  
  Rammutla o gatišitše mmino wa gagwe gararo le Lekgotlakgašo la Afrika Borwa. Dikgatišo tše pedi tša pele di dirilwe go thoma ka 1969 go fihla ka 1973, mola kgatišo ya mafelelo e dirilwe ka 1984. Rammutla o gatišitše LP ye tee fela le GALO Records ka 1983. Yona e tšweleditšwe ke Lucky Monama, mme e bitšwa “Mamelodi”. Dikgatišo tše tša Rammutla di be di bapalwa kudu radiong ya gešo yeo e bego e bitšwa Radio Bantu “Pedi”, ya tla ya bitšwa Radio Lebowa, mme lehono e bitšwa Thobela FM. Radio ye gabotsebotse ke yona e ralokilego karolo ye bohlokwa go tšweletšeng le go boloka mmino wa dikgwari tša go swana le Rammutla, Johannes Mohlala, Johannes Mogwadi, Alex Mathunyane, bj.bj. (Go ya ka Rammutla, mo gare ga baletši ba mmino wa setšo bao a ba kwelego le bao a kopanego nabo, o tloga a kgahlwa ke mmino wa Johannes Mohlala, ka ge a re o iketlela ona).
  
  Hlabje Aser Mahlase e be e le yo mongwe wa bagaši bao ba bego ba tšweletša mmino wo pele ka ge a ile a dira gore diphadišano tša Astera di akaretše mmino wa setšo, moo e lego gore Rammutla o ile a thopa sebjana le sefoka sa R100-00 ka koša ya gagwe, Mamelodi. Mogaši wa go tuma wa radio le thelebišene, Champ Metse Ramogwebo, o ile a šala mmino wa Rammutla morago, a ba a o tšweleletša thelebišeneng fao o ilego wa thakgatša diketekete tša babogedi, lenanegong la gagwe la Mmino Wa Setšo.
  
  Rammutla o hlokofetše ka la 9 June 1992 ka bolwetši bja mafahla. Go itaetša bohloki bjo a bego a dula go bjona bo ka ba bo fokoditše bophelo bja gagwe ka ge le go fola motsoko a be a sa dire. O boloketšwe motsaneng woo a bego a dula go wona wa Ga-Rammutla (Vergelegen).A Moya Wa Gagwe O Robale Ka Khutšo.
  
  Dr. Tlou Setumu
  Mongwadi, monyakišiši le molwela bohwa, bokgabo le setšo. ... more
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