The Champane family in Mahalapye bid their father a final goodbye after struggling with an ailment until he succumbed to it on March 16, 2024, at a hospital in his home village. He was buried last week Saturday at the village cemetery. The family gave him their last love in a fitting send-off reminiscent of a king. Larger than life himself, Oabile ‘The Big Champ’ Champane, had brought the village to a halt as thousands had braved the chilly Saturday morning to bid the man of the people farewell. The street in front of his house was almost impassable due to motor traffic congestion with all the parking space even in the neighbourhood diametrically taken up.
Kitted in khaki uniform and green berets, complemented with green cardigans, the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) (of the star version) female choir had come in numbers just like their male counterparts attired on khaki suits and white large shoes known as Manyanyatha; they had coloured the large marquee tent draped in black and white that housed the mourners with their khaki theme. On the left side of their chests, they wore a metallic star sitting on a green and black badge emblazoned ZCC, which completed the church uniform and identity. They dominated the stage with their songs and dance in reverence to the church senior pastor, the late Champane, who had for a long time been at the helm of the church in Mahalapye, Gaborone and other areas. For the longest time, since the advent of COVID-19 in 2020, the church choirs were not allowed to do what they love the most - singing and dancing. To some, the funeral was akin to a church service as momentarily, the church had taken over in remembrance of a man who had guided many of them from a young age to adulthood. As a deacon, one of his chief duties was baptising new converts, a task he was hailed to have executed with aplomb.
