Gospel diva Rebecca Malope rocks

As gospel music queen Rebecca Malope celebrates three decades in the music industry.

Malope was first introduced to the music scene when she entered and won the Shell Road to Fame competition in 1987... it's hard to believe that the gospel diva has been rocking it for 30 years.
Her hairstyle is another feature that she's been rocking for as long as we can remember.
Not many celebrities can rave about making something fashionable twice in their lifetime - but Malope is proud that she possesses this flair.
She boasts over 35 albums which translated into tons of accolades, including a Kora award, South African Music awards, Metro FM music awards and an OKTV award for best female artist.
With all her achievements Malope lists celebrating her birthday with former president and world renowned struggle icon Nelson Mandela as the highlight of her life.
"I have achieved a lot in my career... my biggest has been celebrating my 40th birthday with Mr Mandela... travelling the world and having all these awards I have won," she says.
Malope adds that though her achievements speak volumes, she has not yet reached her peak.
"Yes, I thank God to have achieved so much and to be where I am now is by the grace of the Almighty God... but you are never satisfied because as a person you always want to do more and achieve more, but so far, whatever achievement I make I really give glory to the Man above."
On her dreams and goals she still wants to work towards, Malope says: "I would like to have my own talk show, where I can speak to people and change their mindsets, and also to hear some of the journeys they have been through in life. My aim is to heal scars that so many people live with from having a painful past."
Malope's own scars were revealed in public in 2002.
She was repeatedly told by different doctors that she can never have children of her own.
Malope describes that day as the second darkest time of her life. Her first, she says, was losing both her parents in 1997.
But she says she did fall pregnant eight years ago, but sadly suffered a miscarriage.
Motherhood came to her doorstep when her sister was tragically killed by a boyfriend 11 years ago.
Malope adopted her late sister's three children, a boy and two girls: Zweli, Thando and Thandeka, whom she has raised and vowed to provide with everything she never had, including a good education and a comfortable lifestyle.
"During that period I had to be a mother and take responsibility as an adult in their lives and give them everything I did not have, including a good education," she says.
The legendary star, who hails from Lekazi, a small township near Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, has a mysterious man in her life, who has apparently been in her life for the last eight years.
Some claim she married him secretly but she denies this.
"It's a very happy life. I am in a better place, everything is well and that's all I am going to say now," says Malope.
In 2004 Malope and her then fiance, musician Richard Sekgobela got fans excited about their wedding.
But the excitement was short lived after Sekgobela allegedly failed to give Malope's family the 15 cows as lobola they had requested.
Though the songstress refused to disclose the identity of the new man in her life - known in social circles as Themba Tshabalala - she says the chapter with Sekgobela is long closed.
As a gospel artist Malope's Easter weekend is a busy one with music festivals around the country. She performed in East London, in the Eastern Cape this past weekend, but says she prefers to spend these types of special holidays with her family."We celebrate Easter by going to church, when we come back we cook lunch, eat and spend time together," she says.