Motlagosebatho Elizabeth “Pierinkie” Tlhoaele (nee Loeto) was born on 12 June 1938 in Thaba Nchu, Orange Free State. She was the first of three daughters born to Mme Morwa Dorah Loeto.
After having completed primary school, high school and her tertiary education in Thaba Nchu, she started her teaching career at Strydom Opleiding (Training School) in 1965, teaching music in both lower and higher primary teachers’ course classes. While at Strydom Opleiding, she also taught choral singing in the high school classes, as well as school mass singing.
She arrived in 1966 in Mahikeng to start working as a music teacher at Batswana Training School, where she taught music classes and trained and conducted the school choir. She won several and many prestigious music competitions with the Batswana Training School choir.
In 1972, she was promoted to Music Inspector-organiser for the Department of Education of Bophuthatswana. During this period, she was responsible for the literacy of music and conducting teachers training courses for all circuits. She organised and ran music choral competitions and was responsible for the literacy of music for the whole Bophuthatswana. She also served as a member of the Department of Education’s central Committee for music syllabi from 1962-1976. She resigned from this position in 1977.
Her music career inspired her to co-write a Setswana traditional and folk song book called “A re opeleng”. This book that was designed for the teaching of Setswana folk songs as a means of teaching learners traditional folk songs and instilling pride in their heritage.
