During the early days of the deep river characterized by harmony and unity.

Tilo ngwana Rashaka Mokgopo

 
Take it as a constructive criticism. I’m not fighting Culture Spear and neither am I running anti Culture Spears machinery. But I’m simply stating out my subjective facts.

 
Weeks prior to the release of Culture Spears vol 5, Kulanche, I was always excited and over the moon when thinking of the group’s pending cultural hit album. But the mood swiftly changed and this time replaced by a rather somber, dull humour.

 
I know how hard it is to accept criticism no matter how constructive it may be, but I’ll be lying to everybody including my inner self if I shy away from the truth.

 
Kulanche describes a deteriorating quality standard of Culture Spears. For the great love I have for the group and the respect I epitomize for their craft, I would like to advise them to go back to the drawing board or risk losing loyal support going forward.

 
Even though the quantity has increased from 6 to 8 songs, the declining quality cannot go unnoticed. It is very noticeable that Thembeni Ramosethleng’s rich and mesmerizing voice is missing from the album; and because of that, the album lacks rhythm and sometimes sounds dull as if there’s no male backing vocalist especially when Kabelo backs up with Magdeline whose voice far overpowers Kabelo’s.

 
Simply put, in this album Thembeni is reduced to nothing, only gracing the CD cover to present a united front aimed at deceiving the eyes of the buyer while we all know that Culture Spears is not as united as it used to be back in the days. If that was the case, Madame Magdeline and Meneer Kabelo would have waited for Thembeni to finish whatever project he’s working on and then work on Kulanche album together. The fact that Thembeni’s album was produced outside Kulenyane’s studios also raises eyebrows.

 
Such things give media reports that Thembeni is no longer an active member of the group a rhythm to rage on. The move to exclude Thembeni from the album has worked to the group’s detriment and could harm the image of the group going forward.

 
Jelinah’s untimely departure from the group has not yet left people’s tongues. Fans are still inquiring about Jelinah’s whereabouts and to now have Thembeni not featured in the album could make matters worse.

 
Again, the song Kulanche does not match the standard of all the previous title tracks, except for Korone. The only powerful song in the album that has all the ingredients to at least stand as the title track is Magdeline-led “Tshumu”.

 
Perhaps Culture Spears should have defied the odds and let Magdeline lead the title track seeing that the song can be considered a plug track that can push the sales of the new album. If Kulanche receives more airplay than all the other songs, I can only wish Culture Spears a good luck.

 
Make no mistake about it; Magdeline did a very great job with “Tshumu”. This song is one the bests Magdeline has led in the past. I can only imagine how greater it would have turned out had it received Thembeni’s rich voice.

 
I also don’t understand the logic behind the inclusion of “Magosi” ***Hlatswa lesire*** in this album. According to me, this is a pure personalification of Culture Spears. The song is best suited for E ke Ntolo that has recently become synonymous to Charma Gal project.

 
But hey, like Kabelo said, people are quick to point out the negatives while disregarding the positives. Only if they knew how hard it is to remain on top, they wouldn’t pass their negative remarks. Maybe I’m just one of them. Nonetheless, I stand by my views.

 
The following is how I rate all the Culture Spears projects out of a 10

 
Korone: 6.8
Kulenyane: 9.2
Khudu: 9.8
Kuweletsana: 8.5
Kulanche: 7.2

Tilo ngwana Rashaka Mokgopo

 
According to the media reporting, Democratic Alliance leader and the Western Cape Province premier, Helen Zille, has apparently told the party’s Federal Executive meeting that she has “made” outgoing Lindiwe Mazibuko.

 
This after Mazibuko resigned from her high profiled position as the party’s parliamentary leader only a few days after the May 7 general elections to further her studies at Harvard University.

 
Zille allegedly said that Mazibuko was nothing without her and that time and again she would have to “save” incompetent Mazibuko.

 
Zille’s statement can only be interpreted as suggesting that ordinarily Mazibuko’s bright future in the political arena would not have blossomed this much if it wasn’t for her help and intervention.

 
Also, Zille can be viewed as issuing an indirect warning to all the DA members especially blacks that to rise to prominent positions in the party’s ranks, they all need her blessings.

 
This opens a room for one to go back to the controversial statement the Economic Freedom Fighter leader, Julius Malema made years back about “I don’t debate with a tea lady,” referring to Lindiwe Mazibuko.

 
Following Mamphele-Zille’s political marriage that wilted long before it could even blossom; critics suggested that the move was nothing but “rent a black face” aimed at wooing more black voters to the party.

 
It is also claimed that Zille first opposed Mazibuko’s candidacy to the party’s parliamentary leader but what later compelled to side with her because she could not risk having a black person lose.

Colonial and apartheid sentiments in democratic South Africa.

 
If the media’s reporting is anything to go by, then it is very disappointing to see the leader of the official opposition party echoing colonial and apartheid sentiments that black people are incompetent and by virtue; they are nothing without the help of a white man.

 
This is the same remarks that Verwoerd would pass during apartheid era. One may argue that it is clear that Zille sees black people as nothing but her subordinates, who, time and again, would need her mighty power to rescue them.

 
Like she said about Mamphele, “I did my best to help her (Mamphele) but she rejected it publicly and in a very humiliating way.” Again, the “I help her” remarks cannot go unnoticed.

 
Zille “sets the record straight.”

 
Contrary to the earlier reporting, Zille has come out with guns blazing disputing the media’s claims.

 
“At no stage in the Fedex meeting did I launch any “scathing attack” on Lindiwe. I simply put the facts on the table. I said after she was elected, a “Berlin wall” was erected between her office and mine, and my advice was ignored.

 
“I conceded that I had worked very hard to promote Lindiwe’s career. In fact, I had never done as much to promote any person’s career in the DA before. This is an objective, evidence-based fact. I did not say I “made” her. And I did not say I “saved” her. I certainly did not say that she would be “nothing without me”, as the Sunday Times headline falsely claims.

 
Mazibuko plays the cards close to her chest

 
As of the day Mazibuko announced publicly her interest to study at Harvard, she has been playing a ‘no comment’ game, saying little to nothing to the media.

 
Protect Mazibuko from racism

 
A robust black consciousness and Economic Freedom Fighters commissar, Andile Mngxitama has come out with guns blazing, calling on everyone to protect Lindiwe Mazibuko.

 
“I always say: black consciousness 101 determines that whenever a black person is under attack from white supremacy we must defend such a black (person).

 
“Racism does not care for gender, class or political affiliation, so long as u (sic) black they will sort you out.

 
“Now is time to defend Lindiwe Mazibuko, what’s going on in the DA is racism. I stand with every black when under attack from racism even those I don’t like. It’s our duty!

Picture: Sunday Sun online

Tilo ngwana Rashaka Mokgopo

 
There’s a false conception widely circulated in the media that people who support the Economic Freedom Fighters are uneducated, disgruntled unemployed fellows in townships, informal settlements and rural areas to mention a few.

 
Of course such a statement is not only incorrect and misleading, but perpetuates impressions that EFF is nothing but a home party to anarchists who have nothing good to utter except for hate speeches.

 
I support the EFF and I can speak with pride that my name cannot be said in the same line as anarchism, racism and let’s not even talk about uneducated unless if a hard-earned-finished-on-record-time honours in Media Studies from University of the Witwatersrand is equivalent to uneducated.

 
Make no mistake about it; tomorrow my vote goes to the EFF. This has nothing to do with the fact that Malema is from my home province but has everything to do with the alternative policies the EFF proposes. I may not agree with everything that the EFF puts on table, but weighing the party against all the other parties, surely the EFF deserves my vote.

 
Is not inevitable that I will always vote for the EFF. If tomorrow Malema-led party wakes up and become something else, I’d gladly take my vote somewhere else-something that I wish not to ever happen. But for now, I entrust the EFF to look after my interests in parliament after tomorrow’s election.

 
If voting for the EFF is a move in the wrong direction, then you are also making mistakes by voting ANC, DA, COPE inter alia.

 
Yes, let me not shy away from the truth, to think that a man who has pending court cases of corruptions, tax evasion, uttered demeaning and unacceptable speeches against a raped woman, the encounter with the BCC journalist, calling fellow politicians “tea lady”, “cockroaches”, “ghosts” among other scandals is now the messiah and fit enough to look after my interests without any fault is nothing but a fallacy.

 
But at least Malema has scruples. Voting for the ANC is worse. People inside the ANC argue that voting for the ANC is not voting for Zuma. We are voting for the ANC, and not for Zuma, so they argue.

 
But they are greatly wrong. If I vote the ANC it means I’m endorsing Zuma. Why should I give the man a nod who only thinks for himself and his families? I haven’t forgotten about Guptagate, e-tolls. I doubt Nkandlagate will ever leave my mind.

 
Today he knows nothing about the Nkandla costs, the following day he didn’t ask for the upgrades and suddenly the upgrades were necessary after the wife was raped. Did we ask for e-tolls? How about women who get raped on a daily basis in this country? Surely they meet all the requirements for the 248 million upgrades of their homes. My mom is having sleepless nights that her cows might be taken away by the thieves under the cover of the night, may her cattle also get a kraal worth R1 million?

 
Zuma has Nkandlafied the ANC. It seems all the people with the authority to call him to order are all scared of him. What irritates me the most is that the ANC knows exactly what they need to do but they seem to be shying away from the real issue, GET RID OF ZUMA!

 
As for the DA, the party that is vehemently pro-capitalism is not even worthy of my vote. I just have a great respect of Lindiwe Mazibuko. I like her reasoning skills and how she puts the words together to make sense. But as for her party, no, no!

 
So, tomorrow I’m going to make my wrong and vote for the EFF. You also have my blessings, make your wrong and vote for your desired party. South Africa is a democratic country. I would hate to see one party having absolute control of state resources. Let’s balance the power.

If voting for the EFF makes me stupid and dumb, then let it be. mošate!!!!

Tilo ngwana Rashaka
Botswana’s multi-platinum selling cultural group, Culture Spears is back in the market with their fifth traditional album, Kulanche, released today Friday 02 May 2014.
Apart from upholding the K factor, this album is different from the previous four albums in terms of the number of tracks. It has become customary for Culture Spears to do a six-track album, but Kulanche contains at least 8 songs.
“I would like to take this moment and thank those who have been supporting our music since 2005. Keep it up,” a statement from Culture Spears read.
Amid media speculations that the group is falling apart and that some principal members of the group do not see eye to eye, Culture Spears took swipe at their detractors hinting that all is well in their camp.
“Together as Kulenyane studio family we stand, apart we fall,” they said.
Kulanche’s track list:
Ragele
Chumu
Kulanche
Njoroma
Magosi
Mekgolokwane
Pitso e kgolo
Tshasa
I’m one the first people to offer a constructive criticism where I see fit. Equally, I’m one of the first few people to sing Culture Spears’ praises. Culture Spears is undeniably the greatest cultural group I’ve ever come across. SOUTH AFRICA WILL BE WAITING!!!! HAMBA CULTURE SPEARS….