The 41-year-old musician died in the early hours of Monday, succumbing to injuries he sustained in a car accident that happened Sunday night in Phakalane. Mapetla, who shot to fame at the age of 23 in the early 2000s when his kwaito album, Phantsi’ Phezulu took the country by storm, had become a household name in the local music scene.
With smash hits like Ahh, Jorotane, and Ma Get Down, ‘Mapetla’s album became the most sought-after in the market. ‘Mapetla’s hits even attracted attention from South Africa, the home of kwaito where it featured highly on music channels. As the nation mourns the fallen hero, his friends in the music industry have described him as a musical giant whose versatility and talent were second to none.
One of his friends who has also worked with ‘Mapetla’ on a number of music projects, P-mag described the departed artist as a selfless musician who was always available to others in times of need. P-mag, who also made a name for himself as a Kwaito artist, said Mapetla’s talent was visible from a young age. “I first met ‘Mapetla’ in 1997 in Lobatse when he was doing Form 1 at Pitikwe Secondary School while I was doing Form 3. We met through bodiragatsi as we were both traditional dancers and we became very tight. We kept in touch throughout and the friendship turned into brotherhood. He has been a friend until the day he left us. His opinion mattered in what I did and vice versa,” P-Mag said.
He also said ‘Mapetla’ was always dependable, which made it easy for the two to relate.
P-mag said that following their friendship in secondary school, they would, later on, form a group called Level 12 alongside other Kwaito stars such as Ghavoor, Touch Motswak Tswak and Mrepa. According to P-mag, Level 12 was the launch pad of their solo careers. “I remember we performed at an event hosted by YOHO.
They had invited a lady from America called Tony Blackman who is a poet and Hip Hop head. She came to teach about the Hip Hop culture. She was very impressed. At the time Kwaito Kwasa was very dominant. People were not paying too much attention to the fusion of rap on Kwaito. But after our performance at Westwood, we got two more gigs and that was the start of our growth into music,” P-mag said. He said from Mapetla’s first album, Skhokh’o they exchanged notes and shared ideas. He described Mapetla as a perfectionist and did not accept any less.
“He wanted to do something that would remain quality forever and that’s where his determination to go far started. He said his untimely passing has left a void that would be very hard to fill,” he said. “Our bond was more than just business and friendship. He was literally a brother. I felt the need to protect them, him and Skazzo and they also felt the need to protect me. I don’t think there is gonna be somebody like him in life. It has not been easy to comprehend what has happened,” he said. Fellow kwaito artist, Skazzo said he met ‘Mapetla’ in 2005 through Kenny Makenzo.
“I had gone with Kenny Makenzo who was my manager while he was managed by Mr Tagg. He first featured in my song called Abaswe. I had just recorded the song and went to a nearby tuck shop. But when I came back I found out that this guy has gone crazy with my song and has even recorded his hook.
The song was massive and we released our albums, Abaswe and Skhokho around the same time. We changed the game with our style, bringing in something different into the local music scene,” he said. He described ‘Mapetla’ as a talented artist who would do anything to get to the top.
He said while it is hard to accept his passing, he will celebrate his legacy and the culture that he has created through his music. Another Kwaito artist T.H.A.B.O, said he met ‘Mapetla’ in the early 2000 when he was still with T-Joint. “He was supposed to replace me at T-Joint before he met Mr Tagg. We were a few urban artists, the likes of Scar and Vee Mampeezy. He released Skhokh’o and took the music by storm. I had just released Ko moketeng with Skizo, but he came with something unique, which felt local during a time when Kwaito Kwasa was dominant.
Their team with the likes of Skazzo and P-mag shook the industry,” said T.H.A.B.O. “Their strategy was different. We did an album called ‘Mapetla’ and T.H.A.B.O in 2015 and were engaged by Bot50. We toured the country but we never had the chance to release the songs. His catalogue is real and his music will live on. He was a kasi boy who was very humble and loved his social soccer. We have lost a superstar but his music will live on,” he added. Mapetla will be laid to rest on Sunday in Tonota.
