Sebokeng

Sebokeng is a township in southern Gauteng, South Africa near the industrial city of Vanderbijlpark (located in the district municipality of Sedibeng and the local municipality of Emfuleni).

History

Sebokeng, which literally means "gathering place" in SeSotho, was established by the then apartheid government in 1965 when 18,772 houses were erected. In September 1984 there were violent clashes between the South African security forces and the residents of Sebokeng, who were boycotting rent and service tariffs. The cessation of fighting in 1994 allowed citizens to begin forming a stable community.

Demographics

The township is divided into a number of zones ranging from Zone 3 to Zone 24. After South Africa's democratic elections in 1994, the number of middle-class black South Africans or 'black diamonds' in this township has risen dramatically, with Zones such as Zone 6, 10 and 14 consisting of the largest number of black middle-class citizens and homes with a higher property value than traditional Apartheid 'matchbox houses' (four-roomed houses erected during the township's establishment).

Mosotho Chakela

Mokete Shadrack Chakela, more commonly known as Mosotho Chakela or just Chakela, was born 1963 in Mafeteng, Lesotho in Southern Africa. He is a cultural music singer in a popular Lesotho musical tradition called famo.

Music

Mosotho Chakela rose to prominence with his first album named Manka le Phallang 1. The album was released in 1999 by the Shear Record Company, and it sold enough copies to achieve platinum status. The album has hits like "O ka nketsang", "Ha ke noa joala" and "Mosali". He came to the spotlight again the following year with another hit album called Manka le phallang no.2. He has since been consistent, releasing hit after hit.

In 2006 Chakela was awarded a South African Traditional Music Award for best musician in the Famo music category.

Business

Apart from his singing talent, Chakela is a successful businessman in Lesotho. He owns 13 liqueur stores, 7 of which are located in the capital city of Lesotho, Maseru. Three of those are in Leribe while the remaining three are in the second largest town where he was born, Mafeteng.