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One-man protest. Reggae star Khakhathi Tshisikule pushes a wheelbarrow full of his music after he was denied permission to promote his music in Thohoyandou recently.

Reggae star silenced in Thohoyandou

 

Well-known Limpopo reggae star Khakhathi Tshisikule caused a stir and even took his fans by surprise when he single-handedly staged a one-man protest, after he was refused permission to perform at the Thohoyandou shopping centre.

Tshisikule, who is known for his protest music and has churned out hit after hit, had sought permission from the Thulamela Municipality to promote his music in Thohoyandou, but his request was turned down. He said he was not surprised by the municipality's attitude and he knew that it was a way of silencing him and preventing him from reaching his fans.

Pushing a wheelbarrow full of CDs, Tshisikule said he had tried to follow the righ procedure, but was told that the town was fully booked. "This confused me as some of the spots for which I had applied were in fact empty. This is just a way of stopping me from reaching out to the masses out there who want to listen to the messages about non-delivery of services," he said.

Tshisikule, of Zwimandlozini fame, said instead of bowing down in defeat, he felt that he had to do something to please his fans, and that was when the wheelbarrow idea came about. 'It really worked; wherever I went, people came in their numbers and supported me. I sold a lot of CDs and I made more money than I could do in a normal promotion," he said.

He said he was worried that, instead of getting rid of people who were selling pirated music, they refused the owners of music from trading legally. “This is a plot by the municipality, who fear that I will deliver my usual messages which have become like a thorn in the municipality”s flesh. They know that wherever I sing I pull crowds and I will always be telling them about the municipality's failure to deliver services,” he said.

"They will not stop me from giving my fans what they need. If needs be, I will sing from the top of trees and buildings if they continue like this. This is my God-given talent and no one will take it away from me. All I want to do is to take music to the people," he said.

Mr Mbulungeni Madi, community services manager at the municipality, said they had a good working relationship with all artists. He said the artists, in conjuction with the municipality, had laid down rules which should be followed when it came to public performances. "We are surprised by Khakhathi's outbursts as he had not applied but just came and wanted to perfom in town. He must follow the rules and he will be treated like all artists.

"We love him as he is a good singer, but he must respect the rules set out by the municipality and his fellow artists."

 

Date:23 January 2012

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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