ABOUT THE AUTHOR (BIOGRAPHY)
Lesego Motlhankane ke Mosimane yo mosetlha yo o anyileng kolobe ya Matinthinyane, in the village of Rakgwedi (Ganalaagte). He has seen the world over here for 18 days in April. He is the son of Mamoleko Maria Motlhankane and father Rratsatsi David Lethokoe. He started school in 2006 at Bopanang Primary School. He completed matric at Rakgwedi Bokang High School in 2017. Lesego Motlhankane is a student at the North-West NWU, on the Potchefstroom campus. His interest in literature began in the 11th grade.
He was encouraged by her Tswana teacher, Mrs. Kelebogile Kgatle. They fell into the hands of the founders of the school-based writers’ association Penebotshelo Writers Foundation, Othusitse Lebelo, Molebatsi Bosilo, and Kabelo Duncan Kgatea, with whom he cooked this poetic dish. These three men were the ones who threw him overboard and knocked him down. He also began writing poetry competitions that inspired him to challenge Kabelo Duncan Kgatea to raise the poetry book together.
Lesego is an active writer and artist in the North West Province, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District. Over the years he has been involved in regional, provincial and national events. He has published a book of poetry called (Pitsana Ya Poko) meaning Poetry Pot which he co-authored with Mr. Kabelo Kgatea, a prize-winning author. He is also a published author in the online newsletter of the National Writers Association of South Africa (NWASA) as of September 2021 and is a member of the NWASA. In his literary career he has won the following prizes:
• First prize in the AVBOB Literary Awards
• 1st prize in Spelling Bee Competition
• Language Awareness Week Competition
• Recipient of Badge LAW under the Education Faculty
• 2nd winner of PanSALB Multilingualism Awards under the youth category.
Lesego worked in the Department of Education, at North-West University as an assistant to Tswana students. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Setswana with Setswana linguistics and literature. In the year 2023, he was invited by his Supervisor, Professor Rigardt Pretorius to attend the 1st BATHO ABANTU AFRICAN LANGUAGES ASSOCIATION (BAALA) CONFERENCE and to publish his conference paper. He is currently working on the book called “Bololo Jwa Poko” and “Beneath the Dust: The Marikana Massacre Unveiled” which is a powerful anthology of short stories that delve into the heart-wrenching and harrowing events surrounding the infamous Marikana Massacre, a tragic event that unfolded in South Africa in August 2012.
