User:Deex Mental/sandbox

The Short Biography of Batlhobogeng Rapelang, Popularly known as   Darkwhy Mental

Batlhobogogeng Rapelang (02 September 1972) is the Founder and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Azazile Media Group, founded in 2015. He has also worked as a Community Development Practitioner and an Assistant Director at the Department of Social Development locally and Nationally, respectively.

Early Life

Batlhobogogeng Albert Rapelang was born on a farm in Losasa, a district in Vryburg of the Former Cape Province (Now North West). He is the firstborn of five children in his family. His parents were farm laborers for most of their lives. Legends have it that he was given his name on the 5th day of his birth after his father’s people did not pitch to see and give him a name. The name Batlhobogogeng loosely translated means “forget or give up on them.” Shortly after, his parents moved in with his father’s parents on another farm near Schweizer- Reneke, a town in the former Western Transvaal (now North West). His grandfather on his father’s side called him Taki or Darkie, named after his brother. He was an extremely sick child. His grandfather on his mother’s side always quipped that he would die. Legends have it that when his parents finally moved to another farm as husband and wife, he was so sick that they took him to a Doctor in town on a bicycle, where he rode on the back of his mother at the back. The bike fell due to sand on the gravel road, and his mother almost fell on him. Upon arrival at the Doctor, the latter asked why they brought a dead child to him. The doctor lit a cigarette, and the child began to cough. Since then, he was called Moswi -A-Rula, loosely translated as “The Resurrected One.”

Basic Education

Batlhobogeng started his primary schooling at Mournay Bantu School in 1979 at 6. Because he was too young, his mom asked his parents to allow her younger brother and sister to stay with her so that they could accompany him to school. As all children did not have birth certificates, his mother also registered her siblings under the Surname Rapelang. Batlhobo’s registered “Christian” name was Ethbeth. However, the sub-A teacher wrote it as Albert, which stuck with him (Until his original name was revealed at Home Affairs when he did his Identity Document in the 1990s). In 1980 the trio did not attend school because his father moved to another farm abruptly, and they did not take the remove, so they attended another school. From 1980 to 1982, He attended Mamusa Primary School, followed by Kolong Higher primary school, all in Ipelegeng Township in Schweizer -Reneke.In 1986, while in Standard 5 (Grade 7), the family moved to Ipelegeng Location. He attended high school at Ipelegeng Secondary High from 1987-1991. Darkwhy was an A student throughout his schooling, always obtaining at least position 10 in a school grade. In 1987, in standard 6,  he received place no 1 in his class during the June exams. In standard six, a friend also advised him to start writing his name as Darky and not Daki.

Post Matric Education

Batlhobo became the first in his family and relatives to attain a University degree. He did that by attending the number one University in Africa, The University of Cape Town, in 1996 under the Vice Chancellorship of Dr. Mamphela Ramphele.In 1994 a former matric class learner, Kabelo Olifant, informed him that he was attending UCT despite not attaining a University endorsement (Matric Exemption). He did it through old age admission and advised Darkwhy that, based on his intellect, he would make it at UCT. Although he applied, he did not return the application forms to study in 1995 due to a lack of funds to repay the application forms. He finally did in 1996 after writing entrance exams at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Darkwhy had previously wanted to do filmmaking at the Pretoria Technicon but failed the art portfolio entrance test in 1993.

In the ensuing years, Batlhobogeng attended courses at the University of Pretoria, Regenesys Business School, Proactive College, and two courses from UCT. The highest qualification obtained is a Post Graduate Diploma in Management, majoring in Public Sector Monitoring and Evaluation at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits)in 2017 and 2018. A post-Graduate Diploma is equivalent to an Honours degree in South Africa. He also did hobbies courses from Emendy College, Oxbridge Academy, and Revolution Media Academy. He is reading for a Master of Development Studies at the University of The Free State.

Political and Civil Society Activities

Darkwhy became politically conscious in 1986 during the height of apartheid repression. Mostly this was from apartheid propaganda literature that was distributed to make people anti-African National Congress (ANC). He spent most of the year at home on the farms because unrest had forced schools out, and the youth burned the cardboard Ipelegeng Secondary School. In 1989 his friend gave him Nineteen Eighty-Four, a book by George Orwell which influenced his political outlook. In 1990 after the unbanning of Political Parties, he joined the Congress of South African Students(COSAS). He was involved in many activities, including the enforcement of stay-aways, marches, burning of houses of “targets,” and attempted “Necklacing” of a target. He was arrested for demanding the release of his colleagues in 1991, who were arrested for demanding that the circuit inspector resigns. In 1994 he trained with Umkhonto we Sizwe soldiers to prepare to defend polling stations from right-wingers during the first democratic election. He also worked as an officer in the 1994 and 1995 national and Local elections.

In university, Darkwhy joined the Socialist Worker Student Organization instead of the South African student congress. He was part of a group that protested against President Mandela when he came to UCT after the release of Magnus Malan, the former Minister of the Apartheid Defence Force. Darkwhy held a huge Placard that read “The LAW is an ASS” on that rainy day. Many of his comrades refused to protest against Mandela. At the protest, anger was turned toward British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In September 1996, Darkwhy traveled with their socialist comrades to Johannesburg and gave a presentation on South Africa, between reform and revolution, while advocating for permanent revolution. He concluded his speech by saying, “The future is revolutionary socialism; everything is ....”In addition, he was active in the arts, joined the Iquba Arts Society, and was a DJ at UCT Radio for a short time until he was fired for an unsatisfactory on-air performance. After University and failing to be accepted to study for a Marketing postgraduate diploma at UCT, Darkwhy (re) joined the ANC in 1999. It served as its Election Officer based at Mournay Polling Station. His membership card was taken under the pretense that it was needed for membership number when applying to renew his membership in 2003. As of 2020, Darkwhy is re-joining the ANC as a card-carrying member after being a supporter since.

Batlhobogeng was unemployed from 1999 until January 2004. This was partly because he had completed his three-year degree but had yet to graduate from UCT due to owning fees to both the University and TEFSA (now NFSAS).from 1999, he was involved in many youth civil society activism. With Tikey Bankies, he was involved in the building and running the Ipelegeng telecommunication Center for People with Disabilities, which the former Minister of Communication officially opened, Dr. Ivy Motsepe Cassaburi. He and Tikey Bantjies formed the Ipelegeng Centre for Youth Development in the process. He was elected the inaugural Chairperson of Mamusa Youth Council in 2002, Secretary of Schweizer-Reneke Arts and Culture Council, Chairperson of the Local Recreation Council, and North West Provincial Recreation Council member. He served on the volunteer committee of the Department of Social Development. He was a member of the Local Aids Council from 2000 to 2003, the North West Welfare Forum (Provincial), a member of the Tele-Centre Association of South Africa (TASA) Locally, Provincially, and Nationally, a member of the local and regional organizing committee of the North West Cultural Calabash, member of Bophirima Youth Company. He also sat on the Ithuba selection committee. The Ipelegeng Recreational Committee was established after the then North West Premier, Popo Molefe, through the community public works programme, facilitated a transfer of 1 million Rands to the Youth of Ipelegeng after demands during an Imbizo in Ipelegeng. The committee upgraded the Ipelegeng Community Hall, built new change rooms and ablution facilities, and laid grass at the local sports ground. During this era, he changed his name from Darky to Darkwhy. This was primarily influenced by the Hip culture he has followed since 1989. For all of his civil society involvement, Batlhobogeng was named the 7th and the last National Youth Leader of the Year by the Sowetan Newspaper for their Nation Building Project led by Aggrey Klaaste. His mentor Kabelo Olifant, then a Community Development Practitioner, had nominated him to enter the competition. He went on to beat contestants from the other eight provinces during interviews. As a result, he was in many newspapers and was interviewed live on Lesedi FM. Even UCT press ran an online article on their alums.  Career

Batlhobogeng began working at the age of Seven after picking cotton after school. He worked in various seasonal jobs during school recess, mostly weeding the fields. He had picked ground nuts and worked during mealie harvest as and diamond digger. He was also helping at the farm. All this was until he was 15. After school, he worked for an Indian Fish and Chips shop in and went on to work paving at Lenasia in 1992. At University, he worked as a Student Protection Officer. Post University, he worked at the Telecentre and was a one-time community rep for a borehole project in the municipality. His first job was as a Youth Health officer for Bokamoso Health Consultants from 2004 to March 2006. He briefly worked for the local Department of Health till May 1996 and worked for the Department of Social Development in Wolmaransstad from June 1996 until April 2011. He now works for the National Department of Social Development in Pretoria as an Assistant Director for Youth Development Unit. While at the National Department of Social Development, he visited Tanzania, Australia, and Ethiopia.

Personal life

Batlhobogeng has been married since 2010 and stays have four children, three daughters and a stepson. His last born is called Tshwaragano Azania Zizile Rapelang, the inspiration behind his company Azazile Media Group, a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) media company conceptualized in 2015 and registered as a private company with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission(CIPC) in March 2018 with the registration number 2018/10438/07.AMG is a conglomerate that deals with services related to Media, Entertainment, and Lifestyle. As of 2020, he is finishing his autobiography “Keetane: The Chain Remains.”