The Mt Kenya Times 
Lekau Mehlape
By: Paula.O.M Otukile
Worth Noting:
- School kids too should be encouraged to read, especially books in their home languages. And one of the best things to encourage people to read to talk about books at weddings, funerals, Schools, on radio, television etc. I would feel fulfilled when people can buy my books because i would feel i have done something to my people.
- Contributed to their knowledge and growth. I would encourage upcoming writers to write and tell their stories. Whatever story they want to share. And I see a bright future for African writers. African authors like Wilbur Smith, Ngugi wa Thiongo and Chinua Achebe are household names on the global literary stage and I see a new generation of African writers soon following their footsteps.
My name is Lekau Mehlape. I was born in Ga-Mashashane, Polokwane, Limpopo. I attended schools at Maune primary and Mmatshipi senior secondary. I hold a higher certificate in Archives and Records management and I am a second- year BA Communication Sciences student at Unisa.
My Sepedi detective novel Mahlong A Lenaba was published by Sharp shoot publishers in Polokwane in 3018a nd was officially launched during the Polokwane Literary Festival in 2019.It was again nominated for the South African Literary Awards in 2020.
Besides, writing books and studying, I am also a news reporter at Opera News Hub. My love for writing started at high school when i was asked to co-edit a school newspaper with Manase Makwela, the then national spokesperson for former minister of Arts, Sports and Culture, Fikile Mbalula.
I was inspired to write by books I was exposed to books and the joys of reading at a younger age and was inspired to read by books I have read. The genre I love is crime or detective fiction. Yes books do pay but in my case not yet. But I guess this primarily because in indigenous
African literature the future of books is decided by the government who selects and prescribes them for schools. My book has not yet being prescribed. Fairly speaking, Africans in general do not read books for In most cases I find few people buying newspaper and magazines and more fewer frequenting libraries and bookshops to buy and read. I think the government should be more involved in encouraging people you read through workshops in villages, townships and cities.
School kids too should be encouraged to read, especially books in their home languages. And one of the best things to encourage people to read to talk about books at weddings, funerals, Schools, on radio, television etc. I would feel fulfilled when people can buy my books because i would feel i have done something to my people.
Contributed to their knowledge and growth. I would encourage upcoming writers to write and tell their stories. Whatever story they want to share. And I see a bright future for African writers. African authors like Wilbur Smith, Ngugi wa Thiongo and Chinua Achebe are household names on the global literary stage and I see a new generation of African writers soon following their footsteps.
I got funded by the National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) for manuscript development and publication of my book back in 2013 and I am thankful for them for giving me a start and platform for sharing my story with the reading public.
I do not have any endorsement but do network with a lot of writers, especially on social media about many aspects of writing and I am happy for their outputs. In as much as ebooks are fashionable these days, I still believe that hard copies are here to stay. People will always go for something that they can buy over the counter, open and feel.
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About the Author
