23 Aug 2018

As automation in the form of robotics is changing the face of nearly every industry in the world, a young ambitious Motswana artist and entrepreneur, Mr Kabelo Morokotso has jumped into the bandwagon to revolutionalise the tourism and media industries by introducing robot statues.

He has built two robotic characters using metal and some plastic materials. The giant robot weighs between 1.5-3.5 tonnes and is 8.63 metres tall, whereas the smaller character is 1.2 metres tall.

In an interview, the 35-year-old  Mr Morokotso revealed that the project took him 16 months to complete at a budget of P68 000.

“These two characters possess landmark features for tourism attraction. To come up with this concept, I was inspired by my two children, now aged seven and nine years back in 2013 when we were watching a movie called Pacific Rims. After watching the movie, my boys asked me to build robots for them. Unfortunately, I was financially strained at the time but the desire and passion kept burning and grew stronger until 2016 when I surrendered into the idea and invested time and money and commenced the project,” he explained.

He added that the robots were named after him and his boys. Kajumo is abbreviation for his names Kabelo Julius Morokotso and Letmo stands for Lethabo and Mompati, his two sons.

He said the two characters depict the importance of father-son relationships and encourage fathers to be present in their children’s upbringing.

“I built these robots in honour of my sons who inspired my artistic potential. However, I have realised that they can be used in recreational parks and the innovative concept can be developed into movie ideas. Kajumo and Letmo characters can also be used in promotional merchandise,” he said.

Mr Morokotso further described the two characters as protective because they were armed and advised that they robot statues needed to be mounted on slabs.

He said they were electrified and able to produce light when it was dark and that the characters could also be displayed at shopping malls.

The professional welder further disclosed that Kajumo and Letmo were properties of a registered business called Cyber Kajumo Rigs that does miscellaneous artworks.

He said the two robot statues were built for marketing purposes but were also for sale to any interested buyer.

Mr Morokotso divulged that he was able to put bread on the table for himself and his sons because he had put his talent to good use.

He said though life has not been rosy, he has managed to overcome some challenges such as peer pressure leading to drugs, alcohol and crime.

He highlighted that art did not only provide income for him but also kept him away from ill-behaviour that most youth engaged in.

Sharing his future plans with the robot concept, the qualified artist said his ultimate dream was to grow his business and eventually open a robot park. ENDS