06 Oct 2026

A plumber by profession, Maphakela Koswane, popularly known as ‘Parks’ in music circles, says his passion and breakthrough into music began with a talent show performance at junior secondary school.

Koswane took music more seriously in 2018, drawing inspiration from the sounds and lyrics of Dalom Studios, pioneered by the late South African hitmaker, Dan Tshanda.

“I grew up listening to disco music, the likes of Dan Tshanda, Peacock and Thabile Mazolwana, and ended up loving disco music,” he said. His main inspiration came from his brother, Boitshwarelo ‘Lepakistan’ Koswane. To date, Koswane has released four albums: Nka Chencha, Go Bothoko, Ke ne ke le Ngwana and My Dream.

“I released my latest album, My Dream on May 29 and it features hit tracks such as Selina and No More,” he said.

He said his songwriting was largely inspired by observing and responding to everyday experiences. “Upon developing an interest in something, I arrange the lyrics, jot them down on paper and at some point, seek advice from other artists to help patch up my songs with lyrics that can make a complete music piece,” he said. His dream of collaborating with established artistes has already begun to materialise. He has worked with local disco giant, Kehakgametse Kehakgametse, popularly known as Khoza Mkhozeni, as well as South African Afro-disco heavyweight Slindile Nodangala, known for the gospel hit Uyinkosi. Living in Chobe, a major tourism hub, Parks said he took advantage of the area’s natural attractions when producing music videos. He believes such productions can help promote Chobe and Botswana by showcasing the country’s wildlife and tourism experiences, while encouraging greater cooperation between the tourism sector and the arts industry.“I like shooting videos while cruising along the Chobe River and Chobe National Park to show tourists our game drives and the wildlife that we have in Chobe,” he said.

Koswane also highlighted Chobe’s strategic location near Botswana’s borders with Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe as an advantage for expanding his fan base and creating opportunities to perform beyond Botswana.

“I have fans from Zambia and Zimbabwe, and also artist friends in Zambia such as Alfatip. In Namibia, my friend is DJ Siya,” he said. He said his distinctive voice gave his music a unique identity.

He described himself as an artiste who valued originality and believed his Afro-beat productions offered a different sound from music that relied on similar production layers.

He argued that the repeated use of similar production techniques had contributed to a monotonous sound among some local Afro-disco artistes.

Despite having a profession that provides his livelihood, he said he would never abandon music because he regards it as a calling. 

Looking ahead, he said he intended to work hard to establish his brand in the music industry. 

However, he identified a shortage of bookings and gigs as one of the major obstacles to expanding his music career and reach a wider audience.

Despite the challenges, he remains optimistic about his future and draws encouragement from the famous proverb, ‘Rome was not built in a day’. ENDS