This once mighty musical giant has since sunk into oblivion and chances of its revival are next to nil despite the fact some of the original members are still alive and well.However, the group has such rich history and heritage that it is hard to ignore its influence in both cultural music and the urban version.Some of their songs can still be heard every now and then on local radio stations.The group's name was derived from some imaginary creature believed to possess some super natural powers that it could raze the whole village in minutes if provoked.So when the late Duncan Senyatso and Clement Jackson formed a band in the '80s they knew they wanted to conquer the airwaves in similar fashion, hence their band was called Kgwanyape.
There were no private recording studios then. Radio Botswana (RB) - the only radio station at the time - recorded most of the music but even then the records were not meant for sale.Besides, at the time locals followed mostly South African music and very few believed any local band could offer comparatively good music.However, that did not deter Senyatso and Jackson whose Kgwanyape became an instant hit with local fans.There was little hope of the band releasing an album due to the costs associated with travelling to South Africa for recording so Kgwanyape only thrived on live performances.The band had a talented group of artists led by Senyatso who played the rhythm guitar and was also lead vocalist and Jackson was on the lead guitar. They included Masilonyane Radinoga on trumpet, Anu Thuto on drums (before he was replaced by Makhwenkwe Mengwe) as well as Senyatso's two brothers, Caxton and the late Circson Senyatso.
