After a decades-long absence from the music industry, Papa Makhene is forced out of his private existence to defend himself.
As one half of Blondie & Pappa with his younger brother Blondie, the duo made a mark in the music industry in the 70s and early 80s, but their relationship fell apart over the years, to the point where the brothers are seemingly now enemies.
Papa Makhene (whose full name is Keoagile Gerald Makhene) has been on the lips of his family on their reality show The Makhenes, which is headlined by Papa’s younger brother, 70-year-old Blondie, and his middle daughters, Pauline and Letoya.
On the show, the family is in turmoil as they grapple with family drama, including Letoya’s tumultuous love life, Gontse’s struggle with drug addiction, and Papa’s alleged abusive nature toward the family.
Papa does not feature on the reality show, so he sat with Owamie on her podcast to tell his side of the story.
“Blondie Makhene, and his daughters, Letoya, Pauline, and my mom, and my nephew, Kgape… the whole idea was to bring me down, to drag my name in the mud. That’s the kind of family I have. They would take an extra mile for the love of money, publicity,” starts Papa.
After recounting his upbringing, Papa tells Owamie about his mother’s favouritism at his expense.
“On numerous occasions, my mom could never reprimand Blondie and say ‘You’re wrong’, that’s how you know… When you complain… mom would always say ‘You’re the one’. Who do you complain to?”
Where things went south
Things turned sour between the brothers when Papa moved back to his mother’s house after not going home for fifteen years.
“Blondie was intimidated by my presence,” says Papa.
Papa says his relationship with his nieces became even more strained when he reprimanded them for entertaining men in their grandmother’s house.
Owamie recounted a moment on the show when Letoya complained about her ex-wife Lebo Keswa‘s assertion that Blondie let his children do as they please.
“It’s true. I’m confirming it. Let me tell you, Owamie, everything that Lebo said, everything, it is true. Nothing but the truth… The father is the same; he orchestrates. He is the mastermind of this whole thing. But now what he does… he sits back and watches… he’s conniving. And people think he’s an angel. And he’ll hit you with that ‘Thokoza, thokoza’,” says Makhene.
A lot of revelations were made in the hour-long show, some of which will shock the audience, according to Makhene. Watch the full episode in the video attached.