Thursday 24 April 2008

Woza 2010

Finally we are getting somewhere even if is slowly.My car was due for a service so I decide to take a taxi to work instead of working from home. There is something new on the road if you travel from Pretoria to Jozi or visa versa you don’t you cash but you buy a meter card. At the door there will be someone who will swipe your card and let you in, first you must ensure that when you buy you card they activate it because other give problems. Now any one can sit in front seat. I took the front seat, which I vowed I would never take after I made a mass in a taxi. In Gauteng there are no “Sgcabha boy” conductors if you live out of this province so a passenger who can count normally help the drivers to collect, count and give back change where it is due.

Today it was my turn as I came late and the guy next to the Driver wasn’t even a South African so the onus fell on me. I collected the money for all the passengers and gave them change but there was one person who didn’t pay. I gave back money to people and that didn’t help, as one person didn’t get her money. The driver stopped the bus and said we must make a plan even if that means we all pay extra 70cents. That was going to be a nightmare so I volunteered to pay the full R19.00, as I was the one who dealt with money. When I arrived in the office I realized that the passenger who didn’t pay was I. I said to myself never again would I take a front seat if I use a taxi.

Now things have changed woza 2010. I tried to engage the driver about this gadget but he didn’t seem to know much even though he acted big. He said it anew thing that monitors them in order to make extra money (which sounded dodgy to me) and that it monitors their speed. But I am convinced he was bluffing. How much do you know about these cards?

South African Music

South African Music is growing but it is not maturing fast enough… I am referring to the music of the youth the likes of kwaito and Hip-hop. I can safely say kwaito is a dying breed. I don’t remember the last time I had a slamming kwaito hit I mean rigte Kwaito not the likes of Lvovo, Jujub and others their music is good but lacks that kwaito feel. But all it is okay of they make money and make us dance is it? But y concern is that we don’t produce people who become entrepreneurs later in life they just disappear the next thing you hear is hehe Mawillies is dying hehe Zombo that. Is that what South African artist are all about?

I admire the likes of Arthur Mafokate, Lesley Sedibe ,Vusi Leeu and few who are making strides in this multimillion rand industry. I remember when I first met Vusi Leeu in 1998 he already had so many ideas about South African music and where he thinks it should go. He had worked with TkZEE, Mageu and many more at that time. The second time we met and this time he was delivering on his promise, he was carrying two CD’s and he wanted me to pump them on air.

These were the no name artist to me, I didn’t even know how am I going to convince drive time dj’s to play them. Speaking to Vusi about them I realised his good intentions about these new musos and I wanted to help. In those cd’s one group was called Gun Chess, the artists were two Yizo-yizo actors Gunman and Chester. If I still remember the title album was also GunChess. The other cd was of HipHop Pantsula who later became HHP. He was promoting them under the new label called CCP2.

I thought that was a pipe dream, but few years later whilst I was in Cape Town I heard a hit song called Ghetto Tragedy and I was told it was a collaboration between HHP and Mzambiya (where is that kid by the way?). That was the only time I took HHP and his SA Hiphop serious and look where he is today.Now Vusi have moved to his third face, together with Dj Bongz they have established a new label to promote up and coming Dj’s. keep it up guys we can only grow from such initiatives.

Friday 18 April 2008

Tsvangirai

I went to check out Morgan Tsvangirai in Sandton yesterday. 702 talk radio had this huge media conference in their offices. The last time I saw so many reporters was when Zuma had one such conference where he was grilled by Journalists about the shower after sex. Tsvangirai wants Mbeki to back off; who can blame him the man has heard it with Mbeki. He continued to say Zim needs an extra ordinary convoy to deal with their crises… yes he said crises if Mbeki was here he would cringe.

But I think more that an extra ordinary convoy Zim needs an extra ordinary leader and so far Tsvangirai has not impressed me. He contradicted himself I don’t know how many times. At one stage he wanted Mbeki to be relived and be replaced by Mwanawasa, when Journo’s press him reasons he made a big U turn. Now he wants Mbeki to have more people working with him and to stay in Zim until the crises is over. “President Mbeki has not failed” why do you want him out if you think he is succeeding.

Zimbabwe needs a change, but I hope Tsvangirai will be surrounded by intellectuals… did I say intellectuals? No I think they need progressive leaders. That is where Tsvangirai started isn't it? One thing I fully agree with the man is that Zim Need a change and that there is a crises in that country whichever way you look at it. The ANC president asked a question that really had me in stitches last week “ where have you heard of an electoral commission which runs elections and do the counting and sit on the results…just sit? No leader in SADC dares talk like that about Zimbabwe.