condensed writing portfolio
DESCRIPTION
A few articles written by Sihle mthembuTRANSCRIPT
10 C O M M U N I T Y
G len Bo is no ordinary
showman; he has been
dubbed by critics as being
among the funniest comics this
side of the equator. But for a man who has
won such critical acclaim, he certainly has a
peculiar background.
Born in South Africa, with Irish and
Spanish blood, and having grown up in
England, he is a mixture of heritages. This
is something Bo says is an advantage in
helping him relate to people from all walks of
life. “My gran always described me as such
a confident young man,” he recalls. “She
was Irish and told me my first joke. She was
also a professional artist and painted. On my
mom’s side we had the dancers.”
After studying engineering, Bo says he got
into comedy only as a result of sheer luck. “I
supported a friend of mine who was doing
stand-up...and I would go watch. I always
wanted to try it,” he says. “After acting the
fool in a hypnotist show, I decided to give it a
bash. At my second gig, the host used one
of my bits from the previous evening, and I
knew I might have something.”
Since then he has been touring South
Africa, and the world, landing himself a
number of awards along the way, not least
of which was winning the coveted “best
promoter” prize at the 2008 comedy industry
awards.
He does, however, maintain that prizes
are not what it’s all about, rather it’s the joy
of seeing the audience laugh that drives his
passion for the job. “We love making people
laugh,” he says.
Speaking about his own creative process,
Bo says that the key to being a successful
Wherever Glen Bo is...that’s
where he finds material for his
next hilarious comedic quip,
DISCOVERS SIHLE MTHEMBU
Funnyman
comic is knowing your audience, and how
to please them, and that he personally
does this by simply observing. “My process
is one of observation, reading, speaking
and experiencing. I’ve developed into a
biographical comic,” he says.
“The more I’ve seen of the world, the
more I know that every day something
might happen that’ll fuel my material. A TV
show, video or a wandering mongoose
might inspire a story, gag or line.”
In an ongoing struggle to have comedy
taken seriously, Bo has even taught a
course at The University of KwaZulu-Natal
on how comics should approach their art
as a business. He also founded (along with
several other Durban comics) the Durban
School of Comedy. The initiative is aimed
at helping develop new talent, as well as
promoting more established ones.
“It was started to have a banner for
comedians to come to when they got into
stand-up,” he says. “We run clubs, produce
the Splashy Fen DSOC Comedy Marquee,
do various corporate gigs, and promote
and develop the industry,” said Bo.
Bo says there is still much that needs
to be done to ensure that comedy is
taken seriously in Durban. “Yes we are
professionals and work hard around KZN.
We tour all around SA and sometimes get
bigger crowds away from home. This needs
to end, Durban apathy needs to end.”
My process is one of observation, reading, speaking and experiencing. I’ve developed into a biographical comic
Funnyman Useful info: Contact Glen Bo on 076 936 8474, or e-mail [email protected]
18 BUSINESS IN DURBAN Spring 2011
CITY ECONOMY
Education and empowerment...
these are the pillars that Cllr
Nomvuzo Tshabalala believes
are going to be central in
driving the economy of the city
of Durban forward.
Speaking on her position as newly
elected Deputy Mayor of the eThekwini
Municipality, Tshabalala said that she was
very surprised by the appointment and
the amount of faith people showed in her
ability to take up this position. “It came
to me to me as a surprise. I did not think
I was the person being talked about when
the initial process of the election was being
started,” said Tshabalala. “But it feels
good to have been considered worthy and
entrusted with this task.”
Tshabalala’s election is historically
significant, as she is the first woman to
take up the position of Deputy Mayor.
This is a victory which she says is not
Deputy Mayor Nomvuzo Tshabalala’s appointment signals that
empowerment of women is being taken seriously by the City of Durban
leadReady to
Spring 2011 BUSINESS IN DURBAN 19
CITY ECONOMY
only a personal one, but also serves as a
clear signal that women empowerment
is an important part of the city’s agenda,
something she, personally, has been
advocating for years.
“I believe that women empowerment
is central to progress in this country. We
know that we have a big challenge in terms
of balancing gender roles in South Africa,”
said Tshabalala. “Unfortunately, women
who are in positions of power, often do not
do enough to help empower other women.
So that will be a very important part of my
term here in office. To make sure that policy
is guided by that perspective.”
As a member of the Executive Council
of the municipality, Tshabalala has also
signalled the importance of strategically
placing the city in terms of infrastructure
as well as policy framework. She has also
highlighted the important role that the
traditional and informal economies play
in the city, and that going forward there is
an urgent need to ensure that the informal
sector is given adequate resources to
continue on a growth path.
“Many of the people who fall under our
municipality work in the informal sector.
Some of them sell goods on the streets,
for example; it’s important for us, at an
economic portfolio level, to look at how we
can develop this economic sector, and do
that as soon as possible by working with the
people involved.”
But this, she readily admits, may not be
so easy. According to Tshabalala, further
developing the economy of the city should
very much be a joint partnership between
the private and public sector. “We cannot
do it alone,” said Tshabalala. “I think
that is the bottom line. So PPPs are a very
important part of our growth strategy,
because at the end of the day, very often
it is the private sector who will have to
implement our economic policies on a
practical level. It’s clear that working with
the private sector will continue to be a key
priority for us.”
On a critical note, Tshabalala said there
was a need to eliminate the disturbing
culture of tenderpreneurship, not only in
the eThekwini area, but in the country as
a whole. Speaking on the issue, she said
that it was vital that government create a
climate of economic opportunity,
rather than merely give out tenders to
preferred companies.
“I think we need to invest more time
in creating a business-friendly economy
and climate. It’s a question of how we can
attract businesses which want to invest
directly, and not only those looking for
tenders,” said Tshabalala.
Against the backdrop of heritage month
and the Celebrate Durban campaign,
Tshabalala expressed her delight at seeing
residents of the city celebrate its heritage,
but said she believed that the city needed to
educate more people about the significance
of this period.
“Events like Celebrate Durban are an
integral part of our tourism calendar year.
It’s key for us that everyone knows more
about these events and for the people to take
ownership of them. We hope to do even
better, not only with Celebrate Durban, but
with other tourism initiatives heading into
the future.” BiD
“Events like Celebrate Durban are an integral
part of our tourism calendar year. It’s key for us that everyone knows more about these events
and for the people to take ownership of them. We hope to do even better, not only with Celebrate Durban, but with other
tourism initiatives heading into the future”
PA
GE
TW
EN
TY
TW
O
profile*
At just 28 years of age, this Westville resident has won several national awards, not least of which was being named the Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year 2010 in the drama category.
“It’s a bit of a cliché,” he says, “but I can’t remember wanting to do anything else with my life. I suppose the earliest memory I have is when my mother took me to see Singing in the Rain at the Natal Playhouse when I was six years old.
“The opera theatre with the stars in its ceiling, the hum of the orchestra tuning up before whole worlds appeared and evolved before my eyes... Particularly memorable for me was the scene where it poured with rain on the stage. I couldn’t understand how they timed the show with this deluge each performance. It was as if they had a hotline to
some celestial being who made it rain on cue.”After finishing school Neil completed a degree in creative
writing at The University of South Africa and, since then, he’s created a body of work that playwrights twice his age would envy, including Suicidal Pigeons and the critically acclaimed Tree Boy.
What does he find most attractive about the writing process? “The opportunity to spend time researching things that interest me...to pursue every thread of my curiosity and spend hours each day grappling with the psychology of human beings, while hopefully learning how to be a better one.”
In his latest project entitled Abnormal Loads, Neil has tackled themes of identity and prejudice in an irreverent and telling manner. The story, which centres on the life of a black man raised by a white grandmother, came as the
greAtness
Neil Coppen’s work as playwright and arts commentator has made him one
of the most revered young voices to come out of Durban this decade
story sihle mthembu picture val adamson
LiTErarY
result of a chance encounter in northern KwaZulu-Natal and opened to rave reviews at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival earlier this year.
“Around five years ago, I met a re-enactment group called the Dundee Die Hards, who were active in re-enacting battles from South African history, particularly focusing on the campaigns fought in northern KwaZulu-Natal,” says Neil. “I became fascinated by using the idea of re-enactment as a metaphor for exploring our individual relationships to history.
“There’s something both enlightening and absurd about grown men running about dressed up as their ancestors, firing blanks at each other and fighting battles the outcomes of which were pre-determined centuries ago.”
What makes Neil’s plays so endearing is the fact that he always employs a visual approach to his narratives, infusing them with music and ensuring that lighting and projections
all add value and a sense of mobility to the story. Neil has spent a great deal of time collaborating with other designers and artists – something that he says is very close to his heart. “I don’t want audiences watching my work to ever feel like they are wading through the Sunday newspapers. I want to surprise, challenge and inspire audiences,” he says.
“Collaboration is essential. Most of my projects are devised with a huge amount of input and outside talent. I like to learn from the people I work with. The writing part is so intense and solitary that when it comes to making the play, you crave the fresh input of others. Collaboration allows me the opportunity to co-create alongside people I really admire.”
Speaking on some of the weird and wonderful experiences he has had in his relatively short career, Neil recounts many incidents which he says he is lucky to have experienced and even survived. “I have been tied to a donkey for 24 hours on an ill-fated San Pedro mission with Shamans in South America…got lost on a Himalayan glacier in a blizzard, tracked the life and literature of my favourite writers, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Salman Rushdie, in Colombia and India...I survived a head-on collision with a cement truck in Colombia and I’m lucky to have lived to tell the tale,” he says.
Neil is currently working on a screen adaptation of Abnormal Loads, amongst other projects. “I have several projects and new ideas in the pipeline,” he says. “In 2012, I am working on the design for a new play called Little Foot, which has been commissioned by The Market Theatre. It’s a challenging brief set in the Sterkfontein Caves at the Cradle of Humankind. I am also planning a revival of one of my early plays, so I am doing a lot of exciting work that I am really looking forward to.” *
“I survived a head-on collision with a cement truck in Colombia and I’m lucky, through it all, to have lived to tell the tale”
PAGE
TW
EN
TY
TH
RE
E
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“It’s a good looking product and the fact that it is see-though has proven to be a critical selling point,” says Des. Trellidor Clear Guard has been approved in a number of complexes and estates in Kloof, Hillcrest, Assagay, Shongweni, Gillitts, Everton and Waterfall. Des encourages local residents to visit them at their new showroom to view the product fi rst-hand. * Unit 1, Strangeways Offi ce Park, 6 Delamore Drive (corner of Old Main Rd and Warrior Rd), Hillcrest. 031 765 3567 or 083 395 9160
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FILMING
24 BUSINESS IN DURBAN WINTER 2011
Durban is one of the fastest growing film hubs in the country. This is according to a statement issued by the National Film and Video
Foundation. Over the past three years the city has become one of the leading markets in the country for both the production and distribution of films.
While film has a relatively modern history, the city’s first cinema was built more than 100 years ago. The Electric Theatre, as it was known, was the oldest movie house, not only in South Africa, but on the continent too.
Fast forward a century and the industry is booming. Annual takings at the box office are estimated at well over R50 million (for local and internation films), while accommodation and other production costs and projected earnings from shooting is estimated to be more than R230 million overall.
It is no surprise that the provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDT) has targeted film-making opportunities in the city as an important economic development area. According
to DEDT spokesperson Harry Mchunu, the department is committed towards ensuring that the city maximises its film-making market potential and consistently grows the industry.
“Film-making is a multi-sector industry and we as the Department of Economic Development are committed towards lending support to the sector in terms of marketing the city as a film-making destination,” he said. “We are setting up a committee that
will engage both film-makers and investors and ensure that we have cohesive plans that will ensure the growth of film-making in the province,” said Mchunu.
One of the factors that have made Durban such a unique and marketable film-making venue is the variety of locations that the city
offers. According to Gaye Higgs who is in charge of compiling the South African Film Guide, Durban is a global location in single city. “What Durban does is that it gives film-makers the ability to start and finish production in a single city, without having to move around. This effectively cuts production costs and it’s especially useful for low budget productions”.
But Durban has not only just attracted low budget flicks. Many big budget movies have been made in the city, or using Durban as a base, including the critically acclaimed White Gold, local hit Spud and Otelo Burning which will have its world premiere at DIFF 2011. According to Durban Film Office representative Thembani Mthembu, the city is now looking to expand its operations to attract more productions like White Gold. “We are very keen on strategic growth and part of the mission is to give space to local film-makers and to grow beyond just facilitation,” said Mthembu.
One of the key collaborators in that initiative has been the Durban International Film Festival. The festival, which is the
Lights, camera, action
The film industry in Durban is flexing its muscles, and fast becoming
an influential economic roleplayer in the city. Business
in Durban got in front of the
lens and took a
closer look
“We are very keen on strategic growth and part of the mission
is to give space to local film-makers and to grow beyond just facilitation,”
said Mthembu
FILMING
WINTER 2011 BUSINESS IN DURBAN 25
oldest in the country, has played a key role in attracting international talent to the city. Held annually in July and August, the festival has been the centre showcase of the South African film calendar for well over three decades.
Speaking about the importance of developing a viable Durban International Film Festival, festival co-ordinator Monica Rorvik stated her concern over the lack of funding for many films coming from young producers. “I think one of the biggest stumbling blocks we are really trying to overcome is the issue of financing. There are many people who have great ideas but we need to try to ensure that we attract funding for those projects in order to get them out there.”
The city has also played a key role in ensuring that ready financed local projects get the audience and publicity they deserve. One such film that has benefited from this is the multi-award winning Izulu Lami (My Secret Sky). Directed by renowned Durban based director Madoda Ncayiyana, the film has become one of the most internationally acclaimed films to come out of South Africa in recent history,
having won several international prizes, including the One World Media prize.
Speaking about the support given to him by the city, Ncayiyana said that having local backing was an important starting point before being able to take the film elsewhere. “It’s always good to know that your project is getting support from local audiences and structures,” said Ncayiyana, “and for me with Izulu Lami I had that, particularly during the test screenings and the film festivals. I knew after that, that the film could have a much broader appeal.” BiD
32 BUSINESS IN DURBAN Spring 2011
COMMUTER BUSINESS
Sixty-five percent. That is the
number of South Africans in
urban areas who rely on taxis as
their daily means of transport.
This statistic makes the taxi
industry the single biggest service provider
in the transport sector, with more than
130 000 taxis travelling the streets of South
Africa today.
In a bid to ensure the future viability of
the industry, Durban taxi owners are taking
steps towards ensuring the formalisation of
the sector. In conjunction with South African
National Taxi Council (SANTACO) and the
support of the Department of Transport,
several of the city’s taxi associations have
embarked on the Hlokomela campaign. The
campaign is an initiative aimed at formalising
the sector and ensuring fluidity of operations
in the streets of Durban.
According to SANTACO spokesman,
Thabiso Molelekwa, the plan is being rolled
out in several stages, but its ultimate aim is
to ensure that employees in the industry are
fully registered, and to ensure that quality
standards in the sector are improved.
“We wanted to make sure that we comply
with the current general standards of quality
service but also to comply with labour laws
by ensuring that our drivers and conductors
are registered,” said Molelekwa. “We are also
looking at ways of maximising the available
growth potential in the sector at both regional
and provincial level,” he added.
One of the focus points of the Hlokomela
campaign is the importance of not only
providing good service, but having only
roadworthy vehicles operating on the various
routes around eThekwini region. Over the
past few years, one of the most contentious
issues in the taxi industry has been the use
of dilapidated taxis which fail to meet safety
standards. The poor state of a large number
of vehicles has no doubt contributed to KZN
having one of the highest road death rates in
the country.
According to Department of Transport
representative, Logan Maistry, the
department is very happy to be working
with the taxi industry at a grassroots level,
to try to remedy this problem. “We are
happy to have the co-operation of regional
stakeholders and that they are eager to take
ownership of the sector,” said Maistry. “We
are hopeful that in the next two to three years
we will have raised safety standards and
the quality of service in Durban and
the province.”
To date more than a thousand taxis
in the eThekwini region have undergone
safety tests, and hundreds of employees
in the sector have already been registered.
The Hlokomela campaign will also seek
Taxis are one of the key drivers of the economy and South Africa’s labour force
– Business in Durban took a closer look at how the
industry is changing
Driving abetter industry
“We are also looking at ways of maximising the available
growth potential in the sector at both regional and
provincial level”
Spring 2011 BUSINESS IN DURBAN 33
SECTION
to educate and inform taxi owners about
the various options they have in terms
of liquidating their current vehicles and
replacing them with new ones through the
taxi recapitalisation programme.
According to SANTACO’s Molelekwa,
one major issue with the taxi recapitalisation
programme thus far, has been the lack of
awareness and education around it, resulting
in many taxi owners being reluctant to
participate. “There was previously a lot of
resistance around the project because people
did not understand what it meant for them
and their businesses,” he said.
“Many of us were afraid that government
was trying to get us out of the industry
and make the sector smaller. But now we
know what it means, we are very happy
with the work that has been done and we
want to advise our colleagues on how to get
the most out of their business through taxi
recapitalisation.”
The campaign is already bearing fruit in
parts of Durban and its surroundings. The
South and North Beach taxi associations
have recorded a 92% vehicle safety standard
check for the first half of 2011. That
means that most of the vehicles in the two
associations which operate in the Durban’s
CBD have been deemed fit and meet the
safety standards required to transport
the public.
According to South Beach Taxi Owners
Association spokesman, Vusi Mdluli, the
association is proud to be one of the leaders
in levels of service and safety in the city: “We
are working very hard with our partners and
the City Police,” Mdluli said, “and we want
to ensure that we keep this track record up
and not rest on our laurels.”
The initiative is not, however, only about
solving structural problems within the
sector, it also concerns reaching out to the
communities within which industry operates.
The next phase of the Hlokomela campaign,
which begins in October, will include a public
education campaign that will help passengers
know their rights, as well as how to protect
their safety on the roads, especially over the
festive season and other busy periods. BiD
The South and North Beach taxi
associations have recorded a 92
vehicle safety standard check for the first half
of 2011
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40 BUSINESS IN DURBAN summer 2011
toURISm
Literacy tourism is one of the newest emerging
markets in the travel and tourism sector. Worldwide
more and more people are travelling and
experiencing places that their favourite author has
written about or even lived whilst jotting down that
great piece of writing.
In this vein KwaZulu-Natal – and Durban in particular – easily
has one of the most untapped literacy tourism markets both in
South Africa and the world. In response to this the University of
KwaZulu-Natal and the National Research Foundation founded the
KZN Literary Tourism initiative.
The project – which has been running for 10 years now and
was originally founded as a research project – aims to develop
and document writer’s trails in different parts of the city and the
province. However, says project manager Lindy Stiebel, due to
the positive response from communities and tourists it is now fast
becoming an essential part of Durban tourism.
“Funded by the National Research Foundation for a five-year
period from 2002-2007, the project developed an electronic literary
map of KZN hosted on the provincial tourism authority’s website
and hosted workshops”, said Stiebel. “Since then the project
has continued through partnerships with local municipalities to
develop local writers’ trails; and, most recently, with grants from the
National Arts Council.”
One of the core objectives of the trail is to document and develop
a database of writers and work that come out of different parts of
The KZN Writers Trail is helping Durban tap into the relatively new market of
literacy tourism
tracing the writers
“The response is always very positive – people love seeing places through local writers’ eyes, especially places they hadn’t realised had these links,” said Stiebel.
Routethe province. The team then marks places where several writers
have emerged and create a trail. Tourists are taken on a tour of the
trail by local guides who tell them about the significance of each
author, their works and surroundings.
Amongst the key trails are the INK Writers Trail, the Cato
Manor Trail as well as a new South Coast Writers Trail. Stiebel
commented that it was exciting not only to see people from other
places visit the trails, but also to see that it was encouraging local
people to become tourists in their own area.
“I think people are excited when they realise there are new
cultural and heritage trails on their very own doorstep which
include some famous writers…and which they can visit quite easily.
Literary tourism enables people to look at familiar places and see
them in fresh ways, with new eyes” said Stiebel.
One of the most popular destinations for visitors is the Grey
Street Trail. This area – which has a rich and dynamic heritage
Summer 2011 BUSINESS IN DURBAN 41
toURISm
– houses a number of significant historical figures as well as
more contemporary ones. Award winning authors such as Aziz
Hassim and Imraan Coovadia are amongst the most recent
voices to emerge and write about the area.
Stiebel said it was important to document contemporary
writers in the trails because these are the authors that people are
reading now – making visits all that more attractive as tourists
want to engage more with the
people in the area. “The response is
always very positive – people love
seeing places through local writers’
eyes, especially places they hadn’t
realised had these links,” said
Stiebel. “Visitors to the Grey Street
area talk about ‘claiming back the
city’ in their group walks in which
they engage with locals, stop and read out extracts from writers,
buy food from the area and have fun, said Stiebel.
“The INK Writers Trail evokes a slightly different response –
people are awed by the great men and women who have lived in
this area, they are inspired by our history, by the beauty of the
place and the leaders it produced.”
Although progress has been slow in measuring the actual
financial income that can be injected into the economy, the
recent growth in visitors figures are encouraging.
And the future? Stiebel said they’re in the midst of
compiling a book to be distributed worldwide to raise more
awareness about these destinations. “A Companion to KZN Literary Tourism will have all the trails, route maps, author
outlines and lots of photographs of
places linked to writers to visit in
our province. What
an inspiration to
tourists both
local and
international to
go on cultural
pilgrimages
around our cities and countryside, chasing
after ‘writerly’ places! We are excited
about making literacy tourism a key role
player in the tourism sector in the province
over the next few years,” concluded
Stiebel. – Sihle Mthembu
“I think people are excited when they realise there are new cultural and heritage trails on their very
own doorstep which include some famous writers”
Right: Belgian and British journalists
on INK Writers’ Trail at Ohlange,
Dube’s home
Far right: Oswald Mtshali, poet, Anna
Hamlyn, radio broadcaster, Alf Khumalo, Drum
photographer and Nadine Gordimer,
writer at the Remembering
Lewis Nkosi seminar held at
WISER
Top places to Discover
Grey street: the Grey street Writers’ trail is a three-hour popular walking trail around the Grey street area. It starts at the Nicol square parkade which is on the former Red square where political rallies were held. the area has influenced many writers including aziz Hassim, Imraan coovadia, phyllis and Ravi Govender.
University of KwaZulu-Natal Westville and Howard campuses. the university has been one of the places where many of the provinces’ leading writers have been educated or have taught including, oswald Mtshali, Kobus Moolman and sherin ahmed. INK Writers trail tracks many of the city’s famous literary voices including award winning novelist Mandla langa, angelina sithebe as well as the Gandhi family.
40 E D U C A T I O N
N ick Wium is a musical maestro with a
repertoire that would put many recording
musicians to shame. But as musical
director at Crawford College in La Lucia, he
has certainly found his niche in moulding and teaching
some of South Africa’s exciting future performing talent.
As a teacher, Nick is known for his flamboyant style
and a distinct emphasis on enjoying the performing and
musical experience, something which, according to his
students, makes the learning process that much better. But
Nick got into music education by sheer chance. He initially
started teaching to pay off a university loan, and by the
DEDICATED AND PASSIONATE ABOUT
HIS STUDENTS, NICK WIUM IS TAKING
MUSIC AT CRAWFORD COLLEGE
LA LUCIA TO A HIGHER LEVEL. SIHLE
MTHEMBU CAUGHT UP WITH THIS
MUSIC MAESTRO
Nick practising vocal exercises with Layla Ochse (left) and Christina de Villiers (right)
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
NGHS Ridge Mag Advert.pdf 1 2011/09/28 9:00 AM
time his term was over, he found that the teaching bug had
bit him...and has been doing it ever since.
“I was kind of thrust into teaching. My mom was a widow
and could not afford to send me to university, so I applied
for an education loan to pay for my tertiary education. At
the time the agreement was that one would have to ‘work-
back’ the loan by teaching for the amount of years that the
department had paid for one’s studies. However, from a
very young age, I have always wanted to teach and perform.
Music was in my blood and I have not regretted a minute of
working with the young future performing artists of the world.”
Born in Stanger, Nick taught in Ladysmith in the early part
of his career, before suddenly being head hunted by Graham
Crawford for a job at the then newly built La Lucia College.
Nick moved with his wife Amanda and they have been part of
the Crawford community for more than 13 years.
Acknowledging that it was all a bit sudden, he said it was
a welcome change as well as a very spiritual one, and he is
glad to have been part of the school for so long. “I have now
taught here for 13 very happy and productive years.”
Nick specialises in voice and piano training. Speaking on
his personal teaching style, he said that it was important to
create an environment where students felt safe to try new
things and were not afraid to experiment and learn from the
results of that experimentation.
I was kind of thrust into teaching. My mom was a widow and
could not afford to
send me to university, so I applied for
an education loan to pay
for my tertiary education
Nick with wife Amanda, their eldest son Stephen (back) and Timothy (front left) and Emma (front right)
YOU BELONGUp where KEARSNEY COLLEGE
Old Main Road, Botha’s Hill, KZN Tel: 031 765 9600; [email protected] www.kearsney.com
Our Open Weekend for applicants for Grade 8 in 2013is on 17 and 18 March 2012.
A Kearsney boy will embark on adventures in learning that will foreverprompt curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. He will be offered activities that
will enable him to become well rounded and enriched in so many ways.
Call or visit our website to enquire now. Applications close 15 December 2011.
When a boy joins Kearsney as either a boarder or day scholar, he inherits thetraditions and principles that have made it the remarkable school that it is today.
42 E D U C A T I O N
“I try to bring my own unique
contribution to every lesson,
because I don’t really see my
job as teaching students, but
rather as exposing them to
new and interesting ideas,”
says Nick. “Their opinions
matter a lot and if they get
‘into’ the ‘stuff’ we are talking
about, and you get buy in from
the students, the lessons are
interactive and a huge amount
of fun.”
Nick has by and large been
an advocate for early music
development and says he is
proud when he sees students
he used to teach performing
and making a name for
themselves. Speaking on the
advice that he would give to
other young singers who want
to make good music, Nick says
that the most important thing is to make music because you love
it. “This country has an abundance of talent and I get to teach
many amazing young musicians and singers. However, sadly
the reality in this country is also that artists get badly paid. Thus
making music your career will require a huge amount of single-
mindedness and a belief in your abilities.”
Away from being serenaded
by the lovely voices of his own
students, Nick is still very much
an avid listener to well crafted
tunes. He says his playlist is a
mixture of old classics and more
modern voices. Describing his
musical tastes, Nick says he has
a great appreciation for well-
constructed songs led by an
artist with a strong voice.
“I love to listen to great
vocalists. At the moment my
favourite is a guy by the name
of Peter Cincotti who is the most
superb singer. And of course
I will also always be a Michael
Bublé fan – that man can sing
and has exceptional vocal
technique and interpretive skills.”
Currently Nick is working
on La Lucia College’s annual
Christmas concert; something
he says is daunting but an exciting experience. “I’m really
excited about this year’s concert. Professional performers,
semi-professional performers and students collaborate with me
as music director to perform some of the best-loved Christmas
music, woven together by the Nativity Story, so it’s something we
are really working hard on and looking forward to.
An accomplished pianist Wium places a lot of emphasis on teaching his students
various playing techniques
44 E D U C A T I O N A N D S P O R T
B arry Richards is a true legend of South African
cricket. Having made more than 28 000 first
class runs it’s not hard to see why. Born in
Durban, Richards was educated at Clifton
Preparatory school, something he says was perhaps the
reason he ended up choosing cricket as a sporting career.
“The school was very young back then,” recalls Richards.
“We didn’t have big grounds like they do today. We were
often bussed off to train at Kingsmead Stadium and that
was where we had our first contact with the game.”
Having grown up around the game, Richards
went on to have a stellar career playing for
Natal and eventually for the national side. He
keenly recalls playing for South Africa in a four
Test match series in which he went on to score
more than 500 runs. “It was a very emotional time for
me,” said Richards. “It was very dramatic because there
had previously been a series that was cancelled because
of the politics of the day. So, for me, it was a great personal
experience to have played as well as I did.”
That series, in which Richards’ flair as an attacking opening
batsman was displayed for the world to see, would be the
first and last time that Richards would play in national colours,
as South Africa were subsequently banned from participating
in international sporting events. Richards then went on to play
BARRY RICHARDS STILL HAS A
STRONG ASSOCIATION WITH HIS
FORMER PRIMARY SCHOOL, CLIFTON.
HE SPOKE TO SIHLE MTHEMBU
Pictures: Independent Newspapers Archive and Supplied legendCricketing
E D U C A T I O N A N D S P O R T 45
professional cricket in many parts of the world, including
Australia, the Kerry Packer World Series and a long-term
stint at Hampshire in England.
A quote from an editorial published on the highly
regarded website espncricinfo.com: “No other cricketer
made such an impact, and gave rise to such speculation
of what he might have been, in a career of four Tests. Nine
hundreds before lunch and 1 000 runs in a season 15
times in first-class cricket add to his legend.”
Speaking on his ability to adapt, Richards says that
it was a good cricketing foundation that helped him
develop better. “The conditions are very different in all
these places. For example, the Australian grounds are
big, while in England they have horrible weather. So it
really helped to have had great
training and a solid grounding
when I was a young Cliftonian, and
later at DHS, because it just added
so much versatility to my game.”
That versatility was demonstrated
in a great season in 1969 which
*THE STATS Played four Test matches Test runs 508 Test
average 72 (highest score 140) Played 339 first class matches First class runs
28 358 First class average 54.74 (highest score 356) Number of first class
100s: 80 First class 50s: 152. *Statistics from espncricinfo.com
20 T R A V E L
eventually led to Richards being named
cricketer of the year by Wisden magazine.
But for Richards it was not the awards that
mattered, rather the experience of playing
against, and with, some of the best cricketers
of his generation.
Most notable perhaps was his partnership
with Gordon Greenidge. The West Indian
cricketer joined Richards as an opening
batsman at Hampshire. The two went on to
have a long and profitable partnership for
their county.
Speaking on some of the players he admired from his
generation, Richards said most of the players had a mutual
respect for each other and the game. “I think that was a very
important part of the game back then. Not only between me and
Gordon but with other players was well. We all had a common
love for cricket and, by and large, the games were really played
in good faith.”
Having retired from professional cricket, Richards is still
actively involved in the game. He has worked extensively as a
commentator and is now also somewhat of an ambassador for
the game at Clifton – the school have even
named its cricketing pavilion after him.
“It was a great personal experience for
me,” said Richards. “I have never been
one for awards but it was very special
to be honoured in that way for the little
contribution I have made to the game.”
Away from cricket, Richards is still very
much an avid traveller, a habit he picked
up from his playing days. He is involved
in organising tour groups between South
Africa and Australia. But he still manages
to watch a game of cricket whenever he has the opportunity.
Speaking on the current breed of Proteas, Richards highlighted
that the side has some really strong batsmen in the line-up, and he
had been very impressed by what he had seen in recent times.
“I still very much like Jacques Kallis. He is such a consistent
player and at the highest level he is very impressive. I also very
much admire how Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers have matured
as players. They have really become crucial to the side. I am very
optimistic about the future of cricket locally and the next generation
of players.”
We all had a common love for cricket and, by and large, the games were really
played in good faith
Makhosi Khoza is one of the most eloquent
voices in South African radio – so it’s no
wonder that he drives a brand new Electrum
Gold Volvo V60. As the father of a two-year-
old baby girl, Makhosi says, “Safety is the first thing I look
for in a vehicle before considering anything else.”
Currently a jock on East Coast Radio, Makhosi is respected
for being one of the most likeable radio personalities in South
Africa...and for a person who’s been at the top of his game
for more than a decade, he certainly shows no sign of slowing
down.
Having worked on every conceivable slot on radio, Makhosi
has become something of a “jock-of-all trades” – a title he
readily admits was not easily gained. “I got into radio by
accident, getting involved in the campus radio station at
university,” he says.
This eventually landed him a spot on Capital Radio and
even a management position on Durban Youth Radio. “Capital
Radio was a great place to learn, and came at a time when
a lot of South Africa’s best were all working at one station;
people like Andre Bloem and ‘Just Ice’ had a very strong
influence on the way I view the medium today.”
Sure there have been many successes, but Makhosi admits
there have been some low points in his long career, not least of
which was the closing down of Capital Radio. “The day Capital
Radio closed down was really sad for me personally, and after
that I went almost a year without a job.”
Despite being unemployed Makhosi bought his first car after
Capital Radio closed down, something he confesses was the
Radio personality Makhosi Khoza gets in the zone with his Electrum Gold Volvo V60
Goldstandard
waaw
M O T O R I N G 45
manifestation of being a bit of a petrolhead. “It was a cream
Toyota Conquest,” he says, “that car really took me places.”
According to Makhosi, being born in Swaziland to a family
that emphasised having a secure future has played a critical
role in the way he has worked over the years, and the way he
“brands” himself today. “Being on radio is about maximising
the opportunities you get, and I’m sure there was a great sense
of pride back at home, because I’m one of a few Swazis to
have cracked the South African radio industry,” he says.
In his personal capacity, Makhosi has opened up an
academy to train people who want to be on radio.
Speaking on why he decided to set up such an initiative, he
highlighted the importance of sharing knowledge and relaying
skills to other people. “It’s important for people in my position
to share what they have and help other people fine-tune their
skills,” he said.
As host of East Coast Radio’s The Work-Zone, Makhosi said
it’s a wonderful experience because people love the show and
were giving positive feedback. “This is a great time for me,” he
said, “and I’m happy to be a part of the East Coast team.”
w