Kalushi

UFAL

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UFAL

A friend called me from Dubai, it was treating him well but it was time to relocate to his homestead, you know the saying “there’s no place like home”. He had plans, he was thinking of a farming enterprise, I am talking about poultry, eggs and fresh produce like spinach and cabbage. He was also going to revolutionize the industry. For every item bought, there would be free delivery. Doesn’t sound like much now but he’d be the exception in his homeland of Limpopo. Limpopo is a rural area and the tempo of life is slow, to get your fresh vegetables you had to go to the local merchant, an inconvenience because in some areas shops are miles ahead. There’s also the case of the demographic in Limpopo, elderly people like grandparents lived there. Having farm fresh produce delivered at their doorsteps would be highly advantageous for them and they would appreciate the service. To make life even better, he was thinking of having an app built to satisfy the orders of the business. You could also order from the website, via sms or send a “please call me” and we will get back to you. I told him that I thought it was a great idea, well thought off with a lot of empathy. In my mindseye I pictured Amazon and drones, I saw fulfillment centers, I thought it had real potential. He proposed that I be his partner for the enterprise, “50/50 but you’d have to relocate to Limpopo for a while” he said. It was an opportunity and the prospect of building something so beautiful and meaningful thrilled me and so I accepted.

We started work, we had a ‘bakkie’ or van (Hyundai H100) and more than 100 hectares of land that needed to be cleared up. We bought logs and a fence to secure the perimeter. The enterprise was still in its infancy so we did the labor ourselves with the aid of two locals. We also cleared a small portion of land so that there would be entrance. We bought gates and installed them. A third member joined us, his name Tumelo but we just called him Stumza. He lived in the area and was the uncle of my partner, Kalushi but they were the same age, born on the same year. Stumza was a great asset, he was smart, creative, resourceful, had high levels of emotional intelligence, a lot of enthusiasm, knew the locals, a prominent member in the community and worked exceedingly hard. He was the perfect guy. Stumza could start and maintain a fire with minimum resources and it would last for the whole night or for when we needed to cook, heat water for bathing or just to keep us warm. To be fair Kalushi was equally equipped and he was a great cook. He cooked with a lot of love and care, his food was hearty and delicious. They were both necessary and essential for when we slept in the bushes.

We cleared a bit of land and called the borehole guys to drill up water but first we had to get the capital because the company was cash strapped considering the investments made already. We drew up a prospectus for investors offering them a share of the profits on 20 hectares of land. It worked and we had enough money for the borehole. In our area, one would get water at around 30 meters so we budgeted for 50 meters. The guys drilled past the 30 meter and still no water. Okay, that’s fine we made provisions for this, we told them to carry on. 65 meters and there was still no water and our budget was already inflated so we abandoned the mission, we simply didn’t have enough money. We consulted with a rehab center that was closeby and they had a borehole, they told us that they got water at 110 meters, almost double what we budgeted for, we were thunderstruck. Had we known beforehand, we would have invested the money wisely or asked more money from our investors. Our sources misled us, our Intel was false, we threw away all our money in a 65 meter well. Luckily we had something in the form of capital, not a lot or sufficient but something. With the capital we had, we shifted our attention on poultry houses. We built a 600 bird structure ourselves and in a couple of days commenced growing 400 chickens. For 6 weeks we lived at the bushes at the farm taking care of our investment. One dreadful day, after we had grown them and they were ripe, they were stolen. See, we were in a celebratory mood because we were done with our last cycle, the chickens looked good and were ready for the market. We hadn’t had a decent bath in days, so we left the farm for a while to refresh ourselves, it was well deserved. In an opportunistic move, some locals saw that as a sign and drove to the farm to steal over 300 chickens. When we returned to the farm we were distraught at what we saw. At least they didn’t steal all the chickens, it was a merciful steal, we still had 70 chickens, not enough to do anything. The stress was unbearable for my partner as he was pouring in his own money for the enterprise and it was not bearing any fruit, just disappointments. He also had to think about everyone, we hadn’t been paid in years and time was not slowing down. Fear won. He lost faith in the enterprise and enrolled to finish his studies as a teacher. I came back to Gauteng with nothing, as a loser, a failure, with nothing to show for my efforts and people were laughing behind my back. Certain family members exhibited schadenfreude. It was brutal, I had to move in back with my mother in her 3 room house, all the rooms were taken so I had to sleep on the floor with couch pouches serving as aids as I laid on the cold concreate floor, added thick blankets to improve the width and comfort, a couple of months later I graduated to the uncomfortable miniature couch that had me sleeping in one position the whole night with my legs and feet hanging in the air because there was no support and the space was constricted and confined, I slept like I was in a cacoon but it was not warm and accommodating but it did incubate my spirit, it was humiliating, at least I was young. Stumza found employment at the local retail store and Kalushi became a primary school teacher – he was the only one with a solid Plan B and he pushed the button, the captain who abandoned his ship.

There’s no hostility in my tone of words, on the contrary, I understand, we did everything imaginable, we gave everything to the process, we asked assistance from the government and other organizations and the response was mute, we got promises of assistance but they were void, no one helped. We did everything except to show patience, keep persisting and trust in the process and to be honest, what’s a business enterprise without those three ingredients? Let the record show that I didn’t give in, I was pushed out by inactivity, negativity and smear campaigns against my name. Even against that, I wanted to continue because the vision was above any one person. Kalushi was smart enough to have a button to push, I admire that. I don’t want or need any buttons to push, I have no ambition of working 9-5, that’s how you survive, I am not trying to survive, I want to thrive. I wish all the best to Kalushi and Stumza, maybe one day our dreams will metastasize but if not, UFAL was almost something beautiful. It still could be, maybe I was the problem and now that we live in different provinces you could execute the vision without me. I am willing to relinquish my 20% percent ownership stake if it means the success of the enterprise, after all 20% of nothing is still nothing and we invested way too much for it to amount to nothing.

OPI – Ordinary Peoples Initiative

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OPI – Ordinary Peoples Initiative

I remember when the guys Benji, Kalushi & Donald approached me regarding a talent show they wanted to host at the school. The gents were enthused and their excitement was emitted through their pores, it was contagious and I was infected. It was a great idea. They were thinking dancers, rappers, singers, poets and just anything that had a creative expression. They called it OPI concert, it stood for Ordinary People’s Initiative. They were thinking OPP for Ordinary People’s Production but it didn’t stick. The gents wanted me to join the team and to sweeten the deal for me they said I could handle the poetry side. I accepted right away. I also took charge of Marketing and Advertising, word needed to go out. For my Marketing campaign, I was thinking preliminary posters that were vague and just contained the OPI logo, I created the logo myself, it needed to have primary colors and be bold at the same time. This would generate an interest and get people talking and thinking. I wanted people to ask “What is this OPI”? When there was buzz, we would then tell the school. The 3rd phase of my campaign would be to replace the old posters with new posters that were catchy, exciting and billed up the event. The last phase would be a little preview a week from the concert. That was my plan and that’s how everything went down. The campaign was immensely successful. That’s all the school was talking about “OPI this, OPI that”. There was a genuine excitement about the concert.

I remember when I started compiling the poetry team, Donald was so enthused. Donald was also a classmate in Computer class and Electrical Technology so we often talked about who would be a great addition to the poetry team. He talked about Nomonde and her friend Amanda. I knew who Nomonde was, she had that aura of “creative”, “can’t box me” , “can’t tell me nothing” . She was different, she had short hair and a boyish demeanor, had a rebellious spirit and attitude. She was individuated and authentic. She was smart and so cool. Nomonde had an X-factor about her, she was a superstar. As a creative myself, I recognized her worth and value, she was pure artistry. I heard from my friend Christopher that she beat some guy in a Rap battle once. I knew Amanda because she was her friend. Donald told me that Amanda was a great writer and a poet too. He said he would talk to them. “Dope” I thought, I wanted Nomonde in the team. I held auditions after school and sure enough Nomonde, Amanda and Shoko came through. Nomonde was great and she was the first person in the team. Amanda read through her poetry in her book, I thought it would be difficult because she lacked stage presence but the content was so good that I took a chance with her. She was cool, the book would be apart of her act, plus we would have microphones, so problem solved – the audience would be able to hear her content. I really liked Amanda and so I put her in the team. Shoko didn’t do so well with the audition, he was nervous. He was the introverted type but at least he tried, that was cool, he had the will. Then Sophie came in, she was a Grade 8 pupil, she made me excited, she was awesome. Sophie would be my revelation to the whole school, she would be a talent I unveiled to the world, I wanted her to do exceptionally well. I put her on the list. When Ayanda came through, I was happy because I pretty much knew that she would kill it, like Nomonde, Ayanda was an artist, she was creative, she had that aura about her. She killed it and I put her on the list. The last person on the list was Busisiwe, she had a powerful stage presence, her voice commanded attention, her content was amazing, she was outstanding. I put her on the list. A lot of guys didn’t make it, I picked the best of the best in the school. I was so confident with my team, plus they were professionals, they were the best, they knew what to do, I didn’t need to make them better or coach them. The only person I worked with extensively was Sophie. I helped her with rehearsals and gave her general tips to help regulate her emotions and breathing techniques. Other than that, she was a natural.

Everyone had their hands full. Kalushi was responsible for everything technical. This includes sound, microphones, lights, curtains and backstage stuff. He worked so hard, the day of the concert he came at 5:30am to fix and get ready the sound. The show would have been a disaster without him. He was also in charge of scouting talented rappers. Cool guy Simon Rakai also helped immensely when it comes to the operations in the hall. Mdice, a very talented music producer was in charge of the music – he served as the DJ. Donald was in charge of tickets, he did a great job. Everything was in order and the tickets were distinguishable from one another, we had 3 classes of tickets; Economy which cost R5, First class was R7 and Royalty was R10. The colors were different colors – it was a great system. Benji was the program director, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, the boss. He was the co-ordinator of the show, the big picture guy who obsessed about the tiny details. Benjamin was the visionary who said “No” to things that didn’t meet the standard, the guy who can push you out the show or give the greenlight, he was the gaffer.

On the day of the concert despite it being a normal school day, our class was exempted. This was because everyone was helping make the concert a success. All the gents were in the hall doing something, mopping the floors, helping with the sound, organizing the music program, operating the lights, fixing curtains, opening windows, just anything and everything. The girls helped us with selling tickets. We had a lot help with ticket sales, this was because a lot of tickets were purchased on the day of the concert, so everyone was busy! Everyone helped. No RCLs, no teachers, no authority – it was our Initiative, just us Ordinary People.

The hall was a full house, filled to the brim like a fountaining glass. The energy was euphoric. The concert comprised of Poets, musicians, rappers, dancers and a modelling section. The modeling section would serve as interludes or intervals during the show. We wanted to create a platform for beauty queens and aspiring models. We got together the best looking students and they walked the stage like a catwalk. The reception was insane. Yes, Rorisang was a part of the models and the 2014 Head Girl, Davina. It was great. Every artform was accommodated. The talent on display was unbelievable. We had all types of dance crews. All girl groups, all guy group, mixed groups, Hip-hop groups, Sbujwa groups, just every style. They all killed it! Every performance by the dancers was memorable. They were well practiced, totally committed and focused. I also remember a Rapper who totally killed his set – he was so impressive, he got the crowd to sing along with him. We had Rnb singers, soul singers, some people even added some Piano to their acts – it was magical, the lighting was spot on, the moments seemed to flicker like a fairy-tale, like a moment destiny created in this vast expanding Universe, like a dream. One of the highlight reels of the show was when Stabza played that Kanye West Homecoming music chord on the Piano, the crowd when crazy, it was so crazy, it was special, you had to be there to understand – what a talented guy. Another highlight for me was when Lethabo sang on the Piano, I loved Lethabo, she was my favorite singer ever so when she was backed up by a music instrument, I went crazy! Muluka also stole the show, he sang an Alicia Keys song – everyone loved it and the scenery was amazing. The crowd was in sync with him, he had a magnetism about him, he commanded the audience, his performance was one of the performances of the day. Ayanda (the poet) also added something special to her poetry. She collaborated with other creatives and the result was amazing, outstanding, just great! She made me so proud. Nomonde also stole the show, she was great. The crowd however booed Amanda, my fear manifested itself. They didn’t appreciate that she read poetry off her book. She wasn’t given much of a chance. That’s not all, they also booed my gift to the world Sophie, they didn’t give her chance, they started throwing things on the stage at her. It was so horrible. She came to me backstage in tears, I didn’t know what to say, I hugged her. Luckily Busi came around and comforted her. Busi helped me so much with that situation, I disappeared shortly after. The crowd was a madhouse, they were out for blood, it was difficult, you really needed to know your stuff – you couldn’t take chances. I don’t think Busi got the chance to perform, the program was too long and it needed to be shortened. Still, I knew the boss and told him I want Busi to go on. He was reluctant but he moved things and had a slot for her but Busi wasn’t available backstage. So I stepped up. I really didn’t want to do it, I had a lot on my mind, I had a lot of responsibilities and my poem was too long. In my current mindset, I had a fear that I’d forget it, it was a very real possibility. Plus, I wasn’t adequately prepared because I considered myself an extra, a “just in case”. But I requested a favor from the program director, I basically fought for it. I went on the stage and killed it for the poets. At least the narrative was now positive – the Sophie debacle was a low point for us (the poets). I wish Busi was the one who had killed it for us but she was needed elsewhere. Busi was great and on that day I needed her, she did what God intended, she was perfect.

The concert was a success and it generated a cult following. Everyone great was involved. Four years after I graduated, it was still a thing. The name stood – “OPI” (Ordinary Peoples Initiative) – the people’s concert.

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