London in January is cold, dark, and miserable. Yet Arno Carstens is excited to be back in the city he called home while making his third solo album.
“My memories of recording ‘Wonderful Wild’ are that there was a lot of serious thinking and kind of hard work but amongst the angst was just great fun and partying,” he says, thinking back to 2009. “Most memorable was all the good friends I made.
The last time éVoid had done a full South African tour, PW Botha was president. The brothers Erik and Lucien Windrich were 20-somethings with a thing for beads and face paint. And their politically charged, African-flavoured ethnotronic songs were considered subversive enough to warrant police attention – and popular enough for jumping fans to cave in the floor of Stellenbosch Town Hall.
That was 30 years ago – an eternity in the music scene. So the siblings were understandably a little worried about doing it all over again to celebrate their self-titled debut album’s anniversary. No need: all 10 of their August homecoming shows were sell-out successes.
“Independence,” wrote Dr Maya Angelou, “is a heady draught, and if you drink it in your youth, it can have the same effect on the brain as young wine does. It does not matter that its taste is not always appealing. It is addictive and with each drink you want more.”
Sure, the author and civil rights activist was writing about her tumultuous life as a teenager in 1940s California. But her words would ring just as true for a multimillionaire founder of a South African haircare empire.
Football is a fickle business. Just ask Manchester United’s ill-fated manager Chris Moyes. But in a game where sackings and transfers are as common as vuvuzelas at a Bafana game, Khumbulani Konco has spent more than a decade at one club. The thoughtful, soft-spoken Bloemfontein Celtic veteran first joined Phunya Sele Sele as a player, before moving up the ranks to team manager, COO, and now CEO and club director – a career path he attributes to “loyalty, commitment, and responsibility”.
Khaya Dlanga has a way with words. A former copywriter and strategist, he’s worked on brands like FNB and won a prestigious Cannes Gold Lion for Nando’s. An erstwhile YouTube sensation, his monologues – halted two years ago – have amassed over 6.5 million views. A weekly columnist, he shares his political – and other – opinions in two major newspapers. A self-confessed Twitter addict, he has gathered over 120 000 followers. A Senior Communications Manager: Content Excellence, he works for the world’s biggest soft drink company. And, in person, he’s an engaging conversationalist with a warm, genuine laugh.
Stafford Masie is sitting on a stage, the last in a long row of panellists at a technology conference. It’s finally his turn to speak, but his microphone’s broken – because he’s dismantled it.
“I hadn’t seen one of those lapel mics before and I completely ripped it apart just to see what it looked like inside,” he grins. “So many people just utilise technology and they don’t understand the power of what’s in their hands.”
Rosette Mogomotsi is everything you’d expect from a supermodel – beautiful, elegant, refined – with one notable exception. She’s no diva. Instead you get humility, warmth, and generosity.
“I get it from my upbringing,” she bubbles. “I was taught to appreciate what I have, and to really love people, so I’ve never really looked down on anyone or felt that I should be bigger than anyone else.
For Ty Keogh, 2013 is a year of change. He’s seen the sun set on M-Net series ‘The Wild’. He’s said goodbye to Jack van Reenen, the character he played for two years. He’s moved back to Cape Town. He’s returned to the world of film production. He’s cleansed his life.
“When I finished ‘The Wild’ and left Johannesburg, I went through a purge period where I got rid of everything that wasn’t completely necessary in my life – a lot of clothes, magazines and books, and stuff I didn’t really need,” the 31-year-old reveals.
Family first. A simple philosophy, sure, but one that makes perfects sense if your professional life’s as packed as ProVerb’s, the rapper/’Idols SA’ host and co-producer/TV presenter/voice over artist/radio DJ/master of ceremonies/amateur cap collector.
“I have no problem turning down a job completely because I need to be with my family. I think you have to be able to draw that line – it’s impossible to balance the two equally,” says Ona’s husband and Ditshupo and Kgosietsile’s dad.
You might expect Fabiani’s brand director to have a tuxedo collection to rival George Clooney’s. You’d be wrong though.
‘To be honest, I don’t have that much clothing. I have really good core basics that I just kind of move around,’ says Arie Fabian, looking dapper in a navy, double-vented, two-button Fabiani suit. ‘Contrary to what most people may assume, I don’t really think about what I’m going to wear. I just put something together because it feels right. I can dress it up, dress it down, mix it up – it makes no difference. For example, I may wear a tux jacket with a T-shirt, jeans and a pair of sandals. It’s a bit of a juxtaposition but I prefer thinking of it in terms of “imperfection is perfection”.’
Nils van der Linden