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Celebrating the laugh-a-minute life of Bra Joe

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Joe Mafela poses with his lifetime achievement award from the Comics' Choice Awards. Photo: Comics' Choice Awards
Joe Mafela poses with his lifetime achievement award from the Comics' Choice Awards. Photo: Comics' Choice Awards

All-round entertainment icon Joe Mafela was the lifetime achievement honoree at the Savannah Comics’ Choice Awards. Gugulethu Mhlungu met the director, actor and producer at his home to find out what half a century in showbiz feels like

When my interview with Bab’ Joe Mafela was confirmed, I experienced a novel sense of panic. How in the world does one prepare to speak to someone whose career is nearly twice the length of your life span? Also, it’s Joe Mafela!

On the day of our interview, I practically tumble into his home. I walked into what I thought was the correct address, looking to confirm if this was the right house.

It was, and as I walked through the open front door, there was Joe Mafela himself sitting in his living room, watching TV. He stood up in his chinos, grey jersey with red, white and black diamonds, and a grey scarf. He removed his glasses and said, rather generously and gently mockingly – considering I was pretty much already in his lounge: “Come in.”

He is a formidable figure, and being face to face with the man who made some of my favourite shows was, frankly, nerve-wracking. But the man who gave me my not-so-long-ago childhood shows – ’Sgudi ’Snaysi and Going Up – and the advertising world Chicken Licken’s “It’s good, good, good, it’s good it’s nice” jingle was generous with both his time and wisdom.

Funny business

We sit in his lounge and chat, flanked by his numerous awards.

I ask him what his latest award means to him.

“It is actually satisfactory. I was quite emotional when I was told I would be receiving the Comics’ Choice lifetime achievement award. It means a lot to me. I have plenty of lifetime achievement awards in plenty of other categories – film, theatre, acting – and coming from the comedy world, it is really fulfilling and really says: ‘You’ve done your job boy.’”

A decade ago, his commitment and contribution to the theatre world was recognised at the Naledi Theatre Awards with a lifetime achievement award.

He laughs softly. I ask him whether he ever thought of himself as a comic and he thinks for a moment.

“Not really. It was always about a sense of humour, and I’ve always had a lot of that, so I guess I grew up being a comic. People would say, ‘You make us laugh’, and I would think ‘Oh? That’s great!’ And so it’s a fulfilling feeling when people appreciate what you’ve done, especially after 50 years in the industry, and I’m saying it’s a wow moment now.”

He laughs the iconic laugh that was heard at the end of many a Chicken Licken advert. I ask him about the new breed of comedians and what he thinks of them. He says: “I don’t know...” He pauses, as if to choose his words carefully, and continues. “I think it’s because I am used to the old way of doing things in the comedy world, and I often listen and wonder: ‘Is this funny?”

He laughs again. “It just doesn’t feel natural any more. Because it comes naturally that you come up with humour – in your way of speaking, in the way you’re thinking, it just happens; it just clicks. The humour just clicks. And now I feel a lot like it’s not natural; it feels forced...”

He turns to face me squarely, gestures between us and says: “And instead of you, the audience, laughing, the comic laughs first! And I say no, no! The audience should laugh first, not you as the comic. But this is what is happening...

“We had comics, really funny people. People like Ndaba Mhlongo, Bingo Mbontsheni, Ray Ntlokwana, Washington Sixolo and a lot of other people we grew up with. We had a generation of comics, but that generation has faded, because some of them are no more. And I feel sad that some of them are not going to see the accolade...”

He has a small playful smirk. “Because I was also going to brag and say: ‘Look! I got it!” he says, hoisting an imaginary statuette in the air in mock celebration.

‘I’ve nearly done it all’

He says, after half a century in the business: “I’m happy to see that there is more work. There’s certainly more work than what we had to fight for between ourselves. And many actors left the country, saying there was no work here; so they left and went overseas, but I am glad I stayed. I am glad I stuck around and made it work.” He is also honest about the shortcomings of the local industry.

“We still don’t have the big budgets. You have to go knocking to get money here and there. Government doesn’t fund big local stuff – not yet, not entirely. And if they do, it’s still a bit hard to get the money you need and distributors won’t see you without a budget. But I think it’s getting better, and eventually we will get there.”

The veteran actor is currently working on Generations The Legacy. Mafela describes himself as someone who has always worked behind and in front of the scenes, and says becoming a director started at the same time as his acting.

“I was always a director. I worked as a crowd coordinator, grew to assistant director, and I think I was one of the first black assistant directors in the country on an international film.”

I ask him which of the many roles he’s played has meant the most to him, and he says: “I love all of them, but I love my ’Sgudi ’Snaysi character the most. I think that was the one series I did very well. I think I portrayed Sdumo well because he’s a down-to-earth character, and it made me think: Wow! You’re portraying umunto oselokshini [a person in the township] and he was real, and he had these special moments that people liked ... But I would like to think I have portrayed all my characters well. I gave them a lot of work and commitment. ’Sgudi ’Snaysi is just a little more special.”

I ask whether he has any plans to slow down, or if he still has more to give the South African entertainment industry.

He reclines in his leather sofa and says: “There are still plenty of characters I can portray. I’ve nearly done it all, which is great.”

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