HIS DREAM WAS TO WEAR THE GREEN AND
GOLD, BUT KABELO WENT PLATINUM INSTEAD!

Kabelo Mabalane has always been confident of his great destiny. In his dreams, he's a Springbok, wearing the green and gold with pride. “I used to dream I'd play rugby for the Springboks. My academics suffered in high school because of my insatiable passion for sport. ”

His dreams of glory on the field never came true, but he did find fame. Kabelo first stepped into the spotlight in late 1997, when the kwaito trio TKZee released their first album. In 1998, their single Shibobo topped the SA charts and became the biggestselling CD single by a South African artist ever. In 2001, Kabelo released his solo album Pantsula 4 Life, which went platinum, selling over 100 000 copies!

He's since released six solo albums and won two Metro FM awards and three SAMAs (South African Music Awards). In 2006, he was the opening act for Jay-Z during his SA tour.

Kabelo's love of sport hasn't waned in the light of his successful music career: he's run five Comrades marathons and holds three medals, and in 2008 he was chosen by the South African Sports Confederation Olympics Committee (SASCOC) to raise awareness for the Beijing Olympics. And his running didn't just make him fitter, he also managed to raise R320 000 for charity through his
comrades efforts.

“I see myself as a typical young man, blessed with success at a young age. I always knew that I'd be successful, even though I would never have predicted becoming a successful recording artist, businessman and philanthropist, among other things. ”

Kabelo sounds confident when he talks about himself, but there's not a hint of arrogance. “In retrospect, I think that my music career was God's plan all along. My parents used to play a lot of music, which helped me develop a passion for it. So even though they wouldn't have encouraged me to pursue a music career back then, they made a great contribution to my career. ”

“As a young person, I made some bad decisions… I see myself as a beacon of hope. It's possible to change your life…”

But Kabelo's life hasn't been all fun and games. “As a young person, I made some bad decisions, ” he says, referring mainly to his fight against drug addiction, which became public in 2001 before he went to rehab. “Because of where I've been, I see myself as a beacon of hope. It is possible to change your life and to start sowing differently. The way I live my life now shows growth and transition. The first step to overcoming any addiction is honesty. You must be honest with yourself and admit why you do what you do. I've come to believe that drug addiction is a form of ‘self-medication', which is aimed at addressing hurt or abuse inflicted on you by yourself or others. So the first step involves identifying that demon or issue. The second step is inviting others to help because you cannot do it by yourself. Many addicts tell themselves that people don't care. That's a lie! In my experience, many people - including close friends, family and members of the general public - were very supportive. They encouraged me to stay strong. ”

Although he received a lot of support from friends, family and some fellow band members, the media's response to his transition has been mixed. “When dealing with positive and negative press, I think about the example of Jesus. That means avoiding any attachment to positive media reports because negative reports will hit harder. When negative reports come out, I try to identify my role in the story. I'm not a robot so, to be honest, I don't always get it right. ”

On whether we should be expecting something from him musically in the near future, he laughs and says, “Maybe! Watch this space! ” We suspect he's got something up his sleeve, especially as he says he gets inspiration everyday from “other musicians, CEOs, waiters and petrol attendants".

"Everyone has something to give, ” says Kabelo.

by Tsholofelo Mpshe

 

KABELO IN 10 SECONDS
Age - 31
Profession - Entrepreneur, Musician
and Philanthropist
Favourite colour - Navy blue
Favourite place in the world - Other
than Africa, Europe
Favourite musician - Jay-Z
Cricket, rugby or soccer? All three

 

TALK ABOUT EXTRAORDINARY
ACHIEVEMENTS:
- Kabelo was a teenager when TKZee
released their first album “Take
it Eazy”
- His solo albums have sold more than
500 000 copies
- In 2002, Kabelo became the 1st artist
outside of the US to land his own
footwear line, ‘Bouga Luv', in a 5 year
contract signed with Reebok as part of
their campaign to merge music
and sport.

 

TALK GROUP DISCUSSION – Living
the Dream
What can we learn from Kabelo about
reaching our dreams?