{"id":194575,"date":"2021-07-09T05:14:37","date_gmt":"2021-07-09T03:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/steve-kekana-an-80s-south-african-pop-star-and-much-more\/"},"modified":"2021-07-09T05:14:37","modified_gmt":"2021-07-09T03:14:37","slug":"steve-kekana-an-80s-south-african-pop-star-and-much-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/steve-kekana-an-80s-south-african-pop-star-and-much-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Kekana: an 80s South African pop star, and much more"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Steve Kekana<\/a> was one of South Africa\u2019s most popular singers in the 1980s era of soul and disco. But he was many other things besides \u2013 he was a law teacher, talk radio host and a man who overcame apartheid and disability to thrive. Yonela Mnana is a singer, pianist and music teacher who is currently working on his PhD on South African piano. The Conversation Africa asked him for his impressions of the artist whose songs he teaches and whose paths crossed his several times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Who was Steve Kekana and what does he represent?<\/h2>\n

Steve Kekana was a popular and award-winning singer and songwriter, who became blind at the age of five. He was born in the Zebediela district of Limpopo province in the north of South Africa, in 1958, not far from Polokwane, the capital of the province. He went to Siloe School for the Blind<\/a> at Chuenespoort, Polokwane, the same school that I went to. Belgian missionaries were part of the teaching faculty.<\/p>\n

He never finished school because he was expelled for championing student rights. So that\u2019s one of the things he represents, human rights, in more ways than one. And we know his passion for labour law and that he ended up being a university lecturer.<\/p>\n

And his singing. This came later \u2013 around 1979, when his first album came out. Also, he became much better known after he\u2019d moved to Johannesburg.<\/p>\n

His life intersected with mine because we attended the same school. I first met him when the school had its 50th anniversary. I was in the final years of my schooling and I had already started playing keyboards. I did music in extramural class. We used to do his songs in his absence. And one day he came through. He struck me as quite an independent person.<\/p>\n

I think he didn\u2019t like hero worship, it made him feel awkward and slightly antisocial. Later I would see that he didn\u2019t really feel chuffed about people telling him how much they thought of his music. He was known as a very honest person.<\/p>\n

Tell us why he was so special musically<\/h2>\n

In the popular music environment, his music represented everything. At first, as a singer and songwriter, he was just doing songs with commentary on social norms and issues. One of his songs speaks about this guy who always wears great outfits, tailor-made suits, but he doesn\u2019t even have blankets to sleep on. <\/p>\n