Two young boys in school uniform tentatively approach the car. Voices settling into manhood, faces broken out in swollen signs of puberty, they pass a cigarette between the two of them. “We’ll be performing in the park,” they inform me. “We are waiting for people to get changed and then we can begin. They shouldn’t be long, boma-ten minutes or so.” Their English is more telling than the words that they speak. An unnatural, broken flow of prose. Staggered. A smorgasbord of the bare minimum, core words that when strung together in conversation, wobble and buck under the pressure higher-level competency. The skeletal structure provided by hood public schooling where a good percentage of the subjects are taught in their mother-tongue.
The park is less than a minute’s walk away, yet the boys insist on getting in the car and riding to the rendezvous point with me. Car windows rolled down; they turn the sound on the radio up, waving at their peers in the street and ensuring that all and sundry have seen them.
I’m still unsure of why I’m here. Two weeks ago, a croaky boyish voice on the other end of the line promised me a good show (providing I bought them Ultra-Mel custard). They bill themselves as street performers, but their art consists of little more than branded clothing and face-offs with rival crews who compete over who has more money. The trend called “ukukhothana”, loosely translated as dissing, is a money-conscious South African version of the USA’s diss battles, but where the American jokes would begin with: “Yo mama is so…” these kids start theirs with: “I’m so rich I can…” And then proceed to demonstrate how much money they have by engaging in wasteful behavior. Starting in the smaller black communities of Gauteng’s East Rand, the phenomenon quickly filtered into Soweto. In a recent incident, a boy from Pimville bought a bucket of KFC chicken, threw it on the floor and then stomped on the chicken pieces, using his R2000 pair of loafers to grind the white meat into the ground before setting the food alight – and then the shoes.
In the 1950s, a similar trend arose amongst migrant workers and mine labourers who were subject to the cramped and confined conditions of hostel living. Men, separated from their families and forced into a perfunctory sense of congeniality, would hold contests in which they would trade their grimy overalls for the finest suits and flashy two-toned brogues. Called oSwenka, the winner would receive a goat or blankets and maybe some extra money to send home to their families in the Bantustans. For the izikhothane, there is no tangible prize; but the admiring glances from girls in the crowd seems to be sufficient reward.
Word spreads quickly. In a few minutes, a group of over sixty school children have gathered in the park awaiting the next izikhothane battle. The boys arrive in a loud, colourful fashion. Luminescent Nike Dry-fit T-shirts, multi-coloured tracksuits, ostentatiously branded shoes and mismatched soccer boots, their bright attire is in stark contrast to the environment. The park is no more than an undeveloped block of land. Dry grass, three barren and skeletal plants, two swings and a slide with faded paint and chipped edges. This is the stage where the teens meet weekly to gain respect and notoriety. “Everyone knows The Exclusive Italian Konka’s are the best,” says 16 year old Lesego. “It’s all about bragging, being better than everyone else. You have to show that you are the number one cheese boys.” Claiming the top spot however, reaches some ridiculous extremes.
It is no longer enough to merely afford the pricey clothing and bling; you have to be rich enough to not need it. This means publicly taking a pair of scissors to a R500 t-shirt, and playing tug-of-war with a R3000 pair of jeans before throwing the scraps to the unaffording, undeserving rivals. To earn an income, this particular crew sells refreshments at Orlando Stadium, but a more sinister rumour speaks of young men turning to petty crime in order to afford this outwardly lavish lifestyle. They indignantly refute this claim. “Ukukhothana actually keeps us away from crime. We work every weekend to get money, and when we do we spend every cent of it on all these clothes. No drugs. No alcohol, just clothes.”
The question remains though. Why do it at all? By their own admission, they aren’t as moneyed as they pretend to be. Why then spend the little cash they do receive on clothing that in some cases will end up tattered rags. The boys provide no answers. In a typically teenage manner, they have paid no thought to the psychology behind the trend. It’s tempting to think of izikhothane as some kind of nihilistic reaction to a rampantly consumerist culture, a negation of the power that “stuff” has over us. But really it comes off as an over-exaggerated homage to consumerism. The desperate quest for individualism that ties its success to brand names and price tags. A shunning of dependency and behavioural expectations that feeds off generic appeal and the admiration of strangers. This is their moment in the spotlight, but unlike Andy Warhol’s prophesized fifteen minutes, this is a search for self-value and not notoriety. When all the romanticism has been sucked out of the ghetto, when history’s lessons have stripped you of what should be inherent self-respect, dignity is inferred. Izikhothane will borrow Armani’s name and Diesel’s reputation, until they can make one of their own.
*Illustration © Trevor Paul.
FUSION KHUHAZA LIMOSHA LYK SHIT AMA DODA WAMA CARVELA ROSSI MODA AH SPHETHE USABELO BASH MAFIAS MAVHO C.YENI MSIKA MGUYO MA EGGS SBHAKALALA SPOPETLA THEPI SJAVA MANGOPHE…..YIWOKE LAMA DODA ASHISA VIA CARD LEVIAS ABANTU BAYAFISA NGOBA SIYASHIAS
RED MOSHA BOYZ AR SO REVEAL SPCIAL IF U AR PAYNG ATTNTION ON DEM,NAMANJE ASIXAYANGA.
Yeyeye we ar de only hu ar de bst dreser nina mani fnsek yekelani ukuntlema(ukukhotha kumnandi yo bt stp abusng pex plz)
Yeye singa madistracter, sphethu sabelo, mahlatse,bond,avumile,mrijo,mhlanganisi no mabucs siyashisa
amaprogrestinater ayashisa heck meck weck anishiye nishaya i windeck
Ama s.r.v aya rocka vele.. Kwaal is behind us askies makub’hlungu
Ayeye izikhothana i wana join u guys wat must i do?
Check it out:
The Original Italian Materpiece!!!
http://www.facebook.com/RMGTDesigns?ref=tn_tnmn
I DNT C ANYTHNG WRNG WTH WAT WE DOING AS SKHOTHANEZ IF WE OR OUR PARENTS CAN AFFORD WHO R YAL 2 COMMENT
I DNT C ANYTHNG WRNG WTH WAT WE DOING AS SKHOTHANEZ IF WE OR OUR PARENTS CAN AFFORD WHO R YAL 2 COMMENT
Woza centurion college
Ayeye 2moro fountain, florida lake 18 boys nama stress
Doshka ziyakipita cnt wait sobangena s0 nice Thulishk@
Vi@ 18 queen khathaza… Yho izwa bathi u s0 fake u make
Barbie look real! Loliwe!! *kapa diya*
invyt me on mxit 07338173451 n c real izikhothane
Hahaha nina bo vobelina bantwana baka selina ni user ne vaselina entlek b.s.v namanje brutal.stress.vele yithi abaphete lana hai nina 18 what what khathaza ft stumza namanje……..
My mxit contacs are versace405 my numbers are 0842536109 my facebook name is sipho makhazane call me if you wana mosha heck n deck il make you dance for windeck tlala
0784270367
Its iz nice 2 be a pexar am a point5 boi, ufana no sponch-bob ubabakho u bob uhola i 5bob ukhera i 2bob
taiza via d.t.k dress to kill namanje boyz
ai nina ma khathaza nyana wa khona nitaulile ani doshki ani moshki praud by ama m.n.i if u wnt me woza
yes nina zikhothane ezikhathele niya fosta sis anina zinto niyazi mos lol lol lol lol lol lol lol yavele zihlupheki zase twatwa sis boyz ledidi ezididizelayo sis ninuka nomdidi sis nidla nenyama yomdidi sis lol lol lol lol
im a doshka hunter blood of da pashka doshka spring like a puma ngiyakutaza ngiyakhataza langidlula khona ngibashiya balele acarpela.this is 4 da 18 boys abo masaka
I am italiano milasky I’m born from milasky palace its very cold there in milasky but me italiano milasky I make it hot uzobona abantu ba xhoge e cavela under e umbrela ba phuza e ultramel ba blome no cinderalla u know wat guyz my parent can afford it if yolz cnt den sowi maybi nxt tym nd dnt comment ngoba da mre u comment da mre jelouse or let me say KWAAL u get dnt judge us plz judge ur self I got a arbiter nd a rm nd petulla yeye oviously cavela nd it cost me 4000 its not owr money we wasting its owr parent mone nd dey allow us os plz ax be4 u tlk guys
banco esparto parita omisay khenya dance kwasa like sadam umtwana wabo rosam
banco vysh gosh nazarito santo maselito parido omisay esparita niyabanda ma 18 boys born masakas
Ay zikhothane ngiyanithanda shem yho mangingaba nomngani oyedwa wenu nje
new skeem of galz aziqhomi siyaqhoka woza d.twn wit izikhothane find me on mxit karaboenhle5 and hlukuenhle6 i wil meet u at sgalo park wiy zim zim,romentic,cross over,khathaza,h.r.d nd more barbie new skeem lve u all
eish mena ppl i realy realy luv the izkhothanes
Iy’cleva zase Kwatsaduza (east rand) Pro NiKe Reloaded rule this world mawunenkinga thatha ama mxit id we2 Tso767 nd P.cee767 dne khuluming………….
Entlek y kwamele ni ringe if we nt usng ur m0ney f.d anikhulumi niya fakaza…nje anina budget ni insuficient nje ngo bridget mara yimikhuba yama swarr godovi vele…one nxaki mfene style soiceda via mxit:Candyfloss18
Guyz u cn pex bt pass at school and prove your dreams
you r a poor masaga in afrika.via f.m.k niya rocka aweshka
Patricia