Katlego Sekhu
On Friday’s Open Line, the Siz The World team and listeners discussed various topics, including Sizwe Dhlomo’s township experiences and President Ramaphosa’s apparent shock at the current state of infrastructure.
One listener asked, “Please help me understand. What is the president so embarrassed about when it comes to the state of Johannesburg? Where does he live? Is it like those instances where a CEO doesn’t know what’s happening on the ground? Or is he just acting surprised?”
Sizwe Dhlomo highlighted that President Ramaphosa is not only the country’s leader but also a billionaire. “There are certain things you don’t interact with on a day-to-day basis when you’re that elevated,” he explained.
“The president doesn’t drive himself; he has a motorcade led by police. He doesn’t have to stop at traffic lights, so he doesn’t know whether they work or not. It’s possible that the president was genuinely unaware of this.”
Another listener brought up a topic from Drive 959 earlier in the week, where the team discussed life in the township. According to the listener, they had called Sizwe, who mentioned that he had never lived in ekasi.
“So, you’re telling me that none of the team members have taken Sizwe to Tembisa or Alex so he can experience that life?” the listener asked.
Sizwe clarified his comments, explaining that he did spend some time in the township during his childhood and has visited various townships across South Africa.
“I’ve been to pretty much all the townships in the country. What they asked was, ‘Have I stayed in the township?’ I answered yes. In 1986, we stayed ka BB, but it wasn’t like a general township house. Our house was a double-storey. I’ve also visited cousins in other townships, but I’ve never stayed anywhere else—I don’t want to lie.”
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