Legendary jazz musician Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse has lauded the owners of the Alex Mall for embedding the historic concept of the township into the mall in the form of a permanent exhibition.
Mabuse was on his way to Polokwane for the funeral of yet another music legend, the late blind musician Steve Kekana, and had stopped at the mall to pick up Alex arts creative Refilwe ‘Fifi’ Pieterse to travel together.
He then took advantage of his stop to move around and view the mall and browse around the artwork of various leaders, musicians, artists, and other legends of the township which quiet fascinated him.
Speaking about what he saw at the mall, Mabuse, one of the last musicians to share the stage with Kekana in Soweto’s AfriCafe at the Maponya Mall days before his death in a remembrance event for one of Alex’s great jazz musicians Zacks Nkosi, said he was elated to see the township’s history being incorporated in the mall.
“I have never seen any mall as beautiful as Alex Mall, and whosoever came up with the history exhibition idea, came up with the best concept and this is an amazing way to honour the legends of Alexandra,” Hotstix said.
For her part, Pieterse said; “That was such a proud moment for me, and I felt like one day we need to add one more story on the wall, the story of the people who gifted us with the beautiful Alex Mall. I think they too need to have their own remembrance placards up on the walls of the mall.”
Pieterse was the curator of the Zacks Nkosi memorial for the township jazz icon known as Zacks Nkosi – The rising of a legend and described it as an honour that the mall was left intact and standing. “My bleeding heart also goes out to all those whose businesses where destroyed by the recent vandalism and all those who lost their jobs in the process,” she added.
