Kabelo Mabalane is running his own race

Speaking at the launch of the book in Rosebank, Mabalane said he always had dreams of becoming a rugby player.

“When I left high school, I was going to be a Springbok, that was my goal. I was going to fill thequota, but that didn’t work out for me. I decided to study sports management at Wits Tech – the only course that I could get into, but I was bad at that too.”

Mabalane had been friends with his group members Tokollo Shabalala and Zwai Bala since high school, but when sports and academics didn’t work for them, they decided to make music.

“When Zwai got his opportunity, he called me and Tokollo to work with him because we had nothing else to do – and I guess the rest is history.”

Eusebius McKaiser, leading the discussion with Mabalane at the launch, said the musician came across insecure.

“I was still trying to find myself as a young man, as a performer and as a musician,” says Mabalane. “Even today they are still undoubtedly the best musicians I’ve ever worked with. It can be intimidating for a young man trying to find himself.”

In the book, Mabalane also goes in detail about his drug addiction. He started experimenting with drugs as ayoungster who had nothing else to do.

Since dropping out of Wits, he spent a lot of time in Diepkloof using drugs with other young men.

“Having disappointed my parents in the academics department, put a lot of pressure on me. I wanted to forget about my failures and escape.” When his music career took off, he could afford drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy.

“It wasn’t so much the drugs that helped me create, it was actually the insecurity with facing the other talented musicians in the industry and the producers.” Mabalane also admitted he was addicted to sex, but chose not to go into detail about that out of respect for his wife, actress Gail Mabalane.