Kenny Kunene: Warming up for a roast

Don’t be fooled by the press images depicting Kunene battered and bruised: it is safe to say that Kunene is looking forward to the Comedy Central Roast in his honour.

Kunene is not impressed by the calibre of roasters poised to take shots at him.

“Who is this bloody agent, Jimmy Carr?,” Kunene says.

“I thought they were talking about a car driven by a Jimmy when I first heard he was the roast master. Nobody has ever heard of him and they say that the show is international because he is from England. The show is international because of me. Have you heard of this bloody agent, my brother?”

Um, yes.

“Nonetheless, I am not impressed by the drama queens that they have put up against me. I really wanted Deborah Patta to be there because she has always wanted to roast me on 3rd Degree. I would have loved to have had a go at her here, but it is not too be.”

The second Comedy Central Roast in Africa will also feature roasters Somizi Mhlongo, Khanyi Mbau, Dineo Ranaka, Rian van Heerden, Jack Parow, John Vlismas, Tumi Morake and PJ Powers. Two years ago, Steve Hofmeyr walked off the stage pretty much unscathed by the host of roasters, directing his own verbal barrage at his colleagues.

This year’s event only includes two bona fide comedians in Vlismas and Morake, which will prove interesting. The selection of Mbau and Mhlongo will reveal a lot as they are people who have previously been seen to be close to Kunene.

The panel will not be short of material as Kunene has lead a rather public lifestyle, from his days as the sushi king to joining forces with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The latter move was short-lived as he soon left the EFF to form his own party, the Patriotic Alliance.

A multitude of stories have been written about him and his life mostly plays out in the public sphere which gives the panel many a story to write home about, but Kunene is not deterred.

“Comedians are good at taking a simple fact and a truth and twisting it in order to make a joke,” Kunene says.

“They already say a lot at their gigs about me, so now they have a chance to say it in front of me.”

The Comedy Central Roast of  Kenny Kunene takes place at the Lyric Theatre on April 3. The show will premiere on Comedy Central (DStv Channel 122) on April 28 at 9pm.