So you read the
first part of my interview with Andile and you think you've got him figured out, right?
WRONG!
Well, the man that you got to know in Chapter 1 is only a fraction of the whole that makes up Andile Ncube. He is passionate about the wellbeing of South Africans and one of his dreams for Mzansi is for the people of Alexandra to live without worrying about where the next meal is coming from.
A "mama's baby" of note, Mr Ncube tells me his mom is the most important woman in his life but what I witness in the time that I spent with him, kinda brings me to a different conclusion but hey, you be the judge.
Like I said, this is Andile like you ain't never heard him before. Be warned!
HE WASN'T THERE FOR THE HARDSHIPS...
Brown Shuga: What inspires you to do the things you do or to be the man that you are?
Andile: My family. My little sister; who is the most beautiful thing in the world.
My brother, he’s the type of person who doesn’t need anything, he doesn’t ask for anything, he’s just fine. And I don’t want him to be fine, I want him to know that he can just call me when he needs anything. And then there’s my mother, a single mother whose struggle I saw with my own eyes.
My mother would make sure I had a pair of FILA’s when FILA’s were cool. That was expensive back then but my mom would make sure that I had that so I could fit in at school and then she’d close her door and go cry coz she knew there was nothing else for the rest of the month.
I would see that and it would grill me so I thought to myself
“One day, I’m gonna make it up to that woman”. That’s why my mom is my everything; a day does not pass
ndingathethanga no Mama. Every decision I make in my life, it goes via my mom, if I had to buy a car, I’d speak to my mom.
BS: What happened to your dad?
Andile: He’s around and we’re cool now but they divorced when I was about 12-14. He’s a guy I’ll go see every once in a while but he wasn’t there for the hardships.
When my mom and I were struggling, when I went to school in Pretoria, from Midrand, ndihamba ngenyawo to the taxi’s, then take a train, and can you imagine a 12 year old doing that?
Every single day when I get home at around 5 – 6pm, my mom is standing at the gate.
She’d be standing there and when she sees me, she would hug me and be like
“Thank God, you’ve made it another day”. But my dad wasn’t there.
I remember there was a long time that I didn’t speak to him, I walked past him one day not coz I didn’t see him but “
what was there to say?”
My mom was always like “
I will talk good of your dad always co I want you to make your own decisions” so I grew up and I was like
“I can’t be mad at my dad, he is my dad”.
He made his decision and he will live with it so I went to him “hey dad” and we sat and spoke. I go to Tembisa at least once a week and if I go I will always go past his house and check if he’s ok.
BS: Is he married now?
Andile: Got married and got divorced.
On the Youth of Mzansi and their Obsession With Becoming Presenters!
BS: So you went to Drama School, can you act?
Andile: Well, I studied it, I was at AFDA for 3 years and the thing is when you’re in drama school, presenting is one of those things that you think :
“I’ll never present” coz “we are actors!, we’re gonna be in movies!”
I never thought I’d present but acting yeah, maybe one of these days when I have time I’ll be in Generations
BS: Well, you can go there as long as you speak Xhosa properly and not like Ajax, I wanna slap him every time he speaks
Andile: (
Laughs) The people in P.E aren’t impressed too…
BS: So why are you against people being presenters?
Andile: I’m not against it but my advice is,
“Dream bigger than wanting to be a TV Presenter.”
Why would you wanna be a presenter when 80% of the people that are presenters on TV are only that, Presenters?
Umntu ulele the whole week, akenzi nto and if he’s on ONE then on Friday he comes to do the show after that ugqibile and he goes home. Dream Bigger than that. Tell me you got an idea of a show, you want to present it and you want to own that show.
Tell me you wanna own your talent! What’s your view?
BS: I hear you but if I’m just nobody and I like the industry, and want to get in, then being a presenter is a nice way to start. Learn the ins and outs of the industry and from there you can see ukuba yah, so this is where this can lead to. Use it as a stepping stone, so to speak.
Andile: For me it all ended when Sally Ann Kopa said she wanted to be a TV presenter!
BS: Lungsta said the same thing!
Andile: I was like,
“Damn! Is this the dream of Miss South Africa??
You’re right though; some people used it as a door, like Basetsana Makgalemele, Pepsi Pokane, and Zam Nkosi, it was a door for them.
BS: Yeah, it shouldn’t be the only thing a person aspires to be.
Andile: Let’s empower ourselves, we’ve been belittled man. D’you know ukuba the black person is the lowest form of human in the world? You know the Chinese people who are eating grass, living in the middle of nowhere, they look low unto us.
We’ve been told that we are the lowest, we’re lower than scum, that’s why Chris Rock says that “
There's a one legged bus driver in here who wouldn’t trade his place with me for sh*t and I’m rich” y’know what I mean? No, let’s dream beyond that.
We’re bigger than that, we can do better than that. Let’s not conform to what people say we are.
(Yoh!....I thought Steve Biko had passed on….)
BS: You are deep neh?
Andile: I am? No never! It's just that I don’t get to have conversations like this often, I’m not deep.
BS: What is your dream for Mzansi?
Andile: Alexandra township is the most painful thing for me. Especially looking at it from Sandton. Once you’re in there it’s fine but my dream for SA is "
Not to look out my window and see Alexandra".
Black people are the strongest people in the world. How many households do you know where there’s no one that works in that house but they live everyday and they eat everyday?
BS: Lots...
Andile: Yeah,coz Black people are that strong but I’d like for us not to be so strong, y’know? That’s why I respect our parents, my mother’s mother was a maid and most people’s mothers are maids…
BS: My mother was a maid.
Andile: Y’know what I mean. Look at how you’ve turned out! You’re fine and here you are, sitting here….damn Black people are that strong!
I’m very passionate about that and when we think apartheid was in the past, you just drive in Alex then you see ukuba, this is what is has done. The lowest form of white people is to live in Kempton Park and that’s like
“oh, you’re so poor” but what? You have a house and electricity, that’s not poor.
(
Mmmhh…and he says he’s not deep. We believe you boy!)
"I'D LIKE TO SEE KATLEGO DANKE PLAY A STRONG BLACK WOMAN"
BS: So why is missy your favourite actress?
Andile: Besides the fact that she’s my girlfriend, I think she’s an amazing actress. but you can see it for yourself. I mean the role she’s playing now on Generations, it’s easy for her. I’d love to see her play something more challenging.
I remember someone saying they’d love to see her play the younger Winnie Mandela.
For me, that’s the challenge I’d like to give her and I think she’d execute it. That’s what I’d like to see her play, a Strong Black Woman.
BS: Knowing what she's capable of, she really isn't doing much as Dineo Mashaba.
Andile: Yeah, make her do something, please! Just don’t make her go crazy again though but make her do something equally challenging. She’s an actress!
BS: So she’s the person you sms the most? For some reason I thought you’d be hush hush about the relationship.
Andile: I’m not. If you ask me I’ll tell you but I won’t go out of my way to tell you.
BS:You’re rarely ever photographed together. I’ve only ever seen the picture taken at the 2006 SAMA’s.
Andile: We don’t do celebrity do’s. She goes on her own and I go on my own and even if we do go out together, Katlego and I are not the kind of people to be holding hands and all of that.
When we get there she goes to her friends and I go to my people. She likes dancing coz ke majaivane so she’ll be at the dance floor doing her thing and I don’t go anywhere near the dance floor. I’ll just go check on her and ask ‘are you still ok” then it’s ok, bye!
We’re not a media couple so we won’t sit there and pose for the camera. Don’t make a fuss over us; call Mandla Mthembu and Khanyisile.
Obviously we won’t go out of our way to run away from the camera but if you catch us at the right time, we’ll turn around and we’ll smile for you.
BS: You guys did the True Love Calendar, which I thought was beautiful, by the way. December 2007 is already up on my wall!!
Andile: (Laughs) The only reason I did it was because it was for a good cause. Everybody that did that forfeited the money for charity so it was a worthwhile cause. But really, I’m not a publicity person, the media didn’t make me.
BS: Heh, sorry bhuti but there are people who watch the show and want to know about you. How are they supposed to know about you if you "don't do media"?
Andile: Well, they stop me on the road all the time…
(I try to argue further and he goes…)
Ok, I hear you but the thing is I hate what it becomes man.
(All of a sudden the rain starts pouring hard and there’s a storm outside. Joburgers, remember that Wednesday night a couple of weeks ago?)
Andile: I’m terribly sorry for this but please Katlego’s out driving somewhere, can I just call her?
BS: Sure man, it’s cool.
(He calls her and is happy to hear she is safe & sound. Ain’t her just the perfect man? If you’re kinda feeling sorry for me at this stage, don’t worry, at least he made sure that I only left once the storm was over…*sigh* )
[I have decided that Katlego Danke has to come to Blogiwood and explain to all the fabulous women who are having man problems, HOW DID SHE GET IT RIGHT? ]
BS: When is it the right time for a guy to get married?
Andile: I’ve been asked that question more than I’ve been asked any other question…
BS: Ok, we dump it!
Andile: I don’t mind answering.
BS: No, we’re leaving it!
Andile: Are you sure?
(No, I wasn't fighting him just coz he called Katlego ok? Get that out of your head!!)
BS: Yes I’m sure. What Checklist would you need to tick off before you do ke?
Andile: When I get married I want kids, the year that I get married, I want a child. So I wantto have a home that I can raise a child in, before I get married. Tick that.
I need to be financially stable to give umntanabantu a good life coz I took her from her parents and said "I can take care of your child"; I want to give her what her parents could have given her, if not more. If I can’t give her that at least, then let her go back home.
I want to be at the right frame of mind, mna as uAndile to be able to sacrifice myself for her. Until then, until we can only afford a BMW and a Volkswagen and I give her the BMW and take the VW, until that point, I’m not ready.
(Phone rings again)
Andile: Sorry about this, I don’t wanna switch it off coz she might call.
(I want to know what that woman is getting for Valentine's, clearly it's gonna be huge!)
BS: Geez, you’re so in love!
Andile: I am?
BS: There was a storm earlier and you’re like “Baby are you ok?” and now you’re not gonna switch your phone coz she might call” dang!
Andile: You’re reading too much into it.
BS: No, I really like it. Thing is I know how you black men are so I really do dig it when a man shows so much affection.
Andile: I was brought up by a single woman…(phone goes off again)
BS: (I’m a bit irritated but I go) Eish, answer it.
Andile: No, I’m busy. This is work for me, I’ll call them back.
LIBRA MAN...
BS: Do you believe in the stars?
Andile: Like Libra etc? I entertain them.
BS: I have a booklet here from GLAMOUR, it describes a man according to their star sign. I’m gonna take extracts from it and I want you to tell me if they are true about you.
(He’s rolling his eyes but I’ma get my answers!)
The Libra Man ha Diplomacy, Tact, Harmony, Refinement and Charm?
Andile: There’s truth in that.
BS: He’s flirtatious?
Andile: I hear I’m flirtatious coz Katlego tells me I flirt.
BS: He’s Romantic? I can tell you are very romantic..
Andile: Nah…Romantic is Blair Underwood on Set It Off, now that’s romantic. All those things he did, very romantic. Larenz Tate and his poems on Love Jones, we can never live up to that!!
BS:Commitment/ Divorce, what's your take?
Andile: I don’t ever wanna get divorced. I figure, you said yes so do it, go through with it. I wanna make a commitment and go through with it till the end.
BS: Why do you think married men cheat?
Andile: I think if I had an answer to that, I’d be a millionaire! I’d be like “Oprah, give me a million bucks I’m coming to your show to give you an answer.”
BS: But what do you think nje?
Andile: I think it’s a manhood thing. It is wanting what we can’t have. It’s not a matter of you’re cheating and you go tell all your friends, it’s a you thing.
You go “Can I get her? Maybe I can get her, let me go and see if I can”. And it’s just you and it ends with you, you don’t necessarily have to go and tell the world about it.
I don’t know man, I don’t think they know why they do it, I don’t think we know.
TV MAN IS ACTUALLY A RADIO MAN?
BS: What other projects are you involved with?
Andile: I’m hoping to go even bigger with the one thing that I’ve always loved. I’m a co-host on a radio show on 5FM. Kamza and myself have a show at 22:00, Sunday evenings.
It’s a hip hop show and a very good show.
I’ve been doing it for about a year and a half now. You must listen to it this Sunday.
BS: Wow, I didn’t know. 22:00? No wonder ndingayazi.
Andile: Yeah for me it’s a grooming thing and I would really like to pursue radio later.
BS: But 5FM is a good place to be launching a radio career.
Andile: To start and groom, yeah but if I had a choice, I’d work for Ukhozi FM coz those are the people who interest me. You know me…I love abantu, the core of black people, that’s what I’m about.
BS: What’s your favourite music video of all time?
Andile: Mbombela, Jabu Khanyile. It’s so significant and I think that’s why I fell in love with Kofifi coz they had a similar video.
It’s what black people were, don’t wanna leave home but you had to take the train and come to Joburg so you could be the slave and go back again.
That’s what it was, and those men were like “We nyuk’ umbombela” though the train is not going up, for them it was like going up coz they’re going to this place they don’t wanna go to.
TRAVELLING MAKES YOU LOVE SA MORE...
BS: You've had your share of ups and downs travelling with the Nokia show you did huh?
Andile: That’s the one thing that makes you appreciate this place. When you are sitting in the best hotel in the world, sitting in Chile, South America, glass all around your room, and your view is the Andes mountains, glorious Andes Mountains, and you’re sitting there, looking at that.
You know how South American women are, you’re in a top floor gym and there are gals busy in there, you got a thousand dollars in your pocket but you’re like “I wanna go home”.
BS: Yah noh, that’s love for your home!
Andile: I’ve been to South America, North America, Asia, all over Africa and I would love to do Europe. I haven’t been to England.
BS: Which African country did you enjoy the most?
Andile: Ghana and Kenya. I enjoyed Ghana more and Kenya was definitely because the night life. It is damn amazing!
BS: What did you think of New York?
Andile: New York is exactly what it looks like on TV.
I went down to take the subway and the chick who sold me the ticket was chewing gum.
The bus driver was an old black wise dude.
At the club, the bouncers are that big!
The chicks in the club are the booty hopping girls you see on TV, I was like what!?!
The shops are there, Lamborghini parked there and there’s a dude picking up clothes for a beautiful looking Nia Long chick, it is exactly what you see in the movies man!!
I enjoyed to New York.
BS: Oh boy!! I have to go to New York...
Andile: Yeah, you should go before you turn... how old did you say you were?
BS: NO, I am not gonna tell you! (Damn, why does every man I interview want to know my age? I’m pulling an “Uyanda” on this one boys)
BS: What’s the best thing about uAndile?
Andile: You know how nice it is for you that your family loves you the way they love you? Imagine if it was the whole country!
BS: So you see, being a presenter is not bad after all. So what do you watch on TV?
Andile: I would love to see the World Chart Express actually coz I used to enjoy it when it was still on SABC 1 but I never get a chance to see it now. Out of SA, I love Trevor Nelson.
BS: That’s the MTVBase guy with the accent right?
Andile: Yes, love the Lick with Trevor Nelson; on MTV I like the daily show…
BS: TRL?
Andile: Yeah, I used to like it back then but now I watch it for the same reason I logon to Billboard Magazine just to see what’s hot and what’s going on over there so as to be on par with them.
I also watch a lot of Channel O coz I’m a huge fan of Nonhle Thema.
BS: What guy isn’t? Nice thing is she’s hott in person too.
Andile: Yeah, I’m a huge fan of her show, sorry Lungsta boy!
And this is not for patriotic sake but I watch a lot of SABC 1. I love reality shows too.
BS: Which ones did you enjoy?
Andile: The Wife Swap, I enjoyed the Bachelor though I don’t approve of it and you can’t have something like that in this country.
Rupert is my favorite all time Survivor, I used to like it back in the day but I think it’s gotten old. I loved Big Brother Africa with Abby and Gaetano and the Nigerian dude, Bayo.
BS: You didn’t like Fear Factor SA with Thapelo?
Andile: SA versions are too doctored man. Fear Factor would have been nice if we had seen different people go through all those challenges every week. I have no qualms with presenters but I will say this with Taps, "I don’t think he was bad but I think the way they did it was wrong". I’m not gonna say someone was bad,I mean, who am I to say someone is bad?
BS: Well, I’ll say it!
.............................
That's Andile folks, the same one who keeps more than 2 million viewers glued to their screens every Friday, 21:00 - 22:00 on SABC 1. He is ONE and ONE is him. Gotta love him! I do.