TOPS MASOLE DIES
Tributes for veteran promoter
ON Sunday, 14th February, 2021 the great promoter of Botswana entertainment, Tops Masole, departed from this world. The 62-year-old breathed his last at Princess Marina Hospital, where he lay hospitalised for three weeks leading up to his death.
Tops, as he was known, lived his life to the fullest. The larger-than-life figure owned nightclubs in Maun, Kasane and Gaborone, making his presence felt t every time he graced an occa- sion. He was known for keeping g the company of beautiful young g ladies, expensive alcohol and ‘an n errand boy’ around him.
The Voice staffer, DANIEL L CHIDA, speaks to some of the e thousands who interacted with h him.
ZENZELE HIRSCHFELD - PROMOTER
Losing an iconic mentor and industry father, as Tops was, a blow to my face.
Tops served the entertainment industry with passion, love, talent and dedication. He has not only mentored me but has given a lot of Botswana and Africa’s artists an opportunity to showcase their craft. He knew what it was like to have nothing and always made sure the next person he sat with got a little opportunity. He shared more, laughed, worked and joked hard. He was a lover of finer things in life. I carry many memories of our times here on earth. He was good at negotiating and getting himself a larger piece.
LORETTA MEKGWE - FRIEND AND ARTIST
Words seem so feeble in moments like these but Motswalle would have wanted us to express ourselves and reminisce about the good times! Slovo was a man on a mission.
Money was never an issue for him; this is a man who could run the biggest show in the land without a cent. His innovative spirit and colourfulness drew people to him, and he knew how to build teams to execute his grand plans. Tops knew how to manage his relations with everyone, including the hawkers in front of his club. He was a people magnet bursting with charisma!
I am grateful for the lessons and the pep talks he always gave me. “O Gold Kabetswe, O Gold!! Bozinzily ba ko tasi,” he would say, and we would laugh and continue to brainstorm. I am reminded of the peacemaker he was, quick to apologise and always reuniting people.
Until we meet again in laughter on the other side of the stars, Tswatswi...2 Kings 20:5
MERCY THEBE - FRIEND
The thing with me and Tops is that we related on a friendly level and we would mostly hang out at chill sessions at my place and birthday celebrations.
This was years after I had lied to my parents saying I was going on a school sports trip to Maun but going for Tops’ wedding with my friend, Neo More, with only P7.00 on us. He was a very fun person to be around and oozed great energy. I still can’t believe he has transitioned. I’m so saddened by his passing. Even though we mourn his homegoing, we also celebrate all the brilliance he left behind and the many hearts and lives he touched and transformed.
DOSE MOSIMANYANA - PROMOTER
He literally raised me, DJ Smalls, Tambai and DJ Bunz, and taught us almost all we know about the entertainment industry.
When he came to Maun, we were just hustling young DJS,
Smalls and I, and he showed us that entertainment could actually be a business and a full time employment.
Tops organised big gigs and always made sure he gave us a chance to perform, no matter how big the stage.
My first ever event as a promoter, that featured international artists, was a joint venture with Tops. We hosted
Trompies in Mahalapye and Maun. That’s when he taught me how to take care of artists before, during and after the show. We made successful shows together and also lost some money together, but Buddy was always one way, cheerful and positive as ever, even when we lost money. He taught me to never ever give up.
IGILBERT SEAGILE - PROMOTER AND BEPA PRESIDENT
Convincing Tops to change his mind was something we all failed to do, he was a hard nut to crack!
I remember there was a time we hosted an outdoor show together, the show flopped because he didn’t listen to us when we complained about the venue being unsuitable. After the show, Zeus, who didn’t take nonsense when it came to payment, went to Tops’ place to demand his money. Guess what, when he arrived, Tops thanked Zeus for being a generous person who saw it fit to check on him unlike other artists who didn’t care about his well being after such a loss. Zeus was defeated by Tops words and left without anything.
KAUNDA KAWANDA - DJ, BOUNCER
t all started with Uncle Tops, aka Motswalle, the late Source Katumbela and Prince Chengeta headlining the entertainment industry back in the Ghetto.
This was in the early 90s, Uncle Tops was specialising with live shows and I was doing the sound engineering for him - back then I was still an amateur radio and TV technician plus passionate in music. From Francistown, we landed in Maun and lived together at Maduo Lodge for a couple of months. We took Maun by storm with a chain of powerful events, not forgetting a particular show in 1999, September 30, where I was the only DJ alongside Brenda Fassie, Les Afrika Sounds just to name a few and I realised how I was top of my game. Motswalle was a kind, loving, mentor, businessman and caring man that I came across, he loved to hang around the young and vulnerable just to have them guided into finding their own path. He turned unknown names into brands, the likes of DJ Big Pun, Bunz, Tambai (MHSRIP) and many.
The story is endless but, to me, Tops brought happiness to many and he will be remembered by many.
REABOKA MBULAWA - FORMER HIP HOP STAR AND BUSINESSMAN
Tops was a great man, a hustler and a fun guy. I remember sometime around 2008 when he was running club Trekkers in Maun, back then, I was driving a pimped Short White Mitsubishi Pajero on 22 inch rims with a heavy sound system and LCDS. I visited the club and Vee was supposed to have a show at the club. For some reason, Vee arrived very late in the morning, I think after 0130 hours, and the club was packed but nearing closing time. As I was sitting in my car in front of the club, the big man came zooming into my passenger seat carrying a sack full of gate takings and asked me to help him flee the scene to his house, hiding, leaning back so no one could see him through my tinted windows. We got home, where he hid the moneybag. On the way back to the club, as I was confused as to what was going on. he kept laughing saying, “Motswalle, ke basimane, baa tshameka, bare re baa nknocka, mme ke ba iteile.”
Vee played around two in the morning just when the club was about to close and people were angry. Tops was back blaming Vee saying the show was a flop and people never paid because all artists came late. Meanwhile, he had all the money and I don’t think any of those artists took a single Thebe off him at all. (Laughing) That was how gangster-minded the real Tops I knew was!
If ever there was a competition on the best Valentine’s Day, Lerato Kganyago would be the winner by a landslide.
The South African DJ and entertainer had a day to remember as her husband rented out Soccer City stadium for the day and hired Kganyago’s favourite singer, Zonke, to perform for them at a private show. “Lerato Kganyago’s husband really truly is an exceptionally romantic. What? Booking out a stadium and your wife’s fave artists to give a private performance. I love seeing black women being loved right and spoilt. It’s my fave content,” said one excited commenter.
“Next year Lerato’s husband will book the whole country. Where will we sleep then?” read another comment.
Poor Zonke had to work on Valentine’s Day singing for another couple.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our country in so many ways. The economy, health, education and many other sectors have been hard hit by the pandemic.
The provision of social services to those experiencing different social ills has also been affected. This article focuses on how the COVID -19 pandemic has affected the provision of counselling and rehabilitation services to individuals and families affected by Substance Use Disorders (SUDS).
In order to combat and reduce the spread of the virus, the nation had to go on lockdown and as such clients were unable to come to the BOSASNET for sessions to continue their journey of recovery. Therefore the organisation introduced phone counselling services for clients to access treatment while in lockdown. During the lockdowns, BOSASNET experienced an influx of calls from clients reporting of challenges with alcohol and cigarette withdrawals and cravings. Below are some of the challenges that were brought up by clients.
Substance use
With the restrictions on movement, people reported they were unable to purchase the substances of their choice and therefore started to experience withdrawal symptoms (these are physical and psychological symptoms that occur when one discontinues the addictive substance they have been using, these may include headaches, sweating, shakes, irritability or lack of sleep). It was particularly difficult to assist clients who did not have access to a phone line.
Social issues
Due to social distancing and lockdowns, a lot of people spent most of their time in their homes. Some families, therefore, discovered that their loved ones used substances. Some parents caught their loved ones using substances in secluded places as they were trying to hide, or saw a drastic change in behaviour brought on by withdrawals. Some family members were left confused without knowing what to do or where to go for support.
Those who were uncomfortable to confess to their families and loved ones that they use substances could not call
BOSASNET due to fear that they will be heard while talking to the counsellor. Some applied for permits and sneaked out to look for the substances as they could not deal with the withdrawal. BOSASNET got a lot of calls from family members e.g. parents who were seeking support for their children and service providers who were referring their clients for support.
Overall, the impact of COVID-19 has been a reduction in the number of clients seen at the centre during 2020 due to the lockdowns and general fear and anxiety around the pandemic. The ban on alcohol and tobacco has also changed the landscape of substance use, though it is not yet clear what that impact is and how it will continue to unfold.
The fear for those using substances remains as substances are often shared and have a potential to pass on the virus; they also have a negative effect on the immune system whereas a strong immune system is needed to fight off the virus.
If you think that you might have a substance abuse problem, or if you have a friend or family member who does, we encourage you to seek support. For some it
WHAT is more newsworthy between sex scandals and the arrival of the Covid-19 vaccine?
I pondered this question for minutes as I was trying to decide on what to write about this week.
One would expect the Covid-19 vaccination programme, which started yesterday (Thursday), to dominate the news as it could be a matter of life and death. But no, most Zimbos didn’t seem overly interested.
Maybe it is because some people seem skeptical about the vaccine, mainly because it is from China and the fact that it is not ideal for people living with HIV and other chronic diseases.
At least 200,000 doses were donated by the Chinese government while an additional 600,000 was bought by our government - a good start, but bear in mind Zimbabwe has an estimated population of almost 15 million people.
The vaccination programmes began as the government announced that the new Covid-19 strain detected in South Africa in December is now prevalent in Zim.
It is, however, not clear yet if this vaccine will be effective as it all seems to be a trial and error kind of situation.
What is even more worrying is that medical professionals issued a statement saying they had not been trained on how to administer the vaccine!
Anyway, this did not seem to interest people that much, certainly it was not the hottest topic in town.
Instead, sex scandals involving one of the Vice Presidents and another involving a Member of Parliament (MP) dominated conversations.
Vice President, Kembo Mohadi’s sex escapades with a young, married lover came to light this week. Apparently the 71-year-old VP took two cups of a sex booster ahead of their planned night together.
This was revealed in a leaked telephone conversation between the VP and his lover as the two discussed the anticipated night of pleasure.
The VP was also reportedly left nursing a wound on his forehead after he was confronted by his lover’s angry husband, who told the old man to stay away from his wife.
Meanwhile, independent and outspoken MP, Temba Mliswa’s sex life was also put out in the public domain by an ex-lover who wrote about some of the sordid things that made the MP ‘go wild’.
This is a family paper so I wont go into detail but I can tell you that social media users had a field day talking about the issue which some people found very strange.