Last night 3rd Degree screened a “repeat” of iziKhothane, a materialistic township trend first documented by SABC1′s Cutting Edge last year.
The life of an isiKhothane is not cheap, they swag it up in designer shoes, jeans, floral shirts, belts, gold teeth, chains, alcohol and even brag about their underwear. Ok I kid.
On camera, the young township boys, believed to be high-schoolers boast about their regalia, ‘R500 le shirt, R500 le belt ye-Daniel Hechter, R2 700 le scathulo (shoe),’ they illustrate to cameras.
The point of the trend is to outdress each other, with the most expensive crew reigning supreme. But the unfortunate part of all this is that it is the parents and grandparents who are forced to foot these constant bills, some proudly, like an uncle who said ‘I can afford it, if this is how he wants to make himself feel good, then there’s no problem. Starving neighbours are not our business,’ he said in a nutshell.
But there is an inner Skhothane in all of us. The reason why the trend exists is because many feel part of a community, it’s a swagger for people of those townships, and the iziKhothane are right at the top of that society.
Of course we will condemn the manner they go about their business, wasting tons of money on expensive alcohol, tearing clothes, tearing money – all in the name of fun.
We don’t know if these things get violent, no one has said so, but we do know it hurts bank balances. Hard.
These kids are from homes where a lot could be done to improve their living standards, ie. Build a fence around the house, put some plaster on the walls, put some food in the fridge, or even save up for university – not this.
They are cool in the streets, dancing it up, mocking each other – but back home they still have to boil hot water from a Hart pot before they are clean. How do you bath in a dish when you can easily dress up in a R7 000 outfit all week?
Black Excellence? I’ll let Slikour address this one.
On the other hand, there is an inner Skhothane on the so-called affluent roaming social networks. Of course there are those that genuinely afford their expensive lifestyles, but face it, it’s expensive and we know a lot of people struggle, but they “make a plan”.
People have been wearing expensive brands since they were 10 or 11, some by pushing their parents into serious predicaments. You’re older now, probably in your early 20s, but your parents still not driving, but you rock up at the club with Guess bags, Guess Jeans and all these brands. This is a narrow example, but allow it to hit home. (Girl’s lifestyles could very well be funded by a man behind the scenes, but that’s another story for another day).
Of course we assume that you lot are all from financially stable and grounded homes, but the truth is, that cannot always be the case – so as you roam the streets of whatever city you live, don’t forget what you stand for and where you from.
NOTE: There is an inner isiKhothane in all of us, me too, don’t let it be the death of you.
