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“All successful people have a goal.
No one can get anywhere unless he knows
where he wants to go.”

Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993)

To many people, South Africa’s past only contains painful memories, but for David Kau his past is a social weapon he uses to heal the wounds of others.

David Kau is probably the only man in South Africa who can publicly ridicule a taxi driver and survive to tell the joke a second time. Actually, nobody has been safe since David was unleashed onto the South African comedy scene, whether it be Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Tony Yengeni, Winnie Mandela, Mzwakhe Mbuli, Bulelani Ncguka, Shabir Shaik, Desmond Dube or rehabilitated soccer players. Even close relatives have felt the wrath of the small man with a big mouth. Controversy slips off David’s tongue.

Yet with each cheeky radio stunt or outrageous television skit, David Kau ’s reputation as the most successful homegrown comedian has grown. His stories are almost always inspired by real life and perhaps this is the reason why we continue to be so affected by his brand of stand-up. As he holds up the mirror to his audience, we see our faults, our weaknesses and even the horrors of our past. David could blurt out the things we felt we could only say behind closed doors. At a time of a new political dispensation and tense social climate, this was how David was reintroducing South Africans to one another. David could turn our cries of pain into cries of laughter.

“When I was seven I was always running away from tear gas. I look back now and think if I were to watch a movie with a seven-year-old running away from tear gas, I would laugh.” he says.

Like the majority of South Africans David comes from a history of struggle. As a youngster David used to dodge police vans in the sleepy township of Maokeng in the Free State where he was born. His mother was a prison warder and he never knew his father. As quite as its kept, David attended a Roman Catholic school in the township. His grandmother hoped that he would one day become a priest. After matriculating in Pretoria, David tried to do the responsible thing by studying maths and science at Pretoria Technikon as part of the requirements for a degree in electrical engineering. When it wasn’t ‘fun anymore’ he decided to pursue a degree in the performing arts.

Campus was the ideal breeding ground for his style of comedy and it’s where he could test the nerves of his fellow varsity students. In an interview he recalls one of his first gigs as a performer. At the opening of a mega-store at Cavendish Square, David got dressed as Michael Jackson and performed in a band of ‘bad musicians’. The object was to encourage customers to buy the genuine thing inside the store.

David was discovered by accident while doing a corporate gig and in less than a year he took his own solo stand up show – The Rainbow Nation Tour –to the Grahamstown Arts Festival and nicknamed himself Previous Lee Disadvantaged. High profile gigs ultimately led to international tours. Bent over in laughter, audiences were beginning to understand the true character of a South Africa that was marred by hatred and ignorance. David Kau has proved to us that with diversity comes colour.

Today, he has used his childhood experiences and unique brand of humour to help us face the realities of our society with a smile. His style and approach to life, in the face of adversity, is a true reflection of South African character. He deserves our ultimate respect.

Thanks to Castle Lager. Copyright SA Breweries South Africa