adminMelissa Mpofu and Bruce Ndlovu
An accident that nearly cost him his life in December and a stay in the ICU of Mpilo Central Hospital has made comedian Babongile Sikhonjwa appreciate the important things in life. After the near death experience, Sikhonjwa now believes there must always be an excuse to celebrate life. “I realised that we take small things for granted and we’re not celebrating life. When you get to the house and find that the maid has cleaned it well, celebrate, any excuse to celebrate, just do it,” Sikhonjwa said as he celebrated a friend’s birthday in Bulawayo on Thursday evening.
“When I was in hospital I realised how important people were in my life when they came to visit me especially considering that one of the guys I was admitted with never had visitors.
“I’d so many people that came through to support me during my time of need and I’m grateful. People need to treasure each moment because you don’t know what will happen the next minute,” said Sikhonjwa.
The socialite who is now fit, however, called his friends hypocrites for not bringing him alcohol when he was admitted in hospital.
“All of my friends used to bring me fruit juice when I was in hospital. None of them brought alcohol or at least attempted to smuggle it in.
“I was disappointed because these were people I drink with at bars and they couldn’t at least bring me a bottle of my favourite drink. They are hypocrites because they listened to my dad who constantly lectured me on how bad drinking was for me,” he said.
Sikhonjwa, who is passionate about the arts, was clearly sad to have missed the popular Kalawa Jazzmee Homecoming party which he was meant to MC.
“If I had died, I was going to turn in my grave and make my presence felt at the Kalawa gig. I was going to periodically switch off the power at the venue. I would also frequent the nightspots I loved most and party with others,” he said.
Sikhonjwa the MC cannot be separated from Sikhonjwa the comedian. His humorous take on most issues rears its head in whatever he does. He is a lot of different things to different people and what he is to you depends on where you are sitting.
Whether it’s a business function where members of the corporate world gather heads to crunch numbers and discuss the finer aspects of business or a typical night out in Bulawayo, Sikhonjwa will have whatever crowd is in front of him chewing out of the palm of his hands with his sharp humour.
The comedian is one of the few who possess the ability to offend and entertain in one phrase. It’s unsurprising to see audience members join in the chorus of laughter even though Sikhonjwa jokes are aimed in their direction.
To others, Sikhonjwa is Bulawayo’s wild child. While some find charm and amusement in whatever he pulls out of his bottomless bag of jokes, others find offence. Many would say he is disrespectful, vulgar and arrogant, with little or no care about what he does or says when the spotlight is on him and the mic is in his hands. Such is the thin line between entertainment and obscenity that he and other comedians and satirists around the world walk.
While the comedian is many things to many people around the city, he is one thing to one person. To Qobolwakhe Sikhonjwa, the comedian is a father, one that he came close to losing in the early morning hours of December 22.
The comedian said the birth of his son two years ago has shifted his focus, as he is no longer the bachelor he was before Qobolwakhe was born. For his son to flower to his own full promise, his father needs to tone down his famous wild escapades, he believes.
“Before my son was born, I was known as the wild, eligible bachelor you needed to get a party going. Having a son changes all that,” he said.
Sikhonjwa says since Qobolwakhe’s birth whenever he wants to do something wild that is reminiscent of his pre-fatherhood days, he looks at his son and is dissuaded from going through with the action. He adds that although he wouldn’t mind his son following his footsteps, he does not want to have a big influence on the path he chooses in future.
“The boy is like a reflection of me because he is my split image. Whenever I want to do something wild I look at him and think if I want him to turn out the way I did,” he said.
In most cases when parents are involved in life threatening situations, their thoughts usually rush to the effects their imminent demise will have on their offspring. What happens to one’s children after a parent’s death is unpredictable and unless through supernatural power, one can dictate their child’s fate from the grave, they are left to the mercy of the world’s unpredictability.
Sikhonjwa, however, surprisingly says that his first thoughts and prayers were not dedicated to his son, but instead his father. His father, Nicholas Sikhonjwa, who works and lives in Harare, lost his wife two years ago, something that made the comedian’s near death experience all the more traumatising.
“I remember waking up in the ICU in the middle of night and praying hard for my father.
“My mother passed away two years ago and this made the accident harder to bear on my father. I really believe that it’s easier to lose a father than to bury your own son,” he said.
People who have had near death experiences usually come up with different tales of what the experience delivered to them. Some claim to see a blinding white light while others claim to see heaven itself, with everyone there donning white. Others claim to have been confronted by dead relatives beckoning them or turning them away from death’s gates while some claim to have seen the Lord himself.
For Sikhonjwa his accident did not bring visions but a quiet reflection as he thought about what effect his latest accident and other actions in his youth had on his father.
“I looked back and realised that I’d really messed my father up, particularly with this accident. He was really stressed and in the end, I felt like he needed to be in the ICU more than me,” Sikhonjwa said.
During their childhood stage, most parents envision their children growing up to be doctors, lawyers or teachers. Most would like to see their children in an office, decked out in a suit and a tie, rather than holding a mic bringing comic relief to intoxicated revellers. This was no different for the funny man, who, however, is thankful for the support his parents gave him after he had chosen his career path.
“Of course my parents would have loved to see me as a lawyer or teacher. But after they realised my path was not what they thought I would follow, they supported me a lot. Everyone knows my parents because they came to all my shows,” he said.
Now mellow since he became a father, Sikhonjwa spends every Sunday with his son. The comedian, however, says great fatherhood is only possible with the help of an understanding mother.
While Bulawayo heaves a collective sigh of relief at the comedian’s escape from the jaws of death, Qobolwakhe and Nicholas are also happy to have their father and son back.
Online Reporter