South African music producer and broadcaster DJ Cleo says his parody of rapper Shebeshxt during a National Dialogue skit was not meant to ridicule him.
According to The Citizen, Cleo, real name Cleopas Monyepao, appeared in a parody video produced by comedy outfit People Need Comedy (PNC). In the skit, he portrayed Shebeshxt as one of the participants of the National Dialogue.
Cleo said there has been no negative reaction from Shebeshxt or his fans. “Not at all, also I wasn’t mocking him but kinda playing his character. Also, we’re both Pedi, it’s all love,” he told The Citizen.
The PNC production featured several caricatures of political leaders, civil society representatives and community voices, including a Rastafarian delegate and a student leader. It coincided with the first official sitting of the National Dialogue, which was opened by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the University of South Africa.
While the gathering was pitched as a broad consultative process, a number of organisations chose to stay away. Foundations linked to Thabo Mbeki, FW de Klerk, Kgalema Motlanthe, Steve Biko, as well as Desmond and Leah Tutu, all boycotted the event.
Asked about the actual National Dialogue, Cleo told The Citizen that it amounted to “nothing but bad aesthetics.”
Away from the controversy, Cleo is also marking Women’s Month by dedicating his Radio 2000 show, The Eskhaleni Party, to female DJs. Every weekend throughout August, he has featured women performers, with the month set to end with an extended Saturday broadcast from 9pm to 2am, where five female DJs will take turns on the decks.
Cleo confirmed he is also preparing to release his new album, Eskhaleni Party, in September. The first single will be out later this month and features singer Rethabile Khumalo, daughter of the late Winnie Khumalo, who was close to Cleo. He described the collaboration as personal, recalling that Winnie’s last interview before her passing was on his radio show.
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