Zapiro and Loyiso Gola Talk Media Issues at the Launch of The Last Sushi

by Amy on Nov 11th, 2011

The launch of The Last Sushi was a fabulous affair, attended by an excellent crowd of supporters who enjoyed sushi served from regular catering style platters, and not from the nubile flesh of a model, Kenny Kunene-style. The launch took place earlier this week at aMadoda! in Woodstock, where Zapiro was joined by comedy talk-show host, Loyiso Gola.

Speaking to a cross-generational crowd of Zapiro fans, Gola referred to the recent march in which Julius Malema and his supporters walked the streets of Johannesburg in his ANCYL-led campaign for “economic freedom in our lifetime”. Gola recalled Malema passing through Sandhurst with the marchers and remarked on how most of the media liked to joke about the fact that Malema has a house in one of the wealthiest suburbs in Johannesburg: “We joke around, but you guys in the media can’t do that. Only the two of us – Zapiro and me – have that right. You can talk about Julius’ house but the guy who’s marching, he is talking about the real thing.”

Gola criticised the press for trivialising the issues of the youth. “Who are the ‘masses’? Who are the people that have to take trains everyday through Gugulethu? These kids think they’re going to get jobs. When I was marching with these people, they were desperate. They have degrees. They don’t have work. Let’s not trivialise these people’s issues as the media has done.” Looking at Zapiro he said, “That’s what we do; we take the piss.”

Gola mentioned an incident where he accused Zapiro’s Rape of Lady Justice cartoon of “taking it too far” on Twitter. Gola reflected on the three-page email he received in response from Zapiro: “He said something really important. He said, ‘Sometimes you just have to make a point and there’s nothing funny about it.’”

Zapiro thanked Gola for joining him and said, “I sent him a cartoon of myself on the psychiatrist’s couch looking stunned, saying, ‘If I have a day without self-doubt, I worry…’ Essentially, this is how I am. Loyiso’s tweet that I’d lost touch with reality raises an important issue. I asked him to come tonight because he doesn’t take shit from anybody. He says exactly what he thinks. He’s got that kind of say-what-you-think attitude that I like a hell of a lot.”

Zapiro recalled going to the Grand Cafe last summer with Nic Boraine where he started mouthing off about Fikile Mbalula. Zapiro said Nic’s eyes widened and he gestured to the table beside them where the very man under discussion was dining with none other than Tony Yengeni! “My eyes meet with Tony Yengeni at the end of the table. Tony breaks into a huge smile, gets up and puts his hand out and says, ‘I’m Tony.’ I say, ‘I know who you are.’ I didn’t know he knew who Iwas. Cordial handshakes, smiles all round. This really surprised me as I’ve only ever done nasty cartoons about the two of them!”

Zapiro had the audience roaring with laughter as he spared no dignity in discussing these gents’ various fender-benders, insurance premiums, and sexual peccadilloes. He gave an amusing inventory of the charges Jacob Zuma is still bringing against him, but said these did not worry him. They merely add fuel to the fire.

He did not smile, however, when he took up the issue of press freedom and the protection of information. “The Secrecy Bill is still being rammed through without a public interest clause. The Media Appeals Tribunal initiative is being pushed harder by the ANC…” Referring to the banning of Malema’s “shoot the boer” song, Zapiro said, “I think it’s crazy to try and ban a song. It’s all completely insane.”

He referred to the Press Council’s new code which he sees as being “on the back foot.” He mentioned that commentary is being sought and he suggested that people needed to respond to this. “There should be a clause that relates to satire. If you have people taking things literally – the way they took the Lady Justice cartoon – then we’re in deeper trouble than we realise.”