My Perfect City Challenge Entry – A typical week in the day and life of me

[ratings]

 

Monday: 06:15

My alarm sounds and get out of bed and hit the shower. Today my academy for sports and education kicks off (I train youngsters who hail form the township of Guguletu, Nyanga and Philippi in rugby and conduct lessons in English, Mathematics and Science trying to identify talent and award them with bursaries and scholarships so that they can experience a better education.)

I get dressed and hit the breakfast table and quickly devour my bowl of cereal while having a glance at my watch with every mouthful……I have to be at the office by 7:00, I stand no chance but I will give it a go anyways. My phone gives me an update telling me of the arrival time of my train at Newlands Station (An application I helped set up with the company I work for, Ring Mobile and Cape Metrorail ). I quickly grab my cooler bag and head down to the station as my phone continues giving me updates of where my train is.

I hop on the carriage and see the multinationals represented in the carriage, everyone is on their mobiles downloading music and listening, getting weather updates, receiving news on their shares on the JSE. Others are busy flirting on their phones with people they don’t even realize they on the train with. I get an sms update on my cellular letting me know of the upcoming matches for the day (its world cup soccer time and Bafana Bafana are taking on the Mighty Brazilians at Green Point Stadium. As I look up a small screen on the corner confirms the information I have received and regularly post the news headlines while my company logo is clearly visible on the edge of the screen. Somewhere in the corner someone is accessing his e-mails from work and quickly arranges his day. All of this made possible by Ring Mobile

I do a quick interchange at Salt River Station and make my way to Maitland Station and hop on the taxi to Century City where I work. On the taxi, there is a small screen operating similarly to the one on the train……another deal I helped to set up with the taxi Associations of Cape Town.

I arrive first at the office and get myself sorted out. Morning meetings with the team, the Director and potential recruits – because everyone wants to join us and checking our daily tasks. Finally I get to my desk and open my facebook window and catch up with friends, hook up with young entrepreneurs, check invites to events and set up meetings.

I work through my lunch hour and knock off to look after my academy duties.

I arrive at the field and the boys have already warmed up and raring to go at today’s session. Today we will be working on tackling and beating the man one-on-one Kasi style – sidestep like no other. After the session I head off to the hostel where I’m currently house master and quickly skoff down my supper and head for the shower. The rest of the evening is spent in front of the TV watching Bafana Bafana playing “Mjike Joe� (turn him around) with the Samba boys as they get taught a lesson in South African Diski (soccer) . We win and the whole of the suburbs go wild.

The rest of the week is pretty much the same except for Friday.

Friday: 06:15

 

My alarm sounds and get out of bed and hit the shower. This day is going to be exciting because this day I’m thinking……..�It’s the Weekeeeeeeeend, Baby!� My phone keeps me updated with my train and in a flash I’m down at the station hopping on the carriage. Today it’s all smiles all-round the people’s faces as they realise that it is Phuza Friday and what’s more is that it is also payday. Today is a different day in terms of my schedules. I have my regular morning meetings, followed by tea with my buddies at Parliament. At lunchtime I’m playing golf with a young entrepreneur who wants to try out our services and hopefully close the deal while whipping his butt on the course. At knock off time I head to South African Breweries where I have been invited for drinks at the bar. Later I get a call form my friend Stan who is craving some meat from Ekasi (township). In a flash he is by the kroeg to pick me up and I sms m order to Maphindi’s butchery and will only arrive and pay. We arrive to the sounds of cars playing the latest house anthems and the boys pull out the latest KWV, Johnny Walker and Jack Daniel bottles. I quote my order number at the counter and pay.

We then realise that we won’t be able to finish up the meat. Not wanting to waste it all we call in the recruits. Later an sms comes in informing me of a party within the vicinity, I quickly let the gang know of it with directions and all. We “lahla umlenze� (break a leg) and “sika ikhekhe� (cut the cake) till the early hours of the morning then we head off to our Club Duvets where DJ Pillow is dropping them numbers.

Saturday: 07:30

My academy boys are ready to rock and roll against one of the prominent southern suburbs school. This has been building up for weeks as the boys will be showing their talent hoping to catch an eye of the many talent scouts that are here to watch. The match is not in the suburbs; in fact it’s at Ny 49 sports grounds in Guguletu (which have now been renovated through the generosity of the Cape Town community at large). The mama’s bring in their trolley’s full of frikadels, Magwinya (fat cakes) and Bunny chows and there is nothing more thirst quenching than home made Ginger Beer.

The game turns out to be a thriller as my boys demolish the opponents running circles around them. A job well done and the various school scouts are all swarming around me hoping to get a word about particular players they are interested in. I give them my cards and tell them to set up a meeting with my PA. because I have to be off to manage My UCT team.

My boys at UCT have breeze of the match and we head into the pub for our regular fines meeting. After the fines a group of Argentinean tourist gives me a call telling me they would like to visit Mzoli’s

I quickly sms bra Sparks’ taxi using the 2 way sms application I installed for them informing them of where to pick me up and a reply confirms the pick up and the number of people. We arrive at Mzoli’s to the buzz of the people because today is a big game against, you guessed it, . The game is at Ellis Park but DSTV is here with their Mobile Screen to bring us the game. By then I have already smsed my order to the buttery store and confirmation was received. I send one of the boys to go buys some thirst quenchers and soon the game is on. Minutes later the lad arrives and I gooi him a R10 tip. He takes the money and puts it together with another stash he has in his pocket telling me his saving up to buy himself a pair of soccer boots so he can attend practises. I give him my card and tell him to contact me if he’s short of anything.

The first half is tense as Bafana Bafana miss numerous scoring opportunities and at the stroke of half time the Argentineans score through Messi. At half time our meat arrives and is soon devoured at the guest lick their fingers hoping for more. In the second half the boys pull one back and the crowd goes bananas.

Everyone is the edge of their seats in the last dying seconds as Bafana get a corner. The ball is hoisted bending away from the goal and out of nowhere Bradley Carnell comes rushing in to place his header in out of reach of the goalkeeper. At that point I can hear the cries of jubilation from Cape Point to Malmesbury and obviously around me everyone is delirious. Bafana go through to the quarter final and will face an even fiercer opponent but that is for another day, for now let us enjoy this moment. My Argentinean friends are sad but know that in the end the better team won. And sms update informs me of the fan festival happening on Long Street. Once again bra

Sparks ’ taxi is there in a flash to take us into the city.

A convoy soon emerges from Gug’s and we hit Long Street, we party till the early hours of the morning.

Luntu Eisenhaur Jiya.
ikejiya [at] webmail [dot] co [dot] za