“The aim was to bring creatives together, formulate ideas and fall for a common purpose…”

The auspicious first Annual Tembisa Award took place at Headquarters bar and Cocktail lounge – a perfect venue for a celebration of this calibre – honouring top kasi talent.

Tembisa is well known for its top-notch talent in the creative industry – be it theatre, photography, music etc. – Tembisa excels tremendously. Founder & Chairperson of As I Rise-Respect My Craft organisation Tshepang Cholo realised that there’s no platform in Tembisa to celebrate these creatives and give them their flowers while they can still smell them.

In an exclusive interview with SA POSITIVE NEWS Tshepang Cholo shared about all things Tembisa awards and As I Rise-Respect My Craft movement.

As I Rise-Respect My Craft is a Non-Profit organisation that was established in June this year.

“The decision behind the movement is Township Development, we want to challenge critical circumstances using our crafts and capabilities, we have various programs within the organisation to develop our township”, said Cholo.

Tshepang Cholo, Founder & Chairman of As I Rise-Respect My Craft

Cholo and his team want to create a sense of healthy competition and instill excellence amongst creatives in Tembisa. His vision ultimately is to see these creatives reach greater heights in their respective careers.

“As majority of townships look up to Soweto, Tembisa has developed its own culture, style and diversity, be it entertainment or incredible business ideas. The township also defines the depth of hustle which I participated in over the past two years. What sets Tembisa apart is that it has produced the most influential people, the likes of Pearl Modiadie, Xolani Khumalo, Dj Sbu, Lekau Sehoana, Sammy Mhaule, Themba Zwane etc, they are globally recognized because of their crafts, and we look up to them”, says Tshepang Cholo.

Jubilant crowd at the Tembisa Awards ceremony

Conceptualizing and bringing to life an award ceremony is never a walk in the park. There were several hurdles along the way but it’s safe to say that As I Rise Rise-Respect My Craft team emerged victorious.

“The experience was absolutely awesome; the team was on the ground working. People were excited which was a good part of it, in terms of the challenges that were encountered was the change of venue 2 hours prior to the event, the preparation was theoretically perfect but after the previous venue dropped us without any communication, it changed a lot things, we had to take instant decisions, because should we have cancelled, we would have taken people’s happiness away”, Cholo reflected.

Lungie Sibeko, Influencer of the year Award winner

Red carpet set, venue filled to the bream, everyone understood the assignment. The ladies looked drop dead gorgeous in their colourful and daring outfits. The gentlemen looked dapper as well. What a time to be Tembisan! What a time to be young, black, and gifted.

The award ceremony hosted by up-and-coming presenters from Tembisa Banele Mvelase and Kgomotso, featured performances from local stars – Nonka, On set, John Bravo and Fantastic movers pantsula. The guest presenters were an array of some of the biggest names in the Tembisa entertainment scene including our very own Entertainment journalist, yours truly – Sinenzolo Mondi Nduku. We love to see it. Young creatives securing the bag and taking up space in their careers.

SA Positive News journalist, Sinenzolo Mondi Nduku with Best Kota spot of the year award recipient, Tembisa Chuff Pozzy representative Muzi

Lurde Kharina clinched the Best Hairdresser of The Year gong while the coveted Best Artist of The Year award went to BlackChild. Best Entrepreneur of The Year was none other than Mbalenhle Nene. Spura Maluda walked away with Best Entertainer of The Year award. Maphale Moloi bagged the Best Photographer of The Year gong. Best Lodge of The Year went to DJ Shimza’s establishment, The HangAwt. Best Event Concert of The Year – Pizza Sunday. The Best Clothing Brand of The Year gong was awarded to Anti Cool. The highly contested Best Influencer of The Year award went to Lungie Sibeko while Tembisa Chuff Pozzy emerged victorious in the Best Kota Spot of The Year category.

Congratulations are in order. Not only to the winners but to the As I Rise-Respect My Craft organisation.

By Sinenzolo Mondi – Nduku