Old Mutual On The Money
Old Mutual On The Money
Musician Bongani Fassie Talks About Music, Record Deals, Contracts, and Reading the Fine Print
Musician and producer Bongani Fassie joins our Group Head of Financial Education, John Manyike, to talk about record deals, contracts, and the dangers of rushing through Ts & Cs. Drawing from his journey in the music industry, Bongani shares why reading the fine print isn’t just for artists – it’s a vital step for anyone signing a job offer, loan, or financial agreement
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John Manyike [00:05]
Welcome to Old Mutuals’ On The Money Show. We have a special guest as usual, but this time I think we have a very interesting guest. For many reasons and I think you’ll find out as we continue with the conversation. So we’re joined today by Bongani, Bongani Fassie and I say he’s a special guest because growing up, his mum, I was a big fan I mean we grew up listening to her music, till today if you give me any Brenda Fassie song, anytime, if you’ve never see me dance, you’re going to see me dance. Bongani, how are you doing?
Bongani Fassie [00:43]
Kunjani Mhlekazi? Thank God I’m great and yourself? Thank you for having me on the show.
John Manyike [00:50]
No its my pleasure. You know, like I said in the intro there, till today, I know there are people who are in my age group, I won’t say what age, maybe later on. You give us any Brenda Fassie song at anytime it will get people remembering where they come from. I think your mum represents, she’s an icon, she represents so many things to so many South Africans. People who used to embrace her music back in the days and um look its an honour for you to join us.
Bongani Fassie [01:25]
Thank you very much for having me on the show and thank you for those kind words. You know there is a saying, “Memories don’t live like people do” so to be reminded about people such as, obviously like my mother, like people like yourself, I’m very humbled that you hold her up so high and you are just very, you know acknowledgeable of seeing her for the person that she was. Now without going too much, I just want to say on behalf of my mother, my late mother she was going to be very happy to actually see me on platforms like this; Old Mutual talking about On The Money because I believe that in her time, when she was an artist before her prime, coming up along the way you know, to be a successful musician that she was, there were a lot of money issues. There was so many issues that only today I feel we are now in a safe space and we are more comfortable to talk about it so first and foremost, yes she was my mother however she was an artist and I believe its very good, its very good initiative to have, to be on a show like this to talk about issues of money because you know, back in the days, money issues caused conflict between people and they fought and to also not to sound like racist or anything, because I’m not towards my people and towards our brothers, our Caucasian brothers, money was a very, very, very touchy subject because we as black people didn’t really have the access to money and I think if my mother was here today, she would have lit up your world in regards to how do we help others navigate through the adversities of having money, using money, losing money, gaining money, investing money, saving money you know. Lending money, loaning money so yeah.
John Manyike [04:18]
What are some of your fond memories about you know, your mum especially when she was happy or when she had to buy something very expensive?
Bongani Fassie [04:33]
Oh! My mother was a very, very, very, in our language we say that she was a giver. My mother gave money away a lot. She was that type of person where she would help others before helping herself. Those were the most fondest memories of my mother, how she gave her money away. Now obviously in the public domain, there’s the perception that my mother squandered the money, I read on the blogs, she died broke, all those not true comments that are out there and I must say even though my mother gave a lot of money away, she made sure that I was secure.
John Manyike [05:35]
Wow! So who are the people that you would say stood by you in the toughest times in your life, particularly the time when you lost your mother when she passed on? People like you say, they really stood by you.
Bongani Fassie [05:48]
That really stood by me? Love it or hate it, love him or don’t love him, I must put out there his name is Mr Sello Chicco Twala, I have a very, very long, I’ve got a relationship with him. He took me to school, you know what I’m saying, even when my mother was still alive and yes there were fights that had happened however he has never abandoned his promise that he made to my mother. And then there is another gentleman called, I call him brother Shandu from Dzinge Productions, that’s somebody who has really, really just you know, through tough times has really, really held me down and I’m talking now financially, yes because it’s about the money, we’re talking about the money. There was, look the next person I’ll mention, I’ll mention his name it’s a 50/50 thing because you must remember, there are people who’ll help you genuinely and then there are people who’ll help you because there is an agenda. So I’m just speculating. Theres one gentleman, who I was signed to his record, I don’t know if I need to mention his name.
John Manyike [07:27]
No you don’t have to mention his name.
Bongani Fassie [07:28]
Yeah I was on his record label, boom boom boom and I must also say that he did help me to a certain degree, because I learnt a lot from him based on what happens behind the scenes you know? I was in close proximity with him in all the transactions that he was busy with and I picked up a couple of things so yes, that’s the gist of it, lets just leave it at that.
John Manyike [08:10]
You know, for somebody who was as well loved and very highly popular like your mum, and with the assets that she acquired through her music, I mean when I say assets, I’m talking about the royalties.
Bongani Fassie [08:26]
Yes, movable and removable assets.
John Manyike [08:31]
Absolutely and of course you were, I don’t remember how young you were at the time but I would imagine you would have been a minor at the time. Knowing what you know now, without mentioning peoples names, knowing what you know now about the world of music and issues around that, that royalty is such a huge asset, what are the things that you think could have been done differently to harness this asset, this property that she had you know when she passed on.
Bongani Fassie [09:08]
I think knowing now, what I know, what I would’ve done differently is I would have, I believe I should have went down the route, I should have listened to my mother, number one.
John Manyike [09:27]
What would she say?
Bongani Fassie [09:29]
In regards to legal, it’s very, very, very important to seek legal advice in regards to anything that has to do with transactions between parties, of whether it be business, business transactions and also in the, also around the, around the space of law okay? The governing laws that exist when it comes to estates, I need to first say that at the time when I didn’t know, everything that I was doing at the time was from an emotional standpoint. Okay, you’ve lost your mom, the country lost Brenda Fassie, I’ve lost my mother, separate the two. And obviously your thinking and your actions could be seen as irrational and knowing what I know now, what I would’ve done differently is that I feel that one needs to be very calm when you’re doing some introspection about what is happening around your surroundings and how you apply, how you get to the point of how you apply yourself in order to fix the situation. No my advice is that you never do things when you’re angry, I was a very angry man, I was a very bitter man, I was very, depressed, I was depressed. My mother was my confidant, my friend, my, my mom, my everything my mamma-bear, my everything because she raised me you know as a single parent, she was a single parent and I think just because of how I was, I was disgruntled at how what type of treatment you know, she was getting after she had passed away, just left me in shambles. So my advice is that no matter how bad the situation is, don’t rush to make decisions, because your desperate situations will get you, will land you in hot water down the line. Its easy for someone to say “Hey man! We’re so sorry. For some relief here man, here, just sign here and everything will be ok.” That’s, my advice is everything that happens, whether it be anything around estates, anything around money, take the document, then go give it to legal advisor. Someone who is a specialist at estate law, just somebody who is a specialist because if you don’t do that you’ll find that the fix might be very temporary and that was my situation, the fix, all the fixes were temporary.
John Manyike [13:23]
But long term wise?
Bongani Fassie [13:24]
Yoh, long term wise, it came back like a tsunami. Yoh! When you see the water recede you think ah, I can just relax now but when it comes back, it’s metaphorically speaking, that’s where I was, I found myself engulfed in the biggest waves that I never thought I would ever thought. And at the time that it’s still a young, I’m a young man you know, looking to be the best version of myself so that is my advice, you always have to have someone give you a second opinion. You need to familiarise yourself on the content, of the content of every single agreement you get given. And don’t forget, don’t forget that a verbal agreement is still an agreement. So you need to scrutinise what it is you’re about to agree on. Take your time, take the time, don’t rush. Now I understand that we’re human beings, we get so desperate, you know the country now is just really, you know very, you know, tricky situation you know with what’s happening in the States, you know with things just getting taken away from us you know with the bad publicity with how we are, how it’s just bad, it’s just very bad, you know what I’m talking about, um one needs to, to be faithful. Your faith must not be thrown away, you need to stay faithful, you need to stay faithful to your maker. Our maker doesn’t care about money, however it’s an important component into what sustains us as a human race like you understand? Like when this world was made we did didn’t know we where going to get charged to stay on it. We didn’t know that fruit must now b bought. We didn’t know that, we didn’t know. But now however with laws that must be put in place to govern the, to govern us, one needs to be mindful of how you operate. It’s easy to obtain money, however you must ask yourself will money choose to make a home with you if you are reckless? The answer is no.
John Manyike [16:15]
You know that’s one area I want to double click on but before we go there, because you said something very profound about the importance of consulting a legal practitioner you know when it comes to issues of contracts and so on, when I look at your late mum, her demeanour, the person she was in a South African context, I equate her to Michael Jackson. For me, she was our Micheal Jackson if you know what I mean.
Bongani Fassie [16:52]
That’s huge coming from you.
John Manyike [16:54]
You know so even when you say “Weekend Special”, and they get offended but we don’t mean it in that sense. So if you look at the royalties for example for Micheal Jackson you can imagine how, what is the worth even years after he’s gone and I have this question that keeps ringing in my head, as to what extent was those assets of your mum, specifically the royalties where preserved in your favour. Or whether its something that somewhere along the way, because you were young I mean things happen and you know, are they still intact? You were the only son.
Bongani Fassie [17:35]
Oh yes they’re intact, I’ll tell you how they’re intact more than why, I’ll tell you how. At first they weren’t because the estate wasn’t wound up okay? So obviously me, not having a legal representative who I trusted at first when she passed away obviously, things went a bit sour. However when the estate was wound up, when executorship was stripped from the legal practitioner who we wont say his name, was stripped from him, the legal executorship and then it was awarded to the state or it was taken, it was in the states hand, after winding up the estate, everything came back full circle. Because my mother left no will, Micheal Jackson left no will. There's a lot of artists out there who leave no will so in, to be in the music industry number one you also have to look at the generation that we’re going to leave here that we need to focus on in leaving wills. We need to, because if you don’t everything is just up for grabs and that’s my situation, that’s what happened. However, when the estate was wound up, I was then awarded, I was the heir, became the heir of the Brenda Fassie estate, and I represented her and I stood in all imagery and all likeness so because I was awarded I was now the heir of the estate, that’s how the royalties came back you see?
John Manyike [19:53]
You know you’ve touched on something very important there which a lot of artists take for granted. In fact not only artists, but even people in general, they need to have a will. You know for example when you said everything had to come full circle the estate was in the hands of the state, but it doesn’t mean that the state had taken the assets for itself. There's a law, its called the law of Interstate Succession
Bongani Fassie [20:23]
Yes interstate succession.
John Manyike [20:26]
And it stipulates how the assets need to be to those who are left behind and to you being the only son, it made sense that it had to come back to you. Only if there was no one related to the deceased, then of course the money could be used by the state for any other thing. In this case, and I’m happy, I’m really happy that, that part is sorted. But, we’re talking about your mum, here we’re talking about Bongani. Bongani made his own mistakes, learnt from his own mistakes and maybe lets go there because you know we learn from other peoples mistakes so we don’t have to repeat them. At some point you were invited to the show “ I blew it”, at some point a couple of years ago, I did some work with the show in particular “I blew it” you know but today we are here. So if you could maybe just share with us your journey, with all the challenges you had with money. At the peak of, you know I’d say, I’d like to say your career but I also want to say, at the time where you had all of it.
Bongani Fassie [21:46]
Actually I didn’t have all of it. I used to like to think I had all of it. So, we’re going back to I blew it, that money was money that I was working for, however it was a person who had control over me. Totally. As a legal guardian, as a representative of the Brenda Fassien estate and everything in my capacity as a producer. The monies that I was getting, I didn’t understand how it worked at the time because my understanding was that I worked as a producer however I don’t remember ever getting paid for production so because I was staying under someone’s roof, I guess that, that was where that money was going to. Which would be fair however it wasn’t in black and white as a legal guardian you understand? So the access to the money that I had was not tangible. It was not in my pocket, it was within the vicinity of the conglomerate of people that I was working with. Add the lawyer who was a representative of the other side who at a point was representing me, the estate. So even fixing that, yes, even fixing that there was still like for instance, legal costs. I mean how was I paying for legal costs? So since now you’re my legal guardian and your lawyer is handling the Brenda Fassie estate, obviously you know what you guys are talking about. Then at this time look everything is driving me crazy because now I am on, I am using and abusing, and I just yoh.
John Manyike [24:30]
So you had access to what in particular, we talking cars, we talking, what access did you have to?
Bongani Fassie [24:37]
Those weren’t under my name.
John Manyike [24:39]
Yes, even if its not in your name, but what access did you have?
Bongani Fassie [24:41]
I had a house, I had a car, but at the end I found it was not mine. Nothing was mine.
John Manyike [24:50]
So you’re driving but the disc has someone else’s name?
Bongani Fassie [24:53]
I was like… on top of that I was just not in the right mind. My state of mind was, my mind wasn’t in the right place. So you know I was using music as a scapegoat to not think about what I’d lost you understand? And also being around the wrong, I won’t say wrong people, but just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
John Manyike [25:28]
At least we’re not talking about people’s names.
Bongani Fassie [25:30]
That could just really, really make matters worse and my frustration trying to understand what’s happening or what’s going to happen with the winding up of the estate and what is there with regards to my inheritance because my mum told me, “I’ve left things for you.” I wasn’t getting any answers. So going back to legal advice, it’s ok to have two. Let the other one check the other one. But I wasn’t there at that time. I was so dependent on this movement you know, that I was moving with that you’re going to try and assist me.
John Manyike [26:25]
You know from what you’re saying Bongani, I’m thinking you know there are quite a number of artists, they’ve got access to a big car, five million property they drive big cars, sometimes however it’s actually not in their name.
Bongani Fassie [26:42]
If you’ve got a house, is the title deed in your name, the car that you’re driving right now is it under your name? Yes you may be paying for it but is it under your name?
John Manyike [26:57]
Because if you haven’t paid it off it’s not. Same with property and all that. So but let’s talk about the lifestyle you were living at this time. So you had access to all of these things, I mean you are an independent, without realising you are being looked after because the prize is that thing there. We haven’t yet reached it but just to keep you there.
Bongani Fassie [27:22]
You know sometimes we’ll die over situations we haven’t asked for. I never asked, yes I was embarking, the journey I was embarking on, I just wanted to make music, I just wanted to be a producer. I didn’t know that partnering up, okay, or let me not say partnering up but I just didn’t know that the help that I was going to receive was not really going to be the answer to everything. God put me on that road to teach me something, because I’m at a point right now where I can stand for myself. I can even represent myself.
John Manyike [28:09]
You’ve learned. You had to learn.
Bongani Fassie [28:10]
I had to. I had to really, really teach myself jargon you know and be mindful about that sometimes words on paper don’t really mean what you, you know see them to be.
John Manyike [28:30]
So with your mum’s royalties intact, do you often get approaches from entities or people who say look we want to do a movie around your mum, we want to use her music. Do you often get that and how do you manage that?
Bongani Fassie [28:48]
So to tell you the truth it can wait based on the truth to tell you what you’re asking. I’ve stopped being approached, I’ve stopped people approaching me. I’ve now grabbed the bull by the horns and I am the one doing the approaching because it was my legacy that I share with the whole entire country and the world for it was my responsibility. I’ve stopped this thing of putting my responsibilities in other people’s hands, because I’ve seen how bad it can get. One needs to be very careful, you understand. Man the powers of NDAs. However just now because we’re trying to teach, we’re trying to teach. One needs to focus on…
John Manyike [30:04]
Sorry just by the way, someone who’s wondering what’s an NDA, it’s a Non-Disclosure Agreement, so someone would approach you and say I want to make a proposal to you but you’re signing this confidentiality agreement that whichever way the direction of this thing goes you can never talk about it.
Bongani Fassie [30:15]
And even before that. Before we talk, that’s a brilliant idea ok cool, but before we get into the intricate details, you say here’s an NDA.
John Manyike [30:26]
So you are mindful of some of these NDAs.
Bongani Fassie [30:28]
Yes because now you’ll go and speak about all of your ideas and a person will be like yes that’s great and when you do a follow up meeting you are unable to get a hold of that person then you find out that two years down the line that somebody is doing exactly what you proposed.
John Manyike [30:50]
I think I saw something a couple of years ago, a certain lady who had a lookalike, okay, I’m also not talking of people’s names, people’s names are expensive, I do remember a couple of years ago, somebody who has a lookalike and there was talk about a movie of Brenda Fassie being made. Was it something real along those lines?
Bongani Fassie [31:15]
Like I said, it’s already out in there. Like I said that’s in the public domain, like I said I had stopped everybody, stopped everybody from approaching me and I have made it my primary focus to safeguard the legacy and to answer your question there will be a movie, there’ll be more than that, I foresee in the future a movie, I foresee a book, I foresee merchandising, even philanthropy work that needs to be done based on the legacy that I have. However I can’t kiss and tell right now. I can’t, however the seed has been planted. You know on social media. Social media is brave, very brave but in a cowardly way. It’s just finger things, it’s not like this. There are things that I’ve said that are going to happen and they didn’t happen in man’s time, however in God’s time, I believe in God’s timing. This is now also just to add to your question. There are things in the pipeline that are happening oh believe you me. I’m not the type to brag and boast about things however, as a country and not only as a country as a continent, as the African continent, from Cape to Cairo, from DRC Congo all the way to Cape Town, we have, we have to be mindful that when we’re setting the narrative about legacy, we need to be mindful that when we talk bad about our people, we’re not talking about other people, we’re talking bad about ourselves. When people read, ‘Brenda Fassie, died of drugs’, have you proved that? Does the postmortem say that? Does the death certificate say that? You need to be careful when you have access to misinformation, to information that is not factual. Because the world looks and they’re like, ‘They’re definitely not talking about our artists like that’ but you get your popcorn. So it becomes more than just Bongani and his mother’s issues, so it becomes an everybody’s problem. You just don’t know what your kids or your children’s children, what department they’re going to be working in for us to be reckless with our words, with our typing and what not. We need to be very careful as a nation how we paint ourselves to our neighbouring countries and continents out there. We need to be, because you’ll find that your children are going to be working in the departments of sports and arts and culture. Your kids might be working in the media space alright? And then now, whatever you say now, when the receipt gets handed over it’s going to be a problem, because now when people go back, just like they like to go back on Bongani, Bongani, Brenda, Brenda, it’s going to happen. Now for the whole country, who’s going to want to associate themselves with people who have sure negative publicity, when in actual fact it’s just speculations and assumptions. You know I have a saying you know, I’m humble enough to know that I’m not better than the rest but I’m wise to know that I’m different from the rest. When people don’t know what’s going on in your life, they speculate. When they think they know, they fabricate but when they do it’s a thin line of them hating or loving you.
John Manyike [35:56]
So, before we wrap up I want to just go a little bit into your career, your music career. We saw a bit of you then you went into exile, when can we expect something from you?
Bongani Fassie [36:17]
Well my king look no further, I just dropped something, it’s called Jehovah.
John Manyike [36:24]
Yeah that title. You see because, you know when an artist drops an album, don’t think the title is just something they just got, do you want to go into that?
Bongani Fassie [36:33]
So, how the track came about basically, I looked at my catalogue, I was like does my catalogue speak to who I am? Not fully. It didn’t fully, fully make sense to me in regards to who I am as a creative, because I started in the industry wanting to uplift people, empower other people and be a voice to the voiceless just me basically picking up the baton from where my mother left it. And I was like no, I needed something that really spoke to my heart this time and I wasn’t doing it for likes, I wasn’t doing it for monetary gain, I was not doing it to be a hit. I needed it to really speak to people. The song says we aren’t fighting with people, we fight against spiritual realms. We are going through so much right now, whether you are in the industry or not, it was just only right for me in fact, to do this, you understand?
So now based on Bongani coming out of exile, my journey going to exile, when Jesus, when Yahweh sorry, when Yahweh fasted for forty days and forty nights that was him going to exile you understand? I had to do the same for myself to actually understand where I want to be in the future. And now I’ve got kids my king, these kids just change everything. They just change everything you understand? And yes I’m not perfect, I’m not perfect there’s some mistakes but however there’s things, there are misfortunate events that have been happening in the public on media, that I feel that I have not been given the chance to actually speak about and I’ve realised that you know sometimes you don’t have to justify yourself. If wrong was done to you and you were made to look as though you were the one in the wrong, leave it to God. Prove yourself by the work that you put forward, instead of having to answer every single tweet, every single… just no.
Okay so that’s one, so that I advise to everyone in the music industry or out of the music industry who’s going through some stuff. Remember, be mindful about how you approach things to try get to some sort of resolution in terms of how you move forward as a person alright? Okay, really try to stay sober minded, just try to stay sober minded, because one of my mistakes is I was trying to do things and back in the past, that was six years ago my sobriety now that’s six years, I finish this year I go to seven you know what I’m saying? Ten is going to be a milestone, just try to be sober minded and if you’re going to have your little glass fine, ok cool but just you know, tolerance.
Number two, when it comes to money, because that’s what we’re talking about, don’t spend money you don’t have. Don’t spend it, because that’s what I did. Remember the perception is I had money and I just told you I didn’t have money, I was spending money I didn’t have.
John Manyike [40:33]
I thought you had money, I thought that this guy is chowing his money.
Bongani Fassie [40:34]
My king, on the LD which was the liquid and distribution account I was awarded I was supposed to be awarded twenty-five million and nothing. Monies was even raised, besides that, thirteen million, fourteen million, twenty-one million, I didn’t get a cent. Why? Going back to that thing, always seek legal advice in regards to who you are, what matters you’re dealing with.
Number three, when you get money, that car, that chain, that drip, it can wait. It can wait. Don’t suffer from FOMO. FOMO is Fear Of Missing Out. Don’t. Relax. Because now, if you get money, and you’re trying to do something and then you go out and about and you spend the money, when you wake up the next day you’re not going to have money to invest. You’re not going to have money to invest in what you’re trying to fruition, you won’t. Don’t look at things as you paying a thing. Look at it as an investment when you’re taking money and you’re putting it towards an investment of something you’re trying to achieve. It’s an investment, yes it’s an investment.
Number four, when you loan money, don’t go spend it and squander it. Think about why, even before you loan it, think about why you’re loaning it and how you’re going to inject it back to the things you need to do. The money that you loan, is not part of your savings, it’s not your bank, it’s not your money. It’s money to do what you need to do. I think maybe I’ve covered everything.
John Manyike [42:43]
I’ll double click on the last one, you know people think, there are wealthy people, there are wealthy people that borrow money, but they borrow money to create wealth. There’s a difference between borrowing money and buying property and borrowing money to buy a car. One depreciates in value, which is the car and the other appreciates. You know so, and I like it when you say be clear, when you borrow, use it for the purpose intended but be clear what you want to use the money for.
Bongani Fassie [43:21]
And how you’re going to do it. You go and jot it down on a board. Now I know how I’m talking, I might sound, come across as though this guy thinks he knows everything no, I just want to say like from the bottom of my heart, I’m speaking from experience. That’s the difference. I’m speaking from experience and I’m grateful to my maker to God that I’ve been given so many chances okay? And this time I don’t want to do the wrong thing, so it’s only right for me to share this information with others so they that don’t have to suffer the way I suffered you know? They don’t. And educate yourself, use your smartphone. Your smartphone actually is your lawyer, it’s your school, your smartphone, the information you can access there. Now there is no way you can say that you have an excuse for why you didn’t do the right thing when you were given the opportunity.
John Manyike [44:35]
It depends on what you are searching for.
Bongani Fassie [44:37]
Exactly. So be mindful, be always mindful about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.
John Manyike [44:46]
So second last question, we know your mum, your late mum. We know what she represented, what she stood for and she has a legacy. Now Bongani Fassie, what legacy do you want to leave behind? You have two kids, one named after your mum and one named after yourself, but then you still remain a public figure in your own right, not because of your mum but because of who, how you’ve gone about applying yourself and because you have your own identity, so what’s the legacy?
Bongani Fassie [45:34]
Okay, so my mum besides her being an artist, she was a freedom fighter, she was an activist and I think we are now past those stages where we are fighting each other so me on my side I want to be someone of motivation and of guidance. The legacy that I leave behind needs to help our children’s, children’s, children to try and make this place, to make this world a better place. I want to be remembered as someone who went through it and survived but didn’t keep it to himself, shared it with others. So that others don’t have to deal with all the shifty in between of trying to actually be a normal human being. You know what I would love to see go viral? Basic human decency. Let’s have the decency to stand together. Do you believe in each one, teach one? Each one, that’s what we’re here, that’s what we’re speaking on Old Mutual On the Money. I’m not here as Brenda’s son, and more than above being here as Bongani Fassie I’m here as a person to be the voice of reason. Voice of reason and the voice of trying to guide others out there. We’re living in difficult times, we just need to be, we need to share our problems and not share our situations, so that we can actually shed light on others who are less fortunate than we are. To be on platforms like this.
John Manyike [47:28]
You said something earlier, I just remembered this now before we go to the last question, when you had spoken about social media, when you see stuff that people put up on social media, would you say that mankind still has love in them, that there are acts of kindness, that generally people look out for the best in each other or they look for the best in the other person as opposed to looking for the negative in the other? Has love of mankind deteriorated and how has this affected their well-being and their financial well-being?
Bongani Fassie [48:06]
You know, you know I don’t believe love has deteriorated you know. Not talking about it but there’s this other girl I used to date long ago.
John Manyike [48:25]
You’ve got a smile when you talk about her.
Bongani Fassie [48:26]
Ja I’m talking about dating I’m not talking baby mama. Baby mama we’re good friends she’s cool, that’s fine but that’s over. She’s Zulu, light-skinned girl, she would say Bongani, don’t put your heart into social media or you’ll get hurt. So I was like, I better stop this thing of texting and texting. So now going back to your thing about has love deteriorated, I feel that in the social media space, there’s no love. However behind closed doors, there are so many people out there who actually prefer not to be celebrated publicly. They’re actually putting in the work you know? People taking their own funds to build clinics for people who don’t have accessibility to medical, you know anything medical. That’s love. That’s ark, like you know Noah’s ark? Stands for Acts Of Random Kindness, Noah’s ark. That’s what it is, so our people and even if we all have different beliefs, religious beliefs, whether they believe or not, spiritual beliefs, however in what I believe in, if you’re going to do something kind, don’t advertise it, that’s not love. Then you’re pushing some other agenda there. You understand? So without having to blow my own horn, I’ve been busy, not too much, I don’t want to blow it not actually at all, but I have been busy trying to give back in my own way, you know, to my best ability and I’m going to carry on doing so but I’m not going to advertise it.
John Manyike [50:35]
I’d like you to speak to our viewers and listeners of this podcast as Bongani Fassie, what would you say to them about building a relationship with money? What are the risks and in your, based on your own experiences, what is the best way to build a relationship with money and creating wealth in the process?
Bongani Fassie [51:06]
If you don’t build a home for money, money won’t come to you. Money won’t, if you don’t build a safeguard for money, money won’t want to stay with you. Have you noticed that, may his soul rest in peace, our father Mr Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela, spent twenty-seven years in prison, and he’s on the note but he won’t even last five minutes in your wallet, have you noticed? Do you know why? Do you know why? Because you don’t have a purpose. It only lasted in there not willingly, I mean willingly he did that because there was a purpose to liberate us, unify us. So now speaking about money, you need to look at it that way, that if you do not have a purpose for money don’t get involved. Don’t get involved because money can make you lose a lot, money can make you lose a lot, it can cause conflict, if you misuse it, it won’t want to be with you and when you have it try your best and invest in something, invest in something because that is how you need to always, that’s how you need to operate. Money is like a child, if you’re not willing to grow it, it will disrespect you, you need to teach money how to work for you. You need to teach and show money that it is safe with you, therefore it will stay with you.
John Manyike [53:08]
You’ve closed it. Bongani, thank you so much for your time, much appreciated. We’re really looking forward to people telling us what they think and how they feel about what you’ve shared with us. Thank you so much and all the best in your future endeavours.