From left, Kippie Moeketsi, Rashid Vally, Pat Matshikiza and Basil Coetzee with Harari members Sipho Mabuse, Om Alec Khaoli and, behind the piano, Selby Ntuli. (Photograph courtesy of Rashid Vally) 
This article was first published in New Frame.
On a drizzly Saturday morning at Mamelodi Stadium in 1975, the Harari Music Festival kicked off with a line-up of top jazz bands. The headline act was The Beaters, who had recently released the hit song Harari, for which the festival was named. Thousands packed the stadium anticipating The Beaters’ performance. But though the flamboyantly dressed band did go on stage, no music would be played that day and things would soon take a devastating turn.
width="853" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">Because of the rain and an accidental disturbance of electric cables, the electricity was cut off. The band could not be heard and their performance was ruined. The crowd grew angry and, with communication lost, pandemonium broke out. Impatient fans, unaware of the power cut, threw beer bottles and stones at members of the audience obstructing their view of the stage. There was further confusion as some thought The Beaters were being attacked for not performing. A riot ensued and the police were called, shooting some attendees.
The events left an indelible mark on The Beaters as the band would be unfairly blamed for all the chaos. In separate interviews, drummer Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse and bassist Om Alec Khaoli recall the day. “The World newspaper’s centre spread had all our ‘afro-headed’ faces with a headline saying these ‘big-headed Harari guys’ are responsible for what transpired at the festival,” says Mabuse.
This would also lead to their name change to Harari. “Because of that riot and the big publicity throughout the week saying these are the guys that caused problems, people would look at us and say, ‘Yah, that’s Harari!” And they called us Harari, so that’s how we became Harari,” Khaoli explains.
But while their name is rooted in this moment, which formed part of a tumultuous era, it also signals more: it speaks to the band they became – one that was deeply rooted in a pan-African politics and thought seriously about what it means to be African.
Record label Matsuli Music has now reissued on vinyl The Beaters’ album Harari (1975) and their subsequent album as Harari, Rufaro/Happiness (1976). “These were sequential recordings marking a watershed in the evolution and outlook of the three core members of the band,” says label partner Chris Albertyn. “We thought it important to reissue, re-expose and remind music lovers [of their significance].” The remastered albums include extensive liner notes by music journalist Gwen Ansell as well as archival photographs.
A political sound war
The Beaters met in the 1960s while attending Orlando West High School in Soweto. Their growth is intertwined with the township’s history. In 1968, Khaoli, guitarist Selby Ntuli, guitarist Monty Ndimande and vocalist Arthur Rafapha were a band in need of a drummer. Mabuse introduced himself to Ntuli, who invited him to join the band, thus completing The Beaters.
The political sound war that defined the times creates the backdrop to their story. Since the 1960s, the SABC enforced racist cultural control in the form of Radio Bantu, transmitting in African languages that divided Black people into ethnic enclaves. It also functioned as a mouthpiece for the apartheid regime.
But the youthful band members sought the diverse popular music of the time instead. “Every Friday afternoon I used to listen to Springbok Radio, recalls Khaoli, “because they’d be playing the hit parade with all the most popular songs. I wouldn’t miss that. On Sunday nights, it would be LM Radio that would play the hits. So that was all we would talk about throughout the week at school.”
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/Harari-006.jpeg "Undated: Drummer Sipho Mabuse joined the band in the 1960s while he and some of the other members were still in high school in Orlando, Soweto. (Photograph courtesy of As-Shams Archive)")
Rock, reggae and soul music reached them through LM Radio, broadcast from Mozambique, on which “white music” like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin played on rotation. These sounds had a major impact on the young musicians: their name, coined by Ntuli, was an obvious reference to The Beatles, who were a big sonic influence.
Later, soul records from Motown and Stax from the United States filtered in through travellers to South Africa and would influence their sound as well. The spirit of Black Power coupled with Steve Biko’s Black Consciousness created a new awareness for the youths and Black pride and style were king.
School superheroes
The Beaters’ rise to fame was accidental. Their first gig together was at their high school’s fundraiser, encouraged by their principal. “After that gig, the schoolchildren were very excited about us,” Khaoli says. “They made us superheroes at school the following day and everyone was talking about us. They told their friends at other schools in Soweto, so then those students wanted to have us perform [too].”
Orlando boxing champion Levi “Golden Boy” Madi sponsored the band’s music instruments. Soon they were performing at different high schools and universities and their following grew immensely. Between 1968 and 1969, the Beaters recorded the albums Soul-A-Go-Go, Hot Dogs and Lost Memories. Their sound became known as “Soweto soul”. At the time, they performed in stylish Nehru suits.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/Harari-004.jpeg "Undated: Bassist Om Alec Khaoli in action on stage when The Beaters/Harari were at the height of their popularity in the 1970s. (Photograph courtesy of As-Shams Archive)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/Harari-005.jpeg "Undated: The death of Selby Ntuli, Harari’s bandleader, keyboard player and guitarist, in 1978 scuppered their plans to tour with Hugh Masekela in the United States. (Photograph courtesy of As-Shams Archive)")