In the words of American journalist David Epstein, “A multi-faceted person is curious, creative, flexible, and open to learning new experiences”. These words could not be more true concerning Pan Afrikanist, Revolutionary and Intellectual, Jackie Shandu.

I ask him in private, “Why do you go by Shandu when the surname on your I.D is Hadebe?”. He replies with, “If I could get paid every time someone asks me that…”, and chuckles. Jackie’s reasoning for this is similar to most South African people of colour who have awoken to their purpose and identity: He explains that Shandu is his rightful surname, and with or without a Western construct affirming his true identity. He is Jackie Shandu. There’s something extremely attractive about a man who not only knows who he is, but is also able to distinguish himself and his purpose apart from followers, who live their lives never questioning: Why we do the things we do. Why we are the way we are. And most importantly, what can be done to fix it?

On the same day we interviewed Jackie Shandu, we had previously spoken to actor Bonga Dlamini, who, if you watched his interview - raised a lot of pertinent questions on the role of today’s youth in transforming South Africa into the country we know we have the potential to become - not just on paper and in the media, but a deep core awakening of our very understanding of who we are as a people who have been dispossessed of so much, from our identity, to land, history, indigenous knowledge, all the way to self-knowledge and self-worth. These are concepts you’re sure to encounter in a conversation with Jackie.

A lover of Jazz, a dad, and a devoted son, we speak to Jackie Shandu - who’s appearance in mainstream media has often left a lot to be desired - after he was arrested in 2021 for his utterances in response to the Phoenix Massacre - where over one-hundred innocent black lives were taken violently after the July looting in the community of Phoenix, north of Durban. Jackie soon-after retracted his trauma-response utterance. And is due to appear in court this July. For anyone following the case, you’ll understand his rationale - how can one (retracted) form of hate speech, even be compared to the real-life atrocity of mass murder? The former - an active case against one individual - the latter, for which no one has to date been arrested.

We speak to Jackie Shandu at the Deeply Rooted Studios in Morningside, Durban, to gain deeper insight into this visionary and leader. See the video or listen to the audio above.

Written by Lex LaFoy