To commemorate what would have been Kaizer Chiefs legend Isaac "Shakes" Kungwane 47th birthday, FanPark spoke to his son Kabelo Kungwane about what kind of a father Shakes was.
When asked about Shakes as a dad, his son and founder of the Kasi Flavour 10 painted a picture of a friendship of equals rather than a traditional father-son relationship. He stated: "Aah, yoh! He was such a fun person to deal with. We had a great bond, our relationship was very strong. We would go everywhere together, we'd go to the stadium to watch games, we would even go to places like Newscafe and have drinks. His friends were fascinated like 'wow, is that what you do with your son?' But for me it's something I will cherish for the rest of my life.
"I never called him dad or 'baba' because he was basically my friend. And he also didn't like me calling him "baba" because he felt it would be like I was blocking some channels for him when we go out, if you know what I mean….
"He grew up without a dad and he didn't want me to experience that, so our bond was strong."
Going back to his formative years, Kabelo relayed a hilarious story of how his dad's fame got him out of some hot water. He recalled: "Back in high school I was dating, so my then-girlfriend and I were at a school social function, and it was late for her to go home by herself so I asked my dad if we could drop her off.
"Then her parents started calling the whole time saying that they wanted to beat me up, because we missed curfew and I was so nervous! When we arrived at her doorstep, the entire family was waiting by the front door.
"But obviously, I arrived with my dad, and when her dad saw him, all the anger melted away because he was a Chiefs supporter and he was so excited - asking for my dad's jersey and everything. So at that moment I was very lucky."
Kabelo also explained his father's passion for helping others and how that inspired him, saying: "My dad was someone who loved helping others, on the field and off of it. So when he died I felt honoured that people come up to me and tell me what my father did for them in their lives.
"He was passionate about inspiring the youth especially from his community of Alexander Township. He was always proud of where he came from and that inspires me as a person as well. In a way, a part of him lives on through what he has done for others."
What's your favourite memory of Shakes?
