Five months later…

by Yaya Mavundla

How often does a black transwoman from the rural areas get to meet Victoria Beckham in person; have breakfast in the same restaurant with Carlos Santana, fly around Cape Town in a helicopter? Honestly chances are zero, or so you might think. It came true for me.

Every time I thought of Cape Town I just thought of how expensive everything is said to be, definitely not a city I ever thought I would enjoy spending the whole week at.

On 26 February 2014, Zanele Muholi, Valerie Thomas and I, travelled from Johannesburg to Cape Town for Design Indaba where Zanele Muholi was one of the speakers for State of the Art.
When we arrived at the airport at about 13:10 the driver from @designindaba was already waiting with a sign written ‘Zanele Muholi’ as instructed by Cherize Ross, the project manager of the event.

Panelists:  L- R: Athi Patra Ruga, Zanele Muholi, Nandi Mntambo &  (Moderator) Hans Ulrich.

In my mind I thought we were getting into a shuttle but to my surprise, it was the new Mini Cooper. I was beyond words! Almost every girl would love to be driven around in the new Mini around the Green City of Cape Town.

I knew we were going to an upmarket hotel, Mount Nelson, but I didn’t realise its historical significance. The luxury was on another level and, the people you meet there are people of a certain standing in society.

While at the reception waiting for our room allocation, the Victoria Beckham came in like boom!
I mean it’s a different experience having to be in the VIP area at an Elton John concert and be in the same reception area with such a global icon. Goose bumps are what you get when such happens.

Our room was still being prepared for us to move in and after four hours of waiting for our room allocation, we moved in. This was definitely something that we were not anticipating and perhaps left a bitter taste in our mouths. All I can say is incompetence!

Apart from that, and I say that lightly, everything else was superb. The linen was definitely the most comfortable linen I’ve ever slept in. It was so luxurious that I couldn’t wait to take a nap to feel the softness rubbing against my skin. My skin was actually written happiness all over when I woke up.

After we had settled in and had time to freshen up, we got ready for dinner and Muholi suggested we go to V&A Waterfront. We opted to take a walk which was about 35min although it did not feel anything like it at all. I certainly enjoyed the crisp air and the exercise. Valery wanted to eat Oysters, which I later tried and decided against.

We finally found a restaurant which served sea food. Unfortunately, or fortunately – depending on who you are – we had to dine outside as it was full inside. It was cold, as the restaurant we chose was right next to the harbour. After we ordered our drinks and food, they were able to create a very small table for three, right next to the door inside and they went ahead and fussed over us.

After a great dinner we had, we decided to go back to the hotel and rest as the week ahead was going to be hectic. Everything seemed as if we were going have a great experience and that’s what exactly happened.

Photos by Lindeka Qampi & Zanele Muholi

To be continued…

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