World disco champ still grooving
40 years in the Industry, SA’s Godfrey Raseroka is still collecting awards
“And all the way from SA, the winner Godfrey Raseroka!”
When the master of ceremonies announced the winner, the Empire Ballroom in Leicester Square, London, exploded with thunderous applause on December 16 1980.
The winner, a gap-toothed, lanky young man dressed in a silver-black jumpsuit, golden boogie shoes and a funky hairstyle, was lost for words but beaming with confidence as if he knew all along that he was destined to beat the other 32 contestants for first prize.
Raseroka received £2,000 (R37,635) and a Triumph TR7
(R338,786).
“I’m not in the habit of praising myself, but I knew that I was coming back with the crown,” he said at his home in GaRankuwa, north of Pretoria.
He added that confidence had been part of his personality since his youth. Even today at 58, he’s still a marvel to watch on the dance floor and reckons he can beat any competitor half his age. When Raseroka was crowned the disco dance king, he was 19. A year after making history abroad, the world disco dance champion would have his share of the spotlight on the screen as a movie star.
was released in October 1981 and immediately became a box-office sensation.
Inspired by Raseroka’s historic 1980 international triumph, was filmed on location in Soweto, GaRankuwa and Sharpeville during the world disco dancing roadshow meant to celebrate his extraordinary achievement.
Unfortunately it’s not a story with a happy ending. “I was advised by those who claimed to represent my interests to sell the car because there was an import duty of R12,000 to have the car shipped to SA,” he said. “But after the car was sold, all I got was R8,300.”
Born on August 28 1961 in Lady Selborne, Raseroka was raised in a family of artists and entertainers. The nightclub scene was big in his neighbourhood and he was the mainstay of clubs. In 1979, he won the Northern Transvaal championships and in 1980, was crowned national champion in Johannesburg. Stand-up comedian and event organiser Itu Bochele said he was touched by his childhood idol’s situation as someone who was blessed with an extraordinary gift, but was struggling to make ends’ meet.
“When I saw him working at a rubbish collection project, I realised that we are a sick society. The work was beneath his achievements as an international dance champion.”
Bochele, who is now Raseroka’s manager and spokesperson, is organising a disco dance festival for 2020 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the dancer’s London triumph.
“We are also working on a documentary that will tell his story for posterity and we hope the department of arts, culture and sport will offer support for these milestone projects.”