Johannesburg's underground punk rock scene has always been about more than simply music. From the beginning, it's been a site of rebellion against injustice and a community for those who dare to go against the norm. 

In this episode of We Should Be Writing, Mbali Khumalo takes you into this world, with guests from the iconic 1980s rock band Bright Blue, Dan Heymann and Ian Cohen, and one of the bands defining South Africa's punk rock genre today, Lefokolodi. They share how their music is not only about self-expression but about using their voices to change the world.

Show Notes:   

Listen to the We Should Be Writing podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. We Should Be Writing is a podcast brought to you by Wits Vuvuzela, a project of the Honours in Journalism class at the Wits Centre for Journalism. Visit www.witsvuvuzela.com for more of our work and follow @WitsVuvuzela on Tik Tok and Instagram. 

Hosted, produced and written by: Mbali Khumalo

Sound editing and episode artwork by: Mbali Khumalo

Music credits:

Alex Productions - Punch

Bright Blue - Weeping

Lefokolodi - Butt Hurt

National Wake – Everybody

Rage Against The Machine - Killing In the Name

Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop

Archival audio credits:

2/10/78 New South African Prime Minister Pieter Botha Press Conference - Associated Press Archive

Cry Freedom (1978) directed by Richard Attenborough 

“Where did punk start?” directed by Lech Kowalski