Reflections on the 22nd Cape Town International Jazz Festival

I have been attending the Cape Town International Jazz Festival for many years now, well over 10 years I would say.

I was introduced to the Jazz Festival by my good friend, Hollywood actor Hakeem Kae Kazim. 

When I attended my first Jazz Festival it was totally eye opening, it was not just Jazz at all but a coming together of different people from all walks of life as well as a mix of great music. 

Attending this years event, I expected the same as I had years before, but this year was extra special and was so much better than previous years. It just felt different in a good way. Everything ran smoothly, people were enjoying themselves and the line up was amazing.

A nice mix of local and international artists. I believe it was the ladies who were part of putting this years Jazz Festival together and wow did they do a good job.

This comes from exceptional leadership. I am talking about Dr Iqbal Survé; love him or hate him his leadership is helping to elevate so many people.

In his companies what I like is that he gives people the opportunity to shine and prove themselves. If you fail, you try again but if you succeed, then the sky is the limit. It is through his leadership that events like this are successful.

When people are doing well and making a difference others seem to not like that and get jealous which sadly is part of how we are as humans, deep down inside we are like little children who throw a tantrum when others are doing better than us.

But why do we do this? Seeing others succeed should motivate you to want to do better and to show that you also can succeed in life but trying to bring people down or throw others under the bus actually shows your true character and sadly that is not leadership qualities at all. Yes there is a time to stand up as a leader and to make tough calls but getting upset and trying to bring people down when they are succeeding and making a difference is no way to live a life. Let them succeed and you focus on you and your life.

This years Cape Town International Jazz Festival was a massive success, International singer Phil Fearon joined me at the event with his daughter Danielle. It was their first time and they loved every moment of it. Phil Fearon was massive in the 80's and had hits like What do I do, Dancing Tight and others. He said it was one of the best events he had ever attended, this coming from an international artist who performs at events all the time. So next time we want to knock people like Dr Survé and others who are creating jobs and making a positive difference in the world, think about the impact this has on the many people working for his companies. If he fails, so do all those companies. This means more job losses, people not being able to provide for their families etc.

Let's support people who are trying to create jobs and make a difference in our society instead of trying to knock them down due to our own personal agendas. There are some amazing people working at the various companies, Lance Witten who has worked his way up to become Editor at IOL, an incredible talent. Viasen Soobramoney who is now head of content, Shakeera Adams who did an amazing job as Head of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival showing that ladies are capable. Well done Shakeera. I can go on.

We live in a negative world driven by hate and personal agendas. We can change this by being different and supporting those who are creating jobs and making a difference. We need positive change. Dr Survé can take all his billions and say I don't care about anyone anymore I am going to enjoy my life. He can close all his companies and live a very happy life.

This will mean that over 10,000 people will lose their jobs. He doesn't do this – he continues to fight on and fight for those who work for him, giving opportunities where others wouldn't even bother. So thank you Dr Survé for being a leader amongst leaders.

We need more people in this world who are wanting to make positive change in people's lives. As Lira says in her song, Let there be light.

* Steven Taylor, media personality and community activist.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.