WEDNESDAY nights are normally quiet, with little or no nightlife in most townships and villages across the country. But in Pretoria, under the cover of darkness, townships and villages sizzle with a unique offering of a striptease, kasi-style.
The No Panty stokvel has upped the stakes of adult entertainment and it is not unusual for hundreds of patrons to party at these gatherings until Putco buses start roaring in the early hours of the morning to take people to work. A Sunday World team has been following these er_otic jamborees for at least two months to understand why the stokvel is so popular in Tshwane townships and villages.
Even though the kingpin of the stokvel, only known as KG, refused to give interviews, the business model is simple: play music, have a couple of young women strip and twerk on a makeshift stage and the voyeuristic men empty the fridges of every drop of alcohol. The stokvel does not have a fixed address like most conventional gentlemen’s bars; it moves from one place to another as there is a different host for every week. Sometimes it takes place in an established tavern or just under a big white marquee.
For the uninitiated, the stokvel appears to be conducting normal business like many others until just after midnight. It is at this stage that KG will grab the mic and start stirring things up. Panty panty panty is normally the opening chant of his war cry. When he starts making announcements, revellers know that it is time to stock up on their drinks and settle down for the b.um show to begin. There are no rules. Any woman who feels confident enough can hop onto the stage or into the centre of the circle and do her thing.
In most cases, the women prefer to perform wearing body-hugging skirts or dresses. The trick here is that they do not wear any pa_nties. As they start dancing, they twerk and gyrate suggestively. The skirt or dress will then lift up and reveal all. Whistles and cheers gradually increase in decibels, sometimes drowning the sound system. One after the other, the women will then take turns on the stage.
Some enjoy the dancing so much that they appear to go into a trance, yank the dress off to go the full monty and then toss the garment into the crowd of drooling men. At one of the gatherings in New Eersterus, a woman who appeared to have come unprepared but felt the need to showcase her talents dropped her jeans and panties to around her ankles and gave it her all.
Some of the more experienced campaigners often pick a man or two in the front row of the crowd and then swirl their n_aked behinds close to their faces, much to the cheering of the masses. Prizes for the winning lady range from a 6-pack of cider to a case of beer, depending on the generosity of the host. After the strip competition is over, the entertainers will then blend in with the crowd and even share their prizes with them. But all the regular visitors know that they have to curb their enthusiasms. KG runs a tight ship. He commands an army of a quasi-intelligence outfit supported by burly bouncers. No pictures please,” he always announces before the naked dance competition starts.
If you take chances, we will catch you out and we will take your cellphone and break it. I m serious.” With that stern warning, he then commands his troops to be extra vigilant and deal with any drunk zealot who might want to disobey the unwritten rules. It is not uncommon to see the bouncers pick a chancer in the middle of the crowd with the help of intelligence officers and marshal him off the premises.
However, KG s army was once overran by hundreds of lusty men from Sekampaneng village in Hammanskraal. It was the first time that the travelling striptease was coming to this neck of the woods and, through word of mouth, local men packed the hosting tavern to the rafters. But, they were too anxious and impatient. KG tried to calm them down through the PA system but his words fell on deaf ears. All they wanted was action and no speeches. But they lost out at the end of the night. Ok, you guys don t have discipline. I am cancelling tonight s show. Just drink and then go home. No dancing tonight,” KG bellowed with anger.
And so goes another night at the No Panty stokvel.
Source : Sunday World
