Patrick Shai shared how he first met Joe Mafela in 1977 as a young man during the apartheid riots. Having no job or hobby to keep him busy, Patrick eventually met Joe Mafela at the Mzoomba African ballet auditions which he was encouraged to audition for by his mom.
In the audition, Patrick met four men one of them being the late Joe Mafela;
"The men were very horrible, with the exception of Joe Mafela of course, the guys kept on saying 'You guys won't make it, this is showbiz, you have no chance in hell to be anything!'
I felt like it was tough, but there was Bra Joe in the back, he walked across and embracing as he's always been, he said to us. 'You guys are going to make it, you guys are talented, you guys are here because you've answered their call.'
I felt like Joe was just so welcoming, so assuring. He was like a father and that's when my journey started with him, he made a really big impression on me."
Patrick Shai continued to add he is the actor that he is today because of all the things Bra Joe did for him and how he automatically became a student of Joe Mafela's life lessons.
Patrick's most heartfelt memory of Joe Mafela was when the late actor advised him on how to treat women and how to stay away from abuse.
"I started having my demons with family and violence and Bra Joe was one of those people who extended themselves beyond the realms of theatre and entertainment and he came to me and told me that a woman does not get treated in a certain way.
So I became an ambassador of Bra Joe because of the seed he instilled in me, I denounced the violence against women and children because Bra Joe was one of those people who said, it cannot be right, it does not make you a man to beat up a woman. That is the Bra Joe I know."
I have never heard of a story of Bra Joe raising his voice or a hand at a woman, I would be lying. Today lays a true man, a man whom I would want to be in every way possible."
Joe Mafela passed away on Saturday night after being involved in a car accident.
