Mereki: A pale shadow of its old self

Mereki

Will sanity ever prevail at Mereki, the popular open-air braai and “watering hole” that resembles the tshisa nyamas” found in Hillbrow in South Africa? Just when many people thought the usually brisk and noisy place had a proper facelift with the new lavatories, state-of-the-art car wash and tap water, for some the place has outlived itself, noisy and pretty boring.

The people say that with the introduction of Splash Auto Cleaners and their open-air disco, they  killed everything about Mereki, which previously made it unique. The place was not just about braai and drinks but a place where people would show off how much they are worth through the cars that they drive and even parading cash and the loudest vehicle stereo systems.

The thrill that was synonymous with Mereki has faded into thin air as people are now forced to listen to the same songs from Splash Auto Cleaners DJ Bruce K Mereki aka Big Dollar. According to Big Dollar, there was nothing noisy about the car wash as it was a way of marketing themselves.

“I am a professional DJ and I make sure I play all kinds of music. We saw it fit to advertise through playing music because that’s how you reach out to people. We do not only promote our business but also upcoming artistes, whom we invite to come and perform a song or two. So far we have had McDee, Nox Guni, Trevor Dongo, Russo and others performing here,” he said.

Big Dollar also said that they play a mixed bag of music to ensure they cater for everyone through a request show. A regular patron at the hangout complained that the music was not loud enough to excite patrons since they use an old PA system.

“Some of us have powerful car radios and we don’t even listen to what the DJs play and this thing of playing one song over and over is boring. We would want to listen to Mtukudzi and other musicians but they keep bombarding us with Jah Prayzah’s ‘Gochie Gochie’,” he said.

Another patron said that not much has changed at Mereki because people still relieve themselves in the open instead of using the toilets. “Sanity, what sanity are you talking about when drunks still believe themselves in the open in full view of children on day out with their parents? I bet you the stench that used to hover around will be back very soon,” she said. Herald