The first nightclub in Umlazi, opened by Mzwandile Goqo in the D section of Umlazi.
- Its significance:It was a radical concept for its time, bringing formal entertainment into the township, which was a significant change from the prevailing culture of people having to go into the city for such experiences.
- Current status:The building where Speak Easy was located is now the Executive Residence for the nearby Mangosuthu University of Technology.
- “Speak Easy was the place. It was the Florida Road of uMlazi. But it was difficult for us to get in because we were poor and unemployed. At the time I was very interested in blues. While we couldn’t get in, just to know CL Blast was here and had visited a place near us, we didn’t stop talking about him for weeks and months.”
- The bar at the Executive being “a shisanyama before the time of the shisanyama craze”.
- local and international artists performed. Brenda Fassie recorded a video for one of her songs there. Sakhile and Sipho Gumede performed there, as did Eddie Harris and CL Blast from the US.
