Sapphyre

Paul resolved to return to Cape Town and join “Sapphyre,” comprised of musicians Taliep Petersen, Madeegha Petersen, Johnny Isaacs, Ibrahim Petersen, and Paul Hanmer, also known as Curly. Curly, a young man Paul convinced to join Sapphyre (then with a head of curls, now wears a crew cut) and today a great pianist and composer in South Africa comments on one of his releases, “Thanks to Paul Petersen for introducing me fearlessly to the entire world.” Curly stayed with Sapphyre one year deciding to leave to follow his dream. Sapphyre played throughout southern Africa, including Sun City and most of the Sun International casino resorts and five-star hotels. At that time, Paul explained, “Casinos were not legal in South Africa. The businessmen built these wonderful resorts and casinos in the ‘Homelands,’ which were black states. White men would come to gamble, then return home to South Africa. The former Homelands were used to rid the South African cities of blacks. If a black was caught out after curfew, the authorities would look at his papers, and then send him to his particular “Homeland” which was chosen according to the individual’s ethnic background. It was terrible.” Toward the end of the decade Paul spent with Sapphyre, the group was invited to play at a new Sun resort on Comores Islands. Three months into the contract, Tailep left the group. In the end, three of the band members playing keyboard, guitar, and bass renamed themselves “Karibu,” which means “welcome” in Comorian and stayed on for 3 years in total.