From one Big Brother addict’s home to another—that pretty much sums up today’s experience as the Rob dropped me off at the Croucher residence in Welgemoed. You can’t escape the allure of Big Brother here; it’s become quite the sensation in South Africa.
Rob had taken the day off work, and after I woke up and showered, I joined him and Rosie for a simple breakfast of cereal. The kids had already left for school, which runs from 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. here, leaving them plenty of time afterward for projects or sports activities.
It was raining outside, and I couldn’t help but smile. I had not seen South African rain before. But I had to admit to them that this was just a classic Dutch rainfall—steady showers with a cool breeze, though we would definitely have more wind and colder temperatures in Holland.
Rosie was glued to the 24-hour Big Brother channel, and she explained why it’s such a new phenomenon for South Africans. “It’s hard to believe, but less than ten years ago, we could only see what the Apartheid government allowed on TV. Everything was censored. Now, we can watch everything!”
Rob echoed her sentiments, recalling how the media had been tightly controlled during that era. “It’s shocking, but as a white South African, you wouldn’t have known about the violence in the townships or the clashes between the military and the people in the squatter camps. We were blindfolded to the reality around us.”
It wasn’t until South Africa’s first democratic elections on May 10, 1994, that the media opened up, and many white South Africans began to realize how much they had been shielded from.
As if on cue, the power cut out—a frustratingly common occurrence here. “Normally, this happens twice a year,” Rob said, “but three times a week suggests there’s a bigger issue…” This time, it took over an hour for the electricity to return, during which everything had to be done manually—garage doors had to be opened by hand, and the rhythm of the day slowed to a crawl.
With the power restored, Rob and Rosie took me on a drive out of Durbanville, heading towards the coast. We passed through the Durbanville Hills as the rain began to ease. That’s one quirky thing about Cape Town—it’s so vast that while it’s pouring rain in one part, another area can be bone-dry.
We ended up in Table View, a coastal suburb offering a stunning view of Cape Town’s city center across the bay. The iconic Table Mountain loomed in the distance, though it was covered by a cloud layer thicker than a tablecloth.
For lunch, Rob treated me to a Big Brother Burger at Steers, a South African fast-food chain, while we watched seagulls circle the car, hoping for scraps of fries. Naturally, they left their thank yous on the windshield in the form of white splotches! We also watched kite surfers playing in the waves—another lively day by the coast.
In the late afternoon, Rob and Rosie dropped me off at my next host’s house in Welgemoed. We were all a bit taken aback by the size of the homes here—definitely a more affluent area. After thanking Rob and Rosie for their hospitality, I rang the doorbell, and Malcolm welcomed me inside.
Malcolm is the son of Brian and Anita, who had invited me to stay with them. He led me to my room, which was just a short walk from the “bedroom wing” of their spacious house. On the opposite side, I met Anita and Brian in the kitchen and home office. They were relieved to finally meet me, as Anita had heard about my journey on CapeTalk Radio and decided to offer me a place to stay.
After settling in, Malcolm and I took their dog, Tandy, for a walk around the nearby golf course, enjoying the calm of the afternoon.
During dinner—a hearty chicken stew—Anita expressed her concern for me, traveling as I do without a steady income. She felt that inviting me over was the least she could do. Interestingly, her son Malcolm had experienced something similar during his Rotary exchange in Germany, where he too relied on the kindness of strangers for accommodation.
Brian, who works as a manufacturer’s representative specializing in cookware for Hendler & Hart, shared his enthusiasm for his job, clearly proud of the work he does. Meanwhile, their other son, Justin, runs E-SA.co.za, an internet service provider, from the garage with his business partner Simon.
I was grateful to be able to use their high-speed internet to upload photos and reports—something that had been tricky with my hosting provider issues earlier in the day.
As the evening wound down, Brian and Anita retreated to bed, and I wandered into the downstairs office where Justin and Simon were still hard at work. The garage door was open, offering a peaceful view of the distant hills and mountains, while a car parked nearby played soft radio tunes. The guys were busy building servers and coding late into the night, their youthful energy evident. Since this date, how many business have started from a garage, hey?
Eventually, I made my way back to the bedroom wing and drifted off to sleep.
Good night, Welgemoed!
Ramon.
