First it was the bronze statue of a giant, naked, black man that so bestirred the little old ladies of the Strand that the owner, Willy Woestyn, had to move it from in front of the block of flats he owned to his hotel farm Karoo1 on the road to Touws River.
There the man now stands, hands akimbo, exposing himself full-frontally in the middle of the veld. None of the sheep seem to mind.
The historic farm where Boer general Jan Smuts once hid from the British khakies was previously owned by John Rudd, and known as Karbonaatjies-kraal. Woestyn should have kept the name and just changed the last part to kaal.
Now another giant naked figure is offending sensitive onlookers who pass by it at the entrance to the Stellenbosch Botanical Garden. Sculpted by Dylan Lewis, he is wearing a horned mask and also has nothing covering his considerable modesty. The only thing that its critics can say in his favour is that he is at least white.
It makes a difference, apparently. Not quite so frightening.
But that hasn't stopped Christelle van der Merwe, member of a local prayer group, from expressing her grave misgivings about the statue's real purpose. Referring to the sculptor's description of it as a shaman dancing, Ms Van der Merwe explains: "A shaman is a witchdoctor, and during ritual dances they go into a trance to come into spiritual contact with the underworld... our town is in a mess on all levels. Do we still need a demonic personification to add to this?"
Before the white giant joins his black compatriot in the Karoo, I have an idea. Send for Dominee Pieter Fourie.
He is in trouble with his Krugersdorp congregation for trying to drive out too many devils and demons, and is at present on sick-leave for stress.
I would have thought the good folk of Krugersdorp would be only too pleased to be rid of devils and demons, but the church council seems to believe he is overdoing this aspect of his ministry, and would like him to preach about other things for a change.
He even offered his services on Facebook. Ghosts on farms, children who wake up at 3am and see things in their bedroom, people who have strange experiences after visiting a sangoma - all are grist to his mill. He warns congregants against incense, statues of Buddha and African masks. Burn incense or rub a Buddha's stomach, and there's no knowing what encounters you will have with things that go bump in the night.
So why not bring Dominee Fourie to Stellenbosch? Dylan Lewis's demonic personification may well then meet his Moses. The ghostbuster should be able to tell us if it is the devil's horns the naked whitey is wearing or whether he has simply been cuckolded, and is bending over in mortification.
When to effect this meeting? I would suggest May 21. That is judgment day, according to a countrywide network known as Family Radio Judgment Day (FRJD). Police arrested some members last week, and tried to charge them with heresy, because May 21, 2011, wasn't mentioned in the Bible.
Then they discovered there was no such criminal charge.
What a wonderful day for a showdown between the dominee and the devil, and between FRJD and their prediction. I wouldn't miss seeing the naked white giant being exorcised for anything in the world, even if it were the world's last day.
Comment Guidelines