Tannie Evita truly everybody’s darling

Tannie Evita at the Capetalk studios on Monday

It’s a basic rule of publishing: know who you’re publishing for. At Randomstruik we are in the habit of identifying target audiences for every title we publish. With Evita’s Kossie Sikelela the answer seems to be that the target audience is alles en almal. Tannie Evita’s abundant fan base cuts across gender, language, age and cultural boundaries. It even cuts across party lines. Liewe aarde, she truly seems to be the most famous white woman in South Africa!

In the Capetalk studios on Monday and at her Woordfees book launch in Stellenbosch on Tuesday this eternal flame of Boere chutzpah dazzled friend and foe alike. As a close confidante to many of the flawed gods of government she explained that one eventually becomes tired of eating wors — even though her ageing Romeo Pik Botha is living proof that a little bit of wors goes a long way.

So there’s no wors in this cookery book. No wors whatsoever! You will find recipes for putupap and prawn kebabs, kabeljou and Koornhof’s Cape Coloured surprise, ostrich and Ouma Ossewania’s brandewynkoek, smoorsnoek and Shabir’s gold coin fricassee, roosterkoek and Winnie’s Stompie ragout.

And haai sjym, when Capetalk opened their lines on Monday Tannie Evita’s fans included posh totties and the hoi polloi in equal measures. There was a diabetic from Durbanville weeping tears of relief when she realised the book included recipes for her too. And a woman who told Tannie how she would shortly be moving from her shack to a house.
“I’ll have a kitchen for the first time, Tannie Evita. My children bought me a stove. But I don’t own a single recipe book!”
“My dear, then you must have a copy of Kossie Sikelela,” said the most famous white woman in South Africa, born Evangelie Poggenpoel of humble Boer origins in the dusty Orange Free State town of Bethlehem, and she gave one of her most dazzling smiles.

Skrywer Max du Preez is sweetheart van die week

Toe Max du Preez vandag by ons Kaapse kantoor in McKenziestraat kom inloer, was daar twee dinge wat my opgeval het. Die eerste was hoe rats hy in ‘n kortbroek lyk. Ag toe nou julle klomp wat so tjie-tjie-tjie daar in die agterste ry. Dit was moer warm, okei? Soos in 40 grade Celcius. En Max het sy uitgewer OP die bloedige middaguur kom besoek.

Die tweede aangename verrassing was dat Max geglimlag het. Die skrywer van Dwars. Mymeringe van ‘n Gebleikte Afrikaan kan soms mos nogal half bedonnerd wees. Ons ken hom so en ons laaik hom so. Maar vandag was hy ‘n ou liefie. En dit wil nogal gedoen wees. Want vir Max het ek Saterdagoggend gebel met die nuus dat hy dadelik in die stort moes spring omdat hy oor ‘n uur by Protea Boekhuis op Stellenbosch moes wees.

“Ek dog dis volgende Saterdag?” het hy oorbluf geprewel.

“Dit is nie.” En toe het ek begin pleit. “Die mense begin al toustaan. Max, hulle soek vir jou en hulle soek jou met ‘n seer hart. Ons kan later uitwerk wie waar watse kat aan die stert beetgehad het, maar kan jy asseblief oor ‘n uur by Protea wees?”

Dit was nie mooi nie.

Dit was nie regverdig nie.

Ek het nie gedink dis moontlik nie.

Maar Max was daar. Of hy agter sy ore gewas het voor hy van die Kaap tot in Stellenbosch gejaag het weet ek nie, maar hy was doodbetyds en het 140 mense uit die vuis toegespreek. Die winkel het sy hele voorraad van Dwars uitverkoop. 

En toe daag hy nog boonop vandag met ‘n glimlag op.

Max, ons weet nie meer of die boek se titel die regte een is nie. Jy is g’n so dwars nie. Jy is amptelik RHS se eerste Sweetheart van die Week. En dit wil gedoen wees, want dis maar nog net Maandag.