A South African Living Legend

Darling is a lovely little village that’s a mere one-hour from Cape Town. All you have to do is follow the West Coast road on the R27 and stop when you find yourself surrounded by vineyards and wheat fields. It’s “old world” enough to have horse riders trotting along the streets and geese waddling from house to house. But it also has plenty of modern amenities to satisfy big city folk seeking a quiet weekend getaway. The biggest draw card to Darling, however, isn’t its exquisite array of wild flowers or its rich cultural heritage. The biggest draw card is Evita se Perron.

Situated at the Darling Station is South Africa’s most famous satirist, Pieter-Dirk Uys’s, tongue in cheek homage to apartheid South Africa. The station is hosted by his most well known creation, also knows as the most famous white women in South Africa, Evita Bezuidenhout. It holds the kitchest collection of apartheid memorabilia in its museum, as well as a restaurant/theatre. The restaurant serves traditional Afrikaans food and, when in the country, Tannie (auntie) Evita entertains a 90 strong crowd in her own inimitable way.

One of the other legendary attractions at Evita se Perron is the humourous Boerassic Park, which pokes fun at South Africa’s dubious history. Boer is an Afrikaans word meaning farmer. The park was extended in 2003 and now includes an interpretation of the Gravy Train made by students from the Cape Technicon. Made of concrete, the train shows a smiling Nelson Mandela as the engine, manfully dragging the young democracy behind him. President Thabo Mbeki is on his new presidential plane, DA leader - Tony Leon – is in a pram and throwing his toys out of it, Alan Boesak – convicted of embezzlement, or affirmative bookkeeping – drags a ball and chain and Winnie Mandela – convicted for her role in the kidnapping and murder of a 13 year old child, carried out by members of the Mandela football club – is in a bath with a foot in a soccer boot just visible.

Evita stands on her platform and waves goodbye to the passengers of the train. Nearby, Eugene Terrblanche, leader of the staunch right wing party, the AWB, has fallen off his horse and lies blind drunk and forgotten on the railway tracks. The monument, and the rest of the station, serves as a reminder that despite political quagmires, we have the right to relax and laugh and appreciate our countries for what they are. We should all believe in the basic principle of a democracy, which is that the people lead and the politicians follow.
Tannie Evita is not only famous in South Africa; she’s an icon wherever she goes in the world. As proof of this she was recently given the Living Legacy 2000 Award for “Her contribution to the place of women in the last century”. The award is given by the Women’s International Centre, who considered Evita’s humour and positive energy equal to the contributions of other great public figures, such as Mother Teresa.

Evita Bezuidenhout is an institution in South Africa. The people and the politicians love her despite her tendency to be ridiculously politically incorrect, yet razor sharp in her observations. In her new play “Europeans Only” she states, “We (the white people of South Africa) don’t want worldly goods like diamonds and gold. We just want aesthetic things – like cheap servants.” To enjoy her unique biting humour, Evita se Perron is the ultimate experience. The short drive up the west coast is well worth it.

Recommended Sites:

http://www.evita.co.za/home.htm

http://www.darlingtourism.co.za/