Liewe Laan!
I watched 7de Laan on and off since it first appeared on South African television in 2000. When I moved to the United States, however, I lost track of the show until I returned to South Africa in 2013. Since I was without DStv and WiFi I found myself flipping through SABC channels (I don't think any military could devise a more effective method of torture) and settling on 7de Laan. I thought I'd see what was happening in Hillside and whether any of the original characters were still around.
Needless to say, I was soon drawn in to the drama and found myself tuning in for another fix every evening. The story lines are sometimes questionable and tedious (typically those involving Oubaas and Hilda) but the series has really grown on me. I find that it is a therapeutic way to end a long day, a form of escape, a guilty pleasure - call it what you will. But I am officially a 7de Laan fan and love being part of the live tweeting that happens during the show - some of the tweets are pretty savage but always entertaining.
The show recently welcomed a new family to Hillside (along with all of their geheime) - the Welmans, namely Chris, Marianne, Alexa, Rickus and Amorey. I got to meet the actors playing the respective roles before they made their debut on the show. They were all super friendly and happy to pose for photos and hand out autographs. Since their arrival in town, the Welmans have been at the centre of many scandals, including an extramarital affair, a dark secret involving a car accident, accusations of drug use, faked amnesia and blackmail. On Twitter I decided to establish the official unofficial #RickusFanClub for the 7de Laan tweeters; I was both surprised and a little embarrassed when the actor who plays Rickus, Andre Lotter, liked each (often tongue-in-cheek) tweet featuring the hashtag.
Speaking of meet and greets, some of the cast made appearances at locations around the Northern suburbs of Cape Town this weekend. I mistakenly thought they would be at Tafelberg Furnishers in Bellville (as per the ad that I saw). So I rushed there after work in Friday afternoon traffic, plotting the quickest route like an episode of The Amazing Race, air con on max to avoid looking like an overripe tomato when I meet them, only to find a very quiet Tafelberg store with not a celeb in sight. I feigned interest in some drawers and lampshades before discreetly exiting the store, thinking I had the day or time wrong. I then discovered that they were in fact at a different branch. I therefore had to face the masses at Willowbridge the following day.
When I arrived at 11:50 a line was already forming. I thought I would be able to manage waiting 40 minutes in the sun, especially since my doctor had just diagnosed me with a severe vitamin D deficiency. So I joined the line and enjoyed a whole half hour of free WiFi (silver linings and all that). At 12:30 (the time the stars were supposed to be there) we were told they were 15 - 20 minutes away. Cut to 13:00 and the MC trying to appease a very restless crowd with the sounds of Kaptein and Baby Tjoklits but to no avail. My face was getting more pink by the minute and I was increasingly concerned that my deodorant was not going to withstand the heat and prayed that there would still be a trace of Versace by the time I got to Rickus.
Eventually they arrived to much cheering and a surge of fans from behind. As is always the case when there is an event in the Northern suburbs, all queuing etiquette went out the window, causing quite the clusterfuck. Security personnel were in over their heads and soon I had people pushing me from behind and shouting all kinds of colourful insults at the shell-shocked security ("jou ma se p---" was a crowd favourite). I tried to remain calm but no breathing exercises were going to cut it as I watched one motherfucker after another slip in ahead of me.
The ladies in pink that were right in front of me at one point somehow made it to the promised land while I was still what felt like miles away. After much complaining from those of us who had been standing there for going on two hours, including a very vocal gentleman who dragged me to the front, I was allowed through, leaving behind dozens of comrades (sorry, guys, every man for himself). I overheard one of the security people say: "It's like The Hunger Games". Who knew a few peeps from 7de Laan could cause such a ruckus? But in the end I got to chat with each of the stars, who were very gracious despite the high temperatures and the overheating crowd. I felt quite special when the actress who plays Alexa, Carina Nel, said she remembered me from the last meet and greet.
I left with autographs, selfies, a terrible flip flop tan and possible dehydration. I guess this is the price that a true fan must pay.
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