OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday
SOUTH Africa’s entertainment community, still reeling from the death of singing legend Bles Bridges in a car accident earlier this year, has been shaken to its core by the death of Afrikaans comedian and TV star Tolla van der Merwe in a horrific car smash in Mpumalanga. Van der Merwe’s death – barely months after surviving massive heart surgery – has sparked an outpouring of grief and shock, with commentators across the board lamenting the loss of one of South Africa’s favourite comedians. Van der Merwe and fellow entertainment personality Ollie Viljoen’s wife Estelle both died of multiple fractures and internal injuries sustained in the collision, also involving two trucks, just before 8am on Monday. Viljoen and veteran Afrikaans storyteller Koos Meyer were critically injured in the crash in heavy fog 30km west of Belfast, on the highway to Middelburg. Initial police reports indicate that an empty cargo truck drove into the back of a truck ferrying road graders to Nelspruit. The cargo truck jack-knifed across the road and smashed head-on into Van der Merwe’s Mercedes. Viljoen was driving at the time. All three were on their way back to Johannesburg after hosting a “stoepstories” theatre show in the Barnyard Theatre at the Sarie Arts Festival in White River at the weekend. Van der Merwe, who was born in Clanwilliam in the Western Cape, hosted the popular Maak ‘n Las and Spies en Plessie comedy shows on television, and also acted in a string of theatre, cinema and other television productions. Ironically, Van der Merwe took over Spies and Plessie after host Jan Spies died in a car crash. “Tolla was always ready with a joke and to make people smile,” said fellow entertainer Leon Schuster, while long-time friend and film producer Dirk de Villiers said Tolla was a natural storyteller and comedian and that his death was a sad loss to South Africa and the Afrikaans community in particular. The Freedom Front said Van der Merwe’s death would leave a void in the Afrikaans arts and entertainment community. Spokesperson Leon Louw said Tolla would also be missed for his empathy and love for people. Arts and Culture Minister Ben Ngubane said it was a loss for the film and entertainment community.