Govan Whittles is the presenter of Govan Ontbloot.
Journalist and presenter Govan Whittles has been writing and telling human stories for more than a decade. From his student days in Pretoria, where I first met him, to being a presenter on Carte Blanche, Whittles has carried the passion he has for his work to his new show Govan Ontbloot (Govan Exposed).
Produced by Combined Artists, also behind Carte Blanche, Govan Ontbloot takes viewers on a journey into the heart of communities far removed from the mainstream.
During our virtual interview, Whittles tells me the inspiration for the show was organic. M-Net, Kyknet and Combined Artists saw a gap for more dynamic Afrikaans content they wanted to explore.
“Carte Blanche is more of a formal show,” he says. “We wanted to do something casual and less confrontational and that is how we came up with this show. Govan Ontbloot is chilled and allows people to speak without being judged.”
The show looks at topics such as marginalisation, cultural preservation, addiction, identity issues and religious shifts through the eyes of those who experience them.
Filmed across three provinces, the series visited 15 towns — from Kleinfontein’s self-proclaimed Afrikaner community near Pretoria to the back-to-the-ground movement in Knoflokskraal, in the Western Cape.
“I’ve always wanted to give people an opportunity to be vulnerable on camera and speak to people who have been written off in our society.
“What we try to achieve is sincerity and a raw, uncut look at what South Africa is without the outrage that follows in some of these interactions,” Whittles says.
Vulnerability and sincerity are certainly what he brings to the screen as he shares meals and sips tea with marginalised communities.
Instead of approaching stories with certainty and a scripted outcome, Whittles’s approach on Govan Ontbloot is led by curiosity and uncertainty, in learning about the lived experiences of his subjects.
He says he doesn’t write down questions for the episodes because he is not trying to get a certain story out of the people he interviews.
“The only thing I want to make sure of is that we are invited to see them. I have some things I try to figure out in every episode. I will approach an entire episode with one question in my mind.
“The only thing I will be sure of is that I don’t understand something. I will visit the subjects for three days. After that, hopefully, I will be able to understand it.”
He adds that, with TV, he never wants to be the most important person in an interview, overshadowing the guests, especially in this show because the people have opened up their homes to him.
Govan Whittles
In it, we see Whittles eat and take walks with the subjects, who are putting themselves out there and trusting him with their stories.
“The most important lesson I’ve learnt in journalism is to not present a fake version of yourself to the people you are interviewing because you will be tricking them … I am uncertain about a lot of things but I think uncertainty is natural — it is just most people don’t want that to define their personality. I am comfortable with it.”
The ultimate question Whittles is trying to answer is, “What makes a South African in a country with a fragmented identity and history?”
The show creates a space for candid conversations between and generations about race politics and heritage, some of which have challenged Whittles’s own perceptions.
For instance, one episode looks at Kleinfontein’s Afrikaner community.
“I went there because I heard these people stay by themselves and I thought it was a whites-only town.
“When I get there, they say it’s an Afrikaans-only town. They tell me about their history and then I realise Afrikaner identity is bigger than apartheid. I think we have to grapple with that question.”
Whittles argues that many people think Afrikaners only existed in the apartheid era.
“They went through wars and were put in concentration camps as well. There are books written about South African history that describe them as Africa’s first white tribe. Afrikaners were rebelling against the Dutch and British. I realised that, whatever I previously thought about Afrikaner people and their history, they don’t need to prove to me they are South African.”
As much as it is journalists’, storytellers’ and artists’ job to highlight the perspectives of the voiceless, Whittles says sometimes we perpetuate judgment by reinforcing stereotypes. He argues the persistent misconception that a South African is someone who meets all the expectations of past ideals is an exclusionary and egotistical idea of who we are.
“I go to places where people are sidelined and, because we have made up our minds, we think we know who they are. We have judged them and decided where they belong in society.
“I go in there and I am, like, ‘Well, I haven’t decided. I still think you are part of our society.’ In many cases I am just there to say, ‘I am not trying to say come back into our society, all I am here to say is that you are still South African, even no one wants to hear you out. I am here to hear you out.’”
But how does one avoid prejudice in telling a good story?
“By holding your tongue and being vulnerable — that’s what I try to do. In that episode you saw I did it numerous times. Hold yourself in, even if you think you have an answer, keep quiet,” he emphasises.
Whittles refers to Nelson Mandela as an example of someone who was able to put his pride in his pocket and have lunch with his neighbour.
“I think that’s a simple thing we forgot to do. It’s because we are so certain what we know is correct or righteous. However, by doing that, we sideline so much of society.
“That’s not fair because these people also deserve to be heard; they are as South African as we are.
“Eugene de Kock is as South African as Jacob Zuma and Nelson Mandela. Eugene de Kock is not a first of his kind — neither are Zuma and Mandela. These are characters that have played over and over in our history. It’s that we love building heroes and villains.”
From following AfriForum’s military-style training in the bush, to indigenous Nama people digging for diamonds, and swinging couples, Whittles listens — without judgment or filters — and gives people the space to share their own truths.
With his comments to director Andrew Hofmeyr during the episodes, Whittles invites reflection and sheds light on marginalised communities. Through a sincere, vulnerable and curious approach to presenting, he allows the human stories to unfold naturally, leaving it to viewers to make up their minds about what makes us human and South African.
See Govan Ontbloot Wednesdays at 9pm on kykNET (DStv channel 144) and on DStv Stream and Catch Up.