So I recently watched Leon Schuster’s latest cinematic offering, Mad Buddies. I once had the horrible misfortune of having a molar extracted without any anesthetic, and I have fonder memories of that bloody and painful affair than I do of this movie.
What made watching Mad Buddies hurt even more, was the knowledge that I used to laugh my politically incorrect butt off to Schuster’s famed candid camera tricks. While they were definitely low brow, and often relied on racial stereotypes, they were still entertaining as hell due to their reality.
So to remember the good ol’ days, here are 10 of the best.
Growing up in 1980’s South Africa, it wasn’t very common to mix across the cultural divide, so I learnt a lot about other cultures from older friends, family and of course Leon Schuster. First lesson: Black people really don’t like snakes.
Even though this particular prank came much later, I guess you could call this Lesson #2: Old white men and black ladies really don’t like dead bodies.
Mad Buddies has a single hilarious line of dialogue that I’m sure will find it’s way into the South African lexicon pretty soon, but when it comes to Schuster’s cultural memes, this has to be the first.
Leon Schuster often used his comedy routines to examine racial tensions, and his turn as a black government official erecting a tollgate in Ventersdorp was one of the best examples of this.
Leon Schuster has been many things over the years, an Indian man, a black woman, a Dutch reporter, a traffic officer and he even had a stint as a love doctor.
Easily his most daring stunt in the 80’s, showing up to an AWB rally in boksburg dressed as an Indian. I don’t think he’s ever come this close to to being truly bliksemed. Unfortunately I’ve searched high and low for a video of this, but it would appear that all traces of these types of images of our old South Africa has been thoroughly expunged from the net. This tiny picture below is the only trace of it I can find anywhere.
Another clip that produced a line of dialogue which promptly entered the South African lingo, this one is worth it just for the traffic officer at the end alone.
Few things piss off a man quite like being pissed on, my china. “I kill you.”
“Smaak vir my ‘n engel het op my tong gepiepie”
Sometimes an average Leon Schuster prank is turned into comedy gold through the zealous reaction of one single unsuspecting mark. In this case, a coloured man with a flair for improvisation.
Never before had traffic officers ever been this funny. The fact that the trainees all went along with it, no matter how ridiculous it became, is what makes this one special.
Last Updated: June 28, 2012
Sonny Bonds
June 29, 2012 at 12:57
Look at clip “Weet jou ma jy’s hierso?” and clip “Viagro”.
Same guy….
Black Londoner
November 30, 2012 at 04:03
You mention ‘racial stereotypes’ but still you use the term ‘coloured’ when describing a black person. ‘Coloured’ would encompass all colours of skin whereby Black would be more specific. I really hope you’re not a journalist, that would be sad.
Kervyn Cloete
November 30, 2012 at 06:16
Unfortunately, this is a bit cultural miscommunication here. “Coloured” is a South African ethnic grouping that encompasses people of a mixed race decent, not black.
I am personally designated as coloured. My parents and their parents are coloured, But somewhere up the family tree, that wasn’t always the case as there was a mixing of races.
I know the term has strong negative connotation in different part of the world, but here in South African it means something else entirely.
Hope that helps you understand.
Gavin Mannion
November 30, 2012 at 07:03
You’re way more forgiving than myself…
Kervyn Cloete
November 30, 2012 at 08:09
Nah, no need to get our panties all twisted up. I’ve travelled enough internationally to have encountered this aversion to the term before, and it’s always born out of a lack of knowledge about it’s South African context.
I’d rather do my bit to erase that ignorance about our culture, than jump and shout to defend my so-called honour.
Gavin Mannion
November 30, 2012 at 07:03
I really hope you offer Kervyn an apology for a misguided attack? Did you not see that earlier in the post he referred to a black person as black and then the coloured person as coloured?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Coloureds