You are a singer, author, foodie, performing artist, television personality ... Tell us what you are doing these days and about the projects close to your heart.

I recently completed my new TV series called TOEGANG, my latest book will be published in October, I launched a range of healthy oils, I have a new food blog that will be introduced soon, and I’m currently writing a new stage production. I’m involved in many things, but music is the most important and after six months without music I miss it desperately. 

You are evidently great at planning your time. How do you get around to everything and do you have any tips?

I do not have a life, I have few friends and my family lives far away, so I work every day without fail. I keep lists, diarise everything and work to a strict routine. My daily existence is so incredibly organised and boring, this shocks even me. But I have ample energy, like to be punctual and I hold myself to a higher standard. So I can be rather difficult and tend to exhaust the people around me. 

How did the COVID-19 lockdown impact your life?

I finally got around to doing the things that had been waiting for me. I updated my archive and went on long walks. I also discovered how evil world leaders really are, how stupid their followers, and how crazy the thoughts harboured by the people I know. I was relieved to be on my own. I hope this crisis brings along incredible changes.

What stands out for you when you remember your time at Stellenbosch?

Loads of drinking, smoking and fornication, and taking on stacks of projects. Attending as few classes as possible and trying to make as much music as possible. I was at Stellenbosch at the same time as an incredibly exciting group of people studying singing, drama and the arts. We did unbelievable things (on stage) that continue to amaze me. I still have contact with most of them.

Why did you decide to study at Stellenbosch University?

I somehow had to evade the army. Stellenbosch is close to Kuils River, where I was an organist, and to Cape Town, where I tried to find a job as soon as possible. And it was decided at school that Betsie Cluver would be my piano teacher.

Is there a professor/mentor/role model from your student days who had an influence on your life?

Roelof Temmingh and Betsie Cluver were my two mentors at the Conservatory. I also learned a great deal from a few of the Drama department’s lecturers. Most of the time I was involved in some or other concert or project. I learned everything about stage lighting from Emile Aucamp; the most important skill any performing artist should possess! 

As a student at Stellenbosch, did you ever imagine you would be so successful for over three decades?

I never considered success per se, I just knew I wanted to be on stage otherwise I would perish, and there was never a Plan B. I guess that’s why I was such a disaster academically, I wanted to perform, not hang around in exhausting lectures. 

September is Heritage Month in SA. What does heritage mean to you? And how do you celebrate this?

My heritage is what I choose, so I celebrate my own heritage every day. History was such a mess when I was at school, everyone we learned about was in khaki, and it bored me to tears. Much later – once I started travelling and visiting museums and studios – I discovered that history was extremely exciting and that it would become my favourite pastime. I live entirely in a bubble and this fills many people with horror, but I live in the wrong time in the wrong part of the world; I would have preferred to live a life filled with candles, carriages and friends like Chopin. So my legacy is my grandmother’s kitchen, my books, my collection of costumes and the voices in my head – which have little to do with the reality of others. 

Do you have any advice or words of wisdom to share with today’s youth?

Stand up straight, be proud, enterprising, strong and determined. The youth of today have very little stamina, everything has to happen overnight or else there is a breakdown. (There are a few exceptions!) Endurance is EVERYTHING, it determines who remains standing and who achieves long-term success.

What would you like your legacy to be?

To have done enough to open a few doors for the individuals of the future. This may not be the proper thing, but I have very little time or respect for institutions or organisations that represent the establishment. We are group‑besotted, while everything that has ever made the earth a better place was done by remarkable individuals. I’m certainly not one of them, but I hope to inspire at least one. 

How often do you return to Matieland? Will we see you at the University’s Homecoming Weekend for alumni in September 2021?

Definitely not. There is nothing worse than any kind of reunion to remind one of one’s age. I will think of you while having my Botox injections.