Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends

You don't want me to rule those two Boer republics

as the sole property of the Boer people.

- Can I make a distinction... - No, no, no. No!

No, you asked me the question and I answer it.

No!

Ripped By mstoll

South Africa - a vibrant multiracial democracy,

a model of reconciliation and opportunity on the African continent.

But I was here for a different story.

I'd heard about a subculture of separatists, intensely opposed to the new regime,

and determined to build its own communities for whites only.

My first stop - Owendale, a town on the edges of the Karoo Desert,

founded by Pieter du Toit.

He devised an unusual security system

to protect its exclusively white inhabitants.

So where are we? Why are we here?

We are right in the middle of our security strip that runs right around our little town,

with game animals for the protection.

We've got the black wildebeest over there.

You mean this is like a strip running round the community of Owendale,

in order to defend against... outsiders?

- That's right. - Using wild animals?

- Yah. - 0f different degrees of ferocity.

- Yah. - Featuring, among others, wildebeest?

Yah, black wildebeest.

- Black wildebeest. - Ostriches.

- Ostriches? - Yah.

The birds? Are they dangerous?

- Yes. One ostrich kick can kill you. - Really?

Would it be 0K for me to put that to the test?

- You can try it, but at your own risk. - 0K.

Now, what do I do if it starts coming towards me?

It's the ostriches you've got to watch out for?

- Not here. They're not here at the moment. - How much danger am I in right now?

Not much. You're too close to a vehicle.

- What about now? - You're safe.

If you walk towards them, they'll run.

So what you're saying, in effect, is I'm a more powerful security deterrent than they are?

Yes, at this stage. Yes.

It's like a real-life Jurassic Park. But without the dinosaurs.

I hooked up with Pieter's wife, Minkie, to find out more.

So this is Owendale.

- This is Owendale. - A community you and your husband founded.

Yeah, you can say that. Yeah.

And what's special about it?

Special about it is the fact that we are only white people staying in the town.

Only white people are allowed to buy in the town.

But I saw a black gentleman on his way out just now.

That's right. They're working for us.

But they are not allowed to stay in the town.

We, as white people, aren't supposed to be ruled by blacks.

Now, from the way we look at it, you see, you're not ruled by blacks.

It's basically a multiracial government.

And second, what would be the problem with having blacks in the government anyway?

Just the fact that because of our religion it's not meant to be that way.

God created not even animal as equal.

If you look at nature, nothing in the nature is equal.

Basically, what it boils down to is he sees those that are chose.

- And who did he choose? - The white people.

So where does that leave non-whites?

Well, the way we see it, they've got no chance.

What about if you're like one sixteenth non-white?

- No. - 0ne thirty-second?

- 0ne sixty-fourth? - That's basically what it all boils down to.

God doesn't want us to mix, and that's why we stay apart from the blacks.

You make it sound almost as though we're a different species.

Could be.

Very possible.

Minkie wanted to show me how her dream of a whites-only town was progressing,

so she took me on a tour.

In the town at the moment, there is 15 houses, 15 families.

Most of the houses are three, four-bedroom houses.

We will try and keep everything white.

- This is the dressing room. - You have a dressing room?

Closets galore!

- There's the badminton... - Badminton court?

...court, as well. - Yeah.

This is going to be the library. Not much in there at the moment.

- This is the swimming pool. - There's a black person out there, working.

- Would he be allowed to swim in here? - No, he's not allowed.

That's mixing socially, and that's what we're trying to keep away from.

And this is my favourite spot in town.

- Have you been on this? - I've been on this.

Later on in the afternoon you can't touch this.

- Why? - It's too hot, because of the sun.

- Not because it's black? - No, because it's too hot.

You've got a sense of humour about your beliefs.

- 0h, yes, definitely. - Do they seem at all weird to you?

No. Sometimes they do weird things, but they don't seem at all weird.

- Who? - The blacks.

- 0h, no, I meant your beliefs. - 0h, my beliefs?

- No. No, they don't seem weird to me. - Yeah.

I don't think I would have believed it if it was weird.

- Yeah. - It might be weird to other people.

Do you mind being thought of as a racist?

Erm... Not really, but I wouldn't go and introduce myself as one.

Yeah.

Do you think it's weird that we believe in the stuff that we do?

Quite honestly, it's very unusual.

I listen to black music.

- I like a couple of Michael Jackson's... - Do you?

- I'm a big Lionel Richie fan. - Really?

- Yes, definitely. Erm... - That seems very unusual, though.

- You respect them for what they are. - Lionel Richie couldn't come in your home?

- No, he couldn't come in my home. - Except it was in vinyl form or CD form.

I enjoy his music.

Don't you think Lionel Richie would be upset if he saw you saying things about... you know?

- I hope you're not going to show it to him. - Why do you hope not?

He could see this.

He could see this? Then hopefully he'll respect me for my views.

- Do you really think that's likely? - Erm... It could be.

- I'm sort of making up the words. - Some of them sound right.

Something like that.

Things deteriorated when I found Pieter's record collection.

- That's Whitney Houston. - Whitney Houston.

Presumably Whitney Houston is incapable of being saved, as a black woman. Right?

Why are you laughing at that, Pieter?

I'd always thought of music as kind of a...

as a way to get over barriers, especially racial boundaries,

and a way in which different races can come together, and different cultures.

Because we all like pop music, don't we? We all like Chuck Berry and Whitney Houston.

Nowadays I'm more into classical stuff.

Classical stuff like The Temptations?

0h. That's very old.

20 years ago you were grooving to the sounds of The Temptations,

- and Herbie Mann, rhythm and blues. - Yes.

And now here you are, in a community that's basically established to...

I still listen to... I can still listen to music made by a black man.

If it's nice music, why can't I listen?

You honestly don't see any contradiction between listening to rhythm and blues music

and enjoying music created by people you wouldn't let into your home?

No. This whole thing has been turned around now.

This is becoming now... You're trying to turn this into a political thing.

That's what you're trying to do now.

You can't carry on. Switch it off, I'm not talking.

Wonders!

Well, I wasn't off to a very good start, but I had another lead.

I'd heard about a group claiming land, not because they were white,

but as an endangered minority people - the Boers.

How much the idea of Boer nationalism crossed racial boundaries

was something I wanted to find out

from Boer State Party leader and swimming pool repair man...

- Dirk Van Tonder. Is that you? - That's me, yes.

I'm Louis. Louis Theroux. How's it going?

- Well, fine, fine. - Yeah.

What is the Boer State Party? What does the Party stand for?

The Boer State Party stands for the reinstatement of the Boer states, period.

So does that basically mean a separate country for Boer people, for the Boers?

Yes. Yes, that means the reinstatement of the Boer states as it was in 1899.

Because the English came and they took it from us.

Yeah. And is that it? Is that basically all the land? It is quite a big chunk.

It's a big chunk.

I don't want you to take this the wrong way,

but I'm picking up a teeny bit of hostility towards the English.

Well, I'm glad you say it's only a teeny bit.

- I can elaborate on that, but... - Is that true? Is that fair to say?

There's no great love among Boer people for the English.

No, there's no great love. No.

So what will your new country look like? What will it be like?

- Well, you're basically in it now. - Are Boers in a majority here at the moment?

No, we are not the majority at the moment.

But let's look at Israel. At one stage, Israeli people was a very small minority.

And we're basically in a similar situation now. We mustn't despair on that.

Dirk invited me to a Boer State Party festival the following day.

Do you think it might be advisable to have a little speech to smooth the way a little bit?

- And maybe do it in Afrikaans? - That'll be wonderful.

- If you tell me what you'd like to convey... - Yeah.

I'm here to learn.

Ek is hier om te leer.

I'll write that down for you. Ek... is...

I am. Ek is.

Hier. Here.

- To learn. - Om te leer.

What's happening tomorrow? Are we expecting any special guests, any dignitaries?

Well, Mr Terreblanche is going to be the main pivot of it.

- Mr Terreblanche? - Mr Terreblanche.

He is the leader of the AWB.

If you look into his blowtorch blue eyes, you can see in him the spirit of the Boer.

- Thank you for having me. - Vir dankie.

Buy a donkey? You're not winding me up about that? It really is, "Buy a donkey"?

The day of the party.

I'd arrived early to meet the future citizens of an independent Boer nation.

Erm... I sense these people are wearing costumes.

- Yes. - Is this a traditional Boer costume?

The Afrikaner, as such, did not have folk dancing, as such.

Even though there was a rich heritage amongst the Europeans of folk dancing.

- And it started it off that way. - Really?

So in a sense, it's a manufactured tradition?

- Yes, just don't say it! - Dirk doesn't like that.

I don't like that message. If you look at the old Boer leaders and the way they dressed,

you'd see a lot in the fashion, the scarf and the jacket and that.

- And the dancing, though? - There's a cultural link there.

Dirk had a lot of organising to do, so I decided to circulate.

- You must speak English. This is the BBC. - How do you do?

He is with the Boerestaat Party,

and he's one of our very staunch stalwarts and he's been around a long time.

- A very good man. - What's his background?

His background? Let him tell you himself what his background is.

- I think he was with the Luftwaffe. - Was he?

- He was with the Luftwaffe. - Yes, for many years.