An ode to De Villiers Visser’s Braaivleis, Rugby, English Skies and Kentucky

Former Springbok captain and flank Theuns Stofberg got together recently for a braai and a trip down memory lane with former team-mates and old friends (Johann) de Villiers Visser and Rudi ‘Vleis’ Visagie.

Stofberg, who captained the South African rugby team between 1980 and 1984, met up with the two former locks at Visser’s home near Franschoek where the three men, now in their ’50s, reminisced about both the good and sad old times. And nobody but Visser touched the braai!

Here, with kind permission from Theuns Stofberg, is his telling of the get-together:

De Villiers Visser – “My Eie Braai, Hier’s ek die Baas” (My Own Braai, I am the Boss Here)

by Theuns Stofberg

If you visit Div Visser, don’t get involved if there’s a braaivleis. It’s not for nothing that just above his braai there’s a sign that says: “My Eie Braai, Hier is ek die Baas” (My Own Braai, I am the Boss Here)

But I can at least add: Divvie, as we call him, is a Braai Master. And he can braai. Jan Braai can take lessons from him. Equipped with enough good wood, a schedule and other essential braai tools, Divvie doesn’t need to rush around looking for anything else for the braai. Luitha takes care of the rest.

He stands firmly in his spot, because no distractions must allow anything to go wrong with his meat. The braai equipment in his big hands is skillfully handled like scalpels in a surgeon’s hands. And Divvie has hands.

You get guys with hands like saucers, like Vleis and mine…but if Div gives you a friendly handshake then you will feel your hand being shaken by a hand that’s not as big as a saucer…but as big as a plate.

The sweat drips off Divvie when he’s braai-ing because it’s hard work to braai enough for me and him and Vleis Visagie, and the rest of the family. Divvie, Vleis and I love having enough meat to eat.

In between the mountains in Franschoek’s beautiful valley, next to lavender fields, lies Div and Luitha’s smallholding; and it’s a great privilege to pay this visit with the Vissers and Vleis and Freida. And to laugh…but also to talk about the terrible sadness in each of our lives.

None of us are spared from great sadness and heartbreak in our lives; but without needing to mention it, we know that we have a bond between us like that which David Kramer sings of with ‘Blokkies Joubert’ – “ge-jump and ge-side-step with the leather-ball in our hands”.

We [reminisced] and laughed about the day that I played for Northern Transvaal and it was Div’s first game for Western Province (WP). For weeks I heard scare talk of this young “upcoming” lock that I must “face”. Apparently the next Frik du Preez. It was his and Hempies’ first provincial game. Experience and a very strong Northern Transvaal team luckily helped me a little. Especially when Hempies later ran under my feet, and him and I were almost chased off the field.

Then we laughed again about the day Vleis had to play his first game against Div. He too had to hear about the young upcoming giant from the Free State.

And we relived each game from 30 years ago like it was last week.

I can testify that it was better to play with Div than against him, as his opponent. He was like one of his Rottweilers. No stopping him till the last whistle was blown.

Clearly we are now in the stage of “The older we get, the better we were”!

It was great to see again how much Divvie enjoys a plate of food. I remember his mother telling us that when she sent young Div off to school when he was at primary school, his suitcase was larger than the other’s. Div wasn’t bothered. Half of his case was sandwiches! What did bother him, was that the sandwiches never lasted until big break!!

And then I recalled the story of Div on the SA Barbarian Tour. English food is lekker (great) but nowhere near enough for a South African, even less so for Div Visser if he’s feeling hungry!

So one day the team stopped at a hotel after a long drive, and once everyone had unpacked, we all scattered to explore the streets a little. For some it was the first time out of the country and we walked around wide-eyed, searching to spot anything that we couldn’t get in South Africa during that time. The Censor Board in those times scarcely allowed Scope magazine in the shops, and under 21s were forbidden to see ‘fliks’ (films) if they featured just a three-letter word.

Just before dinner, everyone returned and gathered together in the hotel, and while everyone was discussing what they had seen, Divvie came running in.

“Hey Boys, guess what is right opposite the hotel!!!?” he yelled.

Everyone immediately crowded around Divvie and wanted to know what it was that they had missed. Nobody wanted to let any chance pass them by to see something that they wouldn’t normally see. One asked if it was a nightclub. Another wanted to know if it was a “live show” or perhaps a “movie” that people wouldn’t be allowed to see in South Africa.

“You won’t believe it,” he said, his mouth salivating, his stomach so hungry.

“It’s a Kentucky!!!”

It’s clear that food is a priority in Div’s life!

To read many other wonderful stories from Theuns Stofberg, please check out his Facebook page – click here. 

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Here is the original version in Afrikaans, by Theuns Stofberg:

De Villiers Visser
My Eie Braai, Hier ‘s ek die Baas.

As jy by Div Visser kuier, dan meng jy nie in as daar gebraai word nie. Daar staan nie verniet bokant sy kaggel, “My Eie Braai, Hier is ek die Baas”, nie.

Maar dan kan ek darem byvoeg: Divvie, soos ons hom noem, is `n bobaas braaier, En hy kan braai. Jan Braai kan gaan lesse vat. Ingerig met genoeg harde hout, roosters en nodige ander tools het Divvie nie nodig om rond te loop as daar gebraai word nie. Luitha sorg vir die res. Hy staan vas want daar mag nie fout kom met sy vleis as sy aandag dalk verdeel sou word nie. Die tools in sy groot hande word vernuftig hanteer soos skalpels in `n chirurg se hande. En Divvie het hande. Jy kry ouens met hande soos pierings, soos Vleis en myne maar as Div jou vriendelik groet dan voel jy hoe raak jou hand weg in `n hand wat nie so groot is soos `n piering nie maar so groot is soos `n bord.

Die sweet tap Divvie af as hy braai want dit is harde werk om genoeg te braai vir my en hom en vir Vleis Visagie en die res van die familie. Divvie, en Vleis, en ek, hou van genoeg vleis eet.

So tussen die berge in Franschoek se pragtige vallei, langs die Lavendervelde, lê Div en Luitha se kleinhoewe en dis `n groot voorreg om saam met Die Vissers en Vleis en Freda te kuier. En te lag …….. maar ook te praat van die verskriklike groot hartseer in elkeen van ons se lewe. Nie een van ons is gespaar van groot hartseer in ons lewens nie maar sonder dat dit nodig is om dit te noem, weet ons van die band tussen ons want ons het soos David Kramer sing van Blokkies Joubert, “ge-jump en ge-side-step with the leather-ball in our hands”

Daar word weer gelag oor die dag wat ek vir Noord Transvaal gespeel het en dit Div se eerste wedstryd vir WP was. Vir weke is ek vooraf banggepraat oor hierdie jong ‘upcoming’ slot wat ek moet ”face”. Blykbaar die volgende Frik du Preez. Dit was sy en Hempies se eerste provinsiale wedstryd. Ervaring en `n baie sterk NTvl span het my gelukkig bietjie gehelp. Veral toe Hempies later onder my voete deurhardloop en ek en hy amper van die veld af gejaag is.

Dan lag ons weer oor die dag wat Vleis sy eerste wedstryd teen Div moes speel. Hy moes weer hoor van die joun upcoming reus van die Vrystaat.

En ons herleef weer elke wedstryd van 30 jaar gelede asof dit laasweek was.

Ek kan getuig dat dit was lekkerder om saam met Div te speel as teen hom as sy opponent. Hy was soos een van sy Rottweilers. Geen einde voor die laaste fluitjie blaas nie

Duidelik is ons in die fase van “ The older we get, the better we were”

Dan sien ek weer aan hoe Divvie `n bord kos kan geniet en onthou hoe sy ma vertel het dat as sy klein Div skool toe gestuur het op laerskool, sy tassie altyd groter was as die ander s’n. Div was min gepla. Die helfte van sy tassie was toebroodjies. Wat hom wel gepla het, is dat die toebroodjies nie gehou het tot lang pouse nie!!

En dan onthou ek die storie van Div op `n SA Barbarian Toer. Engelse kos is lekker maar nie naastenby genoeg vir `n Suid Afrikaner nie Nog minder vir `n Suid Afrikaanse rugbyspeler op toer waar daar nie braaivleis is nie.

En dan nog minder vir Div Visser as hy honger is.

So stop die toerspan eendag na `n lang rit by die hotel en nadat almal uitgepak is, spaander almal om bietjie in die strate rond te loop. Van hulle is vir die eerste keer in die buiteland en loop grootoog rond, op soek na enige iets wat ons daardie tyd nie te siene kon kry in Suid Afrika nie. Die sensor-raad het daardie tyd skaars `n Scope toegelaat in die winkels en flieks was tot 21 beperk as daar net `n drie letter woord gebruik is.

Net voor aandete kom almal weer in die hotel bymekaar en terwyl almal bespreek wat hulle gesien het, kom Divvie ingehardloop.

“Haai boys, raai wat is hier reg oorkant die hotel!!!?”, roep hy uit.

Almal is natuurlik dadelik by Divvie en wil net weet wat dit is wat hulle gemis het. Niemand wil enige kans laat verbygaan om iets te sien wat hulle nie normaalweg sien nie. Een vra of dit `n nagklub is. Ander een wil weet of dit ‘n “live show” is of dalk `n “movie” wat mens nie in SA sal sien nie.

Julle sal dit nie glo nie sê hy met `n mond wat water en `n maag wat baie honger is:

“Dis `n Kentucky!!!”

Dit is duidelik dat kos vir Divvie `n prioriteit in die lewe is.