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Kurt Darren embraces hand he was dealt

Afrikaans singer Kurt Darren is not letting the consequences of his recent car accident get the better of him, but is instead having fun with the eyepatch he's forced to wear after a brain injury impaired his sight.


Darren sang the South African anthem during the rugby match between the Springboks and Wallabies at Newlands on Saturday, where he sported not one, but two, fancy eyepatches.

Speaking to Beeld, he explained that his wife commissioned the design of several unique eyepatches, which he says he’s been having “so much fun with”.

“It was actually (his wife) Dunay’s idea. She asked my designers, F. Wilson Fashion Design, to make interesting eyepatches for me. To have fun, just to make it more entertaining for me,” he said.

Darren’s tailor-made eyepatch designs include one from denim, one with a silver embroidered paisley motif, and even one with Swarovski crystals, which he admitted is a bit extravagant. He donned the paisley design during his performance over the weekend.

The singer opened up about the fear and anxiety of facing the public after the accident.

“This is the first time that I’m singing the national anthem with the eyepatch. And even bumping into old acquaintances for the first time after the accident makes me feel hesitant,” he confessed.

“But it’s the cards I was dealt and I now have to play then.”

Darren was airlifted to Joburg’s Milpark Hospital during the early hours of Sunday, 7 July, after the car he was travelling in with two friends rolled and crashed into a ditch after it was forced to swerve for an oncoming car driving in the middle of the road. Aside from the damage to his vision, he broke eleven ribs.

He is currently undergoing treatment for his sight with the Eye Gym program and revealed that there was already a noticeable difference after just three weeks.

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