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The SAFTA-winning Elders is back with a fifth season and this time, Erns Grundling and his camera team walked more than 270 kilometres from Uniondale to Mossel Bay.
Speaking to The Citizen, Erns said one of the highlights of filming the new season was having South Africa’s previous public protector Prof Thuli Madonsela join him for a hike.
Erns met Madonsela on Youth Day in 2021 when she did a social justice walk in association with The Pilgrimage of Hope and ‘Visit Stellenbosch’. It was a short walk from Stellenbosch to Pniel.
It was during this short hike when Erns learned about Madonsela’s passion for walking. She has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro twice, successfully summiting the highest mountain in Africa on her second attempt.
Erns describes Madonsela as a very open and friendly person, a very good listener and very patient.
So, when filming for the fifth season of the popular kykNET television show started, Erns took a chance and reached out to Madonsela’s office to ask if she would join him for a short hike during filming of Elders: Tuinroete.
He struck it lucky and Madonsela joined him and his camera team for a short hike on the third last shift of the “Pilgrimage of Hope”. It was a short walk between Grootbrak and Kleinbrak.
“It was fantastic to walk with her. We had a bit of rain earlier in the morning, but she wasn’t fazed by that at all,” says Erns.
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Erns detailed a moment of synchronicity before Prof Thuli met him for their hike on a Saturday morning. He said a couple of days prior, he walked with Annemarié Meyer who lives on a farm in the George area.
“She has a rose garden on her farm and one of her favourite roses is a rose that was named after Thuli Madonsela. So, when I told her that I would be walking with Prof Thuli on the Saturday she immediately suggested that I gift her with a bunch of these roses that are named after her. It was a lovely way to start our walk.”
Erns said Madonsela was incredibly inspirational in terms of the conversations they had, especially around finding hope as South Africans.
“She also spoke at length about the youth and the faith she has in the youth of South Africa and how we should nurture the young people of our country who will become our future leaders.”
Erns also took the opportunity to ask the one burning question on most South Africans’ lips – “Will she ever consider running for President?”
While we’re all burning to find out her answer, viewers will have to wait until the episode is aired to hear whether they could be voting for Thuli Madonsela in future elections.
As in previous seasons of Elders, various guests joined Erns to walk a stretch of the road with him. On choosing his guests, Erns says it is important for him to have a relationship with or admiration for the guests he invites. “I never want to invite a guest only because that person is well known and will probably attract more viewers.”
Apart from Prof Thuli Madonsela, other guests in the season will include the legendary actor Frank Opperman, TV and radio presenter Lyntjie Jaars and former head of kykNET’s Afrikaans channels, Karen Meiring.
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Yes, and he has even offered sceptics the opportunity to request the kilometre readings from his walking watch.
“There are much easier ways to do it, of course, but I want to capture the whole experience as authentically as possible. Any short cuts or help are exceptions to avoid missing a certain appointment or deadline, but we usually make such exceptions part of our content and the greater narrative,” he says.
Erns wasn’t the only one who completed the stretch of 270km on foot, his camera team was with him every step of the way.
“The director Frankie Opperman, cameramen Jaen Kleynhans and Jean de Villiers and soundman Matthew Gardner walked this pilgrimage with me. There were some very long days where we had to walk more than 20km to get the content we wanted, but they were absolute troopers. To shoot a series is hard, but to do it as well as they do while travelling more than a hundred kilometres on foot, is remarkable. I have done various seasons with basically the same team, and it is a joy and privilege. A big thank you also to our production manager, Gideon le Roux, who managed all the (often challenging) logistics.”
Elders: Tuinroete starts Monday 4 July at 20:00 on kykNET (DStv Channel 144).
