Family pays an emotional tribute to community legend
A man with Roodepoort in his blood, Danie would have celebrated his 60th birthday this coming December.
A son of our streets with a superhuman heart outweighing his phenomenal brawn, has taken his last bow from the ring. The pro wrestling fraternity and community as a whole are in a state of mourning after the passing of legend, Danie Brits.
A man with Roodepoort in his blood, Danie would have celebrated his 60th birthday this coming December. Educated at Laerskool Gustav Preller and Hoërskool Roodepoort, his wrestling journey began at Ruiter Stoei Klub. He is described as ‘one of the greatest of all time in South Africa’, becoming a 14-time Springbok for seven consecutive years for Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling.
Affectionately know simply as ‘Brits’, he would turn his attention to the high-octane entertainment wrestling circuit under the guise of ‘The Masked Tornado’. The mask would drop before ‘Tornado’ began to work as Danie Brits, picking up multiple South African Heavyweight and World Heavyweight Championship titles. He would also make up one half of the legendary tag team, ‘The Fighting Springboks’. Along with Danie Voges, they would reign as South African Tag Team Champions.
An avid lover of Transvaal rugby and the Lions, his later life would see him turn peacekeeper, working for Help24 in a managerial position. He passed around midnight on 3 September of natural causes, and leaves behind a loving family including his brother, his sister, two daughters and grandchildren. Arguably his biggest influence would be on his nephew, Kobus ‘Ananzi’ Erasmus, whom he would mentor into one of the premier pro wrestlers in the country.
Ananzi penned a moving tribute to his uncle, saying, “It is really hard for me to accept the passing of my uncle, my mentor, my coach, my best friend. You always said I was the son you never had. Oom Danie, I love you and I will miss you a lot. Heroes come and go but legends live forever. Your entrance was ‘Simply the Best’ and that is how I will forever remember you.”
Danie and Ananzi would even have their own feud in the ring, which Ananzi describes as ‘the best time of my career’. His tribute added, “Thank you for passing the torch, you were the one that believed in me when no one did. It is because of you that I achieved what I accomplished, without your motivation, wrestling wouldn’t have been alive today to pass on to the next generation. Your legacy will live forever.”
