GEORGE NEWS - Forget the political wrangling over how the national Heritage Day celebrations landed in George at the eleventh hour - Ouma Sarie has another pressing question: where does she get a VIP ticket?
George comedian and actor Moses Williams, better known as his popular alter ego Ouma Sarie, has his sights set on meeting President Cyril Ramaphosa when the country’s first citizen visits George on Heritage Day, Thursday 24 September.
And Ouma Sarie does not want to admire him from afar.
Williams says she would love the opportunity to meet Ramaphosa and shake his hand - preferably with a VIP ticket to get her close enough to do just that.
The Presidency has confirmed that Ramaphosa will lead the national Heritage Day celebrations in George, but it is unsure exactly when and where. George Herald is waiting for an update on the time and place.
Williams is well known locally as the creator and performer behind Ouma Sarie, the outspoken character inspired by his own grandmother. The character grew from Williams's lockdown comedy repertoire into an e.tv television series produced in George.
Heritage Day takes unexpected turn
Ouma Sarie’s hoped-for presidential encounter comes amid a rather less light-hearted dispute over how the national celebration found its way to George.
The event was originally planned for King Zwelithini Stadium in KwaZulu-Natal. Government was still inviting media to apply for accreditation for the KwaZulu-Natal event on 1 September, but on 18 September GCIS announced that the national celebration had been shifted to Thembalethu in George.
The Western Cape Government and George Municipality have criticised the short notice and lack of consultation. In a statement on Tuesday 22 September, Regan Thaw, media liaison officer to the premier, said George Municipality had been placed in a difficult position because major national events require advance planning for venues, security, municipal services, infrastructure and personnel.
George Mayor Browen Johnson said the municipality welcomed the opportunity to showcase George's cultural heritage, but its concern was about the process that brought the event to the city, rather than hosting Heritage Day itself.
Ramaphosa is also expected to lead a tree-planting event in George ahead of the national commemoration as part of the Presidential One Billion Trees Programme and the national drive to plant ten million trees on Heritage Day.
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