I have a secret vice. While I don’t own a TV myself, I do watch one program pretty regularly on SABC2 at my parent’s house – the Afrikaans soapie 7de Laan.* I sometimes tell people this is because my son watches with me and the largely Afrikaans dialogue being translated into English subtitles helps him with his Afrikaans studies, but to be honest I just enjoy the cheesiness of it.

Anyhow. Sometimes you can learn from your bad habits, as happened to me while indulging in the inanity of the lives and loves of the happy Hillside community last night. The episode featured South African writer John Van De Ruit, author of the hugely popular Spud books, the third of which was launched in June this year, to great public and literary acclaim. Spud, the main character in these funny yet achingly familiar to some novels, is a school boy growing up at a boarding school in late apartheid-era South Africa.

In 7de Laan, Van De Ruit (playing himself) mentioned that a Cape Town film company had bought the filming rights to the first Spud book, and that renowned UK funnyman John Cleese has agreed to play the role of the headmaster ('The Glock'). Unsure if this was just part of the storyline or fact, I checked it out online and dis waar, Swaar**!

You might have known this already - apparently the news had been announced back in June at the launch of Spud - Learning to Fly, but I missed it at the time. John Cleese can be very, very funny and I am sure he will be perfect in the role of the British principal.

This is a great coup for Van De Ruit, and for South African books and literature in general.

John Van De Ruit is a breath of fresh air among the old school SA writers, some of whom are known for their lack of enthusiasm for engaging with the public and media (I’m thinking of the likes of the reclusive J.M Coetzee et al). Not only is he willing to appear on local soapies, but also insisted on signing every copy of his book sold at the June launch – and this was no mean feat as the queue of fans, despite the chilly evening air, extended round the block. He even had local rockers Wonderboom singing live to keep the crowds company while they waited for their turn to meet him, and of course read an excerpt from the latest book, to the delight of those present.

With this kind of attitude, and a film in the offing, Van De Ruit is very much a part of a new wave of exciting, talented South African writers who are bringing books to the people and making great reads accessible to more of us.

* 7de Laan is filmed on location in Melville, a trendy suburb of Jo'burg.

**dis waar, Swaar = it’s true, bru!