Tolla Is Tops, written and starring Tolla van der Merwe,was shot on location in the South African regions between Clanwilliam and Lamberts Bay in 1990 –just four years before the end of apartheid. A native of the land himself, Tolla characteristics of the “average” South African from each region. In t his film, he manages to capture the true essence of many unsuspecting victims while in the same breath, conveying the diversity of people from the regions where he grew up.
"Through a candid lens, Tolla conveys the eclectic cultures of the different regions composing South Africa."
Throughout the film, Tolla attempts many antics to portray his character’s many facets and, simultaneously, exposes the viewer to the many different dialects of South Africa. The movie begins with Tolla, dressed in a military overcoat, cap, and boots, introducing himself as a fearless “ rekkie ,” an Anglicism originating from the term “reconnaissance,”. He goes on to declare, “ Ek is rof en onbeskof ,” meaning “I am rough and rude,” a phrase that has grown into a cliché throughout Afrikaans television, rugby commentary, and day-to-day Afrikaans colloquial language.
In another scene, he attempts to prove he’s macho by explaining that he uses a snakeskin as a belt. But Yet, unbeknown to him, the snake is alive, and our brave hero runs away. Then later, in English, he introduces himself as “ Supervan ,” and says saying he comes in peace, justice, and the South African way. He’s tasked with saving South Africa, but as he heroically runs off to do so, he does a face-plant onto the rough earth of the Cederberg mountains and states, “This is going to be a hell of a job.” In yet another antic, Tolla portrays a traffic officer. He stops a mini bus filled with Dutch tourists, convincing them that they can only drive 5 kilometers per hour along the dust road, as a new white line is being painted. As Tolla explains to a passenger that it’s easier to photograph the panoramic if she drives at a slower pace , the viewer note the linguistic similarities between Afrikaan and Dutch.
Through a candid lens, Tolla conveys the eclectic cultures of the different regions composing South Africa. Near Clanwilliam, Tolla find three men willing to assist him in sculpting the Cederberg mountains. He leaves them with two trowels and time to plan their task, while he goes to collect more equipment. As he does this, one of the three men refers to Tolla as, “ Bedonnerd in sy kop .” The word “ Bedonnerd ” can refer to “anger” or, in this case, “insanity.” The men then agree to " sit hom 'n kop aan ." That is, they will stand around until they get paid and then leave without doing any work.
Then Tolla moves on to explore the wonderful West Coast region home to devoted fishermen, easily recogniz ed by able because of their unique Afrikaan enunciation. Tolla finds their weakness by fiddling with their stuff, which is inexcusable in the West Coast belongings –an inexcusable prank on the West Coast . The fisherman respond by angrily shouting , “ Jy is onnoselik! Ek ry jou poer in jou moer ,” meaning , “You are stupid. I will drive over you!” Although “ poer in jour moer ” is a commonly-used threat, the term “ poer ” is not actually a word. When repeated, poer-poer means “to lag or procrastinate.”
Tolla first became known in South African households on the TV show Spies en Plesier in the 1980s. “Spies” referring to the host, Jan Spies, and “ plesier ”meaning “pleasure.” On January 4 th , 1995, Jan Spies died in a car crash, and hence, Tolla took over the program . He would later however start his own show, Maak ‘n Las, which directly translates to “make a joint,” however was meant to refer to the idiom, “Donate Towards.” As host of his new show, Tolla invited popular figures and share d stories, jokes, and recipes. In 2000, however, Tolla , like Jan Spies, died in a car crash. South Africans were shocked. Spies en Plesier was soon seen as a cursed program, as twelve prominent people who had connections to it died, nine of which suffered violent and horrendous deaths
