Ons neem met groot hartseer afskeid van Crystal-Donna Roberts. Sy was nie net ’n uitstekende aktrise nie, maar ook ’n talentvolle skrywer. Ons het die borrelende Crystal leer ken toe sy haar boek, Speurder Sammi: Die blou steen in 2021 as deel van die Bosberg Boekskryf-program geskryf het. Sy was ’n besonderse deel van die Jakes Gerwel Stigting se skrywersfamilie, en ons sal haar nooit vergeet nie.
It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Crystal-Donna Roberts. She was not only an excellent actress but also a talented writer. We got to know the bubbly Crystal when she wrote her book, Speurder Sammi: Die blou steen in 2021 as part of the Bosberg Book Writing programme. She was a special part of the Jakes Gerwel Foundation’s writers’ family and we will never forget her.
Hieronder is twee huldeblyke wat deur twee van ons skrywers aan Crystal opgedra is. | Below are two tributes dedicated to Crystal by two of our writers.
Huldeblyk deur Theolla Langenhoven, deelnemer aan die Bosberg Boekskryf Residensie in 2024. | Tribute by Theolla Langenhoven, participant in the Bosberg Book Writing Residency in 2024.
Een ding wattie twie issie, djy hettie mense geraak! Binne minute na djou man die swaar nuus mettie wêreld gedeel it, was my timelines op alle socials flooded met djou foto’s en video clips. Crystal-Donna, djy is dai Lady Vannie Flats. Die meisie wat boe ha omstandighede ytgestygit en vi ôs kô wys it, ôs is mee as ôs surroundings.
’n Paa jaa geliede toe djy die kanker-dywil in sy glory gemakit, toe joebel en jyg die nasie saamit djou. Al het ôs gewiet die kanse bestaan wel, dat dai laspos dywel wee sal terugkô, was ôs bly, want op dai moment toe mienit ôs het djou nog vi klyn bietjie langer.
Ôs wil selfish wies, want djou wêk oppie teatervloere en international stages, voorie kameras, en in jou familie se liewe is noggie klaa nie. Ma ôs wiet oek dai is unfair, want djy het baie meer as ôs ammal tesame achieve innie liewe. Ôs spog saamit djou mense oorie SAFTA en Venice International Film Festival, want djy was ôsse Bossiekop.
Die goose wie se stryd swaa was, ma nooit het djy rit op djou gesig gedra nie. Ôs gelee om ôs heritage te embrace en trots oo’ elke stukkie en bietjie van ons komvandaan te appreciate. En soe baie vetel hoe djy hulle encourage het om hul natural looks, veral die kroeskoppe, te accept. Want ôs wou ook soe bright shine soes djy. En soe môi lyk soes ôs eie Krotoa.
Vlieg hoog, meisa, want soes die Arendsvlei spreekwoord is: djy het djou liewe lank hoog gemik. Saloet!
Huldeblyk deur Tebello Mzamo, deelnemer aan die Bosberg Boekskryf Residensie in 2021 saam met Crystal-Donna Roberts. | Tribute by Tebello Mzamo, participant in the Bosberg Book Writing Residency in 2021 with Crystal-Donna Roberts.
I first met Crystal-Donna Roberts during the Jakes Gerwel Foundation / NB Publishers Writing Mentorship at Paulet House. Upon our first meeting, I knew something about her face looked familiar, but I just couldn’t remember what. We were the only two female mentees. Then, as we got talking and getting to know each other, I learnt that she was an actress. And then I remembered where I had seen her face. A talented actress she was.
Crystal was a bubbly and polite person who lit up the dinner table at Paulet House with conversations about art and social issues. She seemed really happy to be in the programme and pursuing her writing. And I remember telling her I wished I could be as multi-talented as she was, I really admired that. But as someone who had a genuine interest in people, Crystal saw me too. After our readings at Paulet House, she told me (and I’m paraphrasing) that she liked how I painted a scene in my writing.
And so, towards the end of our mentorship, I celebrated my birthday. Crystal gave me money – I had not asked her – saying it was for a cab when I landed back in Cape Town. She also bought drinks for us while we were awaiting our delayed flight in a bar at the airport. She told me she and some of her friends wanted to be like Shonda Rhimes. Intrigued, I listened as she told me about her story idea for a script that she wanted me to be a part of. I was not familiar with script writing and this was going to be a new challenge for me, I told her. But Crystal seemed to have this belief in me, that I could do this and that she wanted me on her project. We kept in contact, but life’s engagements got in the way and, unfortunately, the script never got written. I was going through my own transformations, which meant it would not have been ideal to produce something of quality in another genre at the time.
I did not remember this until I saw the shocking and upsetting announcement of Crystal’s passing in an online post. And as I remember Crystal and am writing these words about her, I will remember those fun days at Paulet House, drinking lots of wine, giggling – and her generosity. I hope she did finally get to work on her script; I hope she never forgot her dream. May her loved ones and all those who knew her receive my heartfelt condolences.
Theolla Langenhoven (1982) werk tans by die Universiteit van Wes-Kaapland na jare in die staatsdiens. Sy wil haar skryfwerk gebruik om haar gemeenskapswerk, haar liefde vir administrasie en haar kennis van sielkunde en kriminologie te kombineer en lig te werp op die maatskaplike kwessies wat gemeenskappe in die gesig staar. Van haar kortverhale en artikels is in Kuier gepubliseer. Haar gedigte het in die Lekka Poems-bloemlesing verskyn en in 2023 het sy ’n gebedsboek vir tieners, Die Here kom sterk deur, gepubliseer. Sy beskou dit as ’n voorreg om in 2020 te kon deelneem aan die Kommadagga-slypskool vir kortverhaalskrywers. In 2023 het sy ’n AfriCAN Honoree Authors’ Award ontvang.
Tebello Mzamo grew up in Gugulethu in Cape Town and completed her master's degree cum laude at Rhodes University. Her work has already appeared in the journals TYHINI, Writing ThreeSixty and New Contrast, in the short story collection Incredible Journey: Stories that move you and in the online newspaper GroundUp. In 2009 she was a recipient of a silver merit certificate in the I’m a Writer! Competition of the SABC. Tebello is currently working on her first novel.
