South African rapper, hip hop artist, actor and TV presenter Simon Witbooi, aka HemelBesem, is a man of many parts, but the artist we have come to know has become almost unrecognisable.
You might have seen HemelBesem, 42, on your TV screens on Pasella or Noem My Skollie, or you might know him for his music, but he has undergone a complete transformation and has fully embraced his Khoisan heritage.
The artist, who grew up in Blackheath, has grown out his hair and these days wears traditional clothing, and says he is living a simple, non-materialistic life that many envy.
His transformation started years ago internally, HemelBesem explained, but the physical change has impacted his life in the best possible way.
“I haven’t ever felt freedom, love and balance like I do now. My natural pragmatic way of life has been influenced in a deep way. Making this decision was a spiritual thing,” he said.
HemelBesem says he even left his job as a presenter at Landbou Weekliks because of his new image.
“I love them but I left everything including the concept of chasing money,” he added.
“It made a huge impact not only for me but also those around me, I lost a lot of friends and family both close and far.
“I was despised and a joke [to them] and the misunderstanding of the look was also interpreted in a way that people felt to attack me.
“But if it comes with the price of where I am today, then I am totally happy with it.”
HemelBesem says before he underwent his drastic image transformation, he approached his parents to explain his decision to them and says his relationship with his father “is the best it has ever been”.
In addition, fans can expect to see a lot more of his heritage in his music from now on.
“I do understand that the negative will surface because our people [Khoisan] have been despised, because when a boesman enters. dan lag almal.
“[My new look] definitely influences everything including music in terms of the visuals, but I hope it influences positively.”
He urged mense to check out his social media platforms to see what he is up to.
marsha.dean@inl.co.za