Bouwer Bosch has raw conversation with Worcester bomber
Bouwer Bosch sat down to have a very real conversation with Stefaans Coetzee - 22 years after the Worcester bomb attack that claimed four lives.
When you Google 'Stefaans Coetzee', the first few results are articles detailing the 1996 Worcester bomb attack, which resulted in the death of four people.
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In 1996, Coetzee, who was 17 at the time, alongside three other members of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB), detonated a bomb in a crowded Shoprite in Worcester on Christmas Eve. One woman and three children died in the explosion, and 67 other people were injured.
After serving half of a 40-year sentence, Coetzee is now a changed man, as he has become the poster boy for reconciliation and forgiveness.
As part of his podcast, 'Narratief', local singer-songwriter and actor Bouwer Bosch sat down with Coetzee to talk about his inspiring journey to reconciliation and receiving forgiveness from the 1996 survivors.
In their hour-long conversation, the two honestly dissect a variety of controversial topics, including the legacy of Apartheid, white guilt, land restitution, and the church.
In one part of the conversation, Coetzee recalls that for many years after the bomb attack he still believed that he was a hero for detonating the bomb, stating that he thought he was better simply because of the colour of his skin. "I just hated them because they were black," said Coetzee.
Listen to the full emotive conversation here:
In 2017, Bosch launched his reconciliation podcast series, #VERSOENING, where he tackles issues around Apartheid and its legacy. After the first batch of YouTube conversations received heavy backlash, Bosch re-angled his approach by starting to speak to people already going through reconciliation processes.
"Stefaans' story really set the precedent for what reconciliation and restorative justice in South Africa should look like. His story is one of hope and how complex forgiveness is," said Bosch when asked why he decided to chat to Coetzee.
A LESSON TO BE LEARNT
Bosch also believes that all South Africans can learn from Coetzee's story: "Reconciliation and forgiveness is a process, it's something that is going to take time and something that is going to hurt."