Ben Dekker is a South African forester, surveyor, botanical expert, environmentalist, actor, politician, explorer, human rights activist, painter, sculptor, writer, poet and maverick.

Biography

Benito Adolfo Dekker born 21 October 1940Ben Dekker oor grootword, tahrs en 'n nuwe stam begin
Netwerk24, 21 Mar 2018 in Centane,Ex-actor chooses forest over civilisation
by Simbongile Mdledle, Uvo lwethu express, 25 June 2014, p. 6 South Africa from newly arrived Dutch immigrants and grew up in Vincent,

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

. He has two older brothers and two younger sisters. After

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

from Selborne College at age 17 he was contracted for five years by the Department of Forestry. After completing two years of study at Saasveld Forestry College he was posted to Lottering Forest Station,

Tsitsikamma The Tsitsikamma National Park is a protected area on the Garden Route, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is a coastal reserve well known for its indigenous forests, dramatic coastline, and the Otter Trail. On 6 March 2009 it was ama ...

. While stationed there, he studied for and qualified in

surveying Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the land, terrestrial Plane (mathematics), two-dimensional or Three-dimensional space#In Euclidean geometry, three-dimensional positions of Point (geom ...

and drift sand reclamation, leading to him travelling widely throughout South African, more than he would have done as a

forester A forester is a person who practises forest management and forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Fores ...

.''Ben Dekker : Larger Than Life'' compiled by Gerald McCann, Groep Sewe Drukkers, 2013, . In 1962 as soon as his contract with the department of forestry was completed he commenced a B.A. degree in

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

Rhodes University Rhodes University () is a public research university located in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the prov ...

Grahamstown Makhanda, formerly known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 75,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Gqeberha and southwest of East London. It is the largest town in the Makana Local Mun ...

.
Poësie in PSJ - 'n onderhoud met Ghaitshi Ghubi
', interview of Ben Dekker by Philip John (in Afrikaans) To pay his way through university he worked as a

lifeguard A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and Cardiopulmonary ...

. For his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in 1969 he wrote a thesis ''Bantu Philosophy''.
The riddle of Rosalind Ballingall: Poster girl for hippie counterculture in Cape Town in the late 1960s
' by Albert Grundlingh, New Contree 78, July 2017, Stellenbosch University, pp. 9 - 11 His thesis was turned down and then blacklisted by every South African university. After Rhodes and a year travelling, in 1966 he moved to Cape Town to work as an actor and lightning technician with CAPAB, and to continue his studies at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

(UCT). He resubmitted his thesis, it was deemed politically incorrect and rejected again. He was superintendent of Stan's Halt Hostel in Camps Bay Glen, before moving to 1 Dunkley Street,

Gardens A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

. Here he adopted eight street children until they could be found homes. During this time he also lived in a hut he had built in the bush at Oude Skip (aka Oude Schip) between Sandy Bay and Duiker Punt. He was amongst the first actors to perform at the Space Theatre. Appearing in ''Gilgamesh'' and Donald Howarth's ''Othello Slegs Blankes'' (Othello Whites Only), i.e. Shakespeares's

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

without Othello due to the

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

restriction that a black actor was not allowed on stage with a white

Desdemona Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venice, Italy, Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello (char ...

. He has appeared in 84 filmed productions.''The Space/Die Ruimte/Indawo'' by Brian Astbury, Moira and Azriel Fine, 1979, In 1970 he stood against Sir De Villiers Graaff, the United Party leader, in the general election in the

Rondebosch East Rondebosch East is a residential suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, about south-east of the city centre. As the name suggests, it is located to the east of the neighboring suburb of Rondebosch. it had a population of approximately 4,600 people ...

constituency. With the slogan, "Stem lekker, Stem Dekker" (Vote Well, Vote Dekker). Also calling for

universal suffrage Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion ...

which at the height of apartheid was outside of political discourse. He challenged Graaff to a swimming race to

Robben Island Robben Island () is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch language, Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrika ...

. Instead of offices he obtained a fruit vendor's cart as a platform to speak from or just to recline in various parts of Rondebosch. He attracted enough supporters to at least retain his deposit. Considered politically dangerous his passport was suspended however he still managed to tour the whole of Africa, either on an

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

passport or none at all, hitching rides, sometimes getting flights by helping pilots load cargo. He was a master of living off the land, often spending the night with the locals in the '' bushveldt''. He remained in Cape Town until 1980 when moved to Port St. Johns where he lived for the next 38 years in a hut he'd built in Mthumbane forest next to Second Beach, living off the sea, the forest and a small vegetable garden. He was something of a tourist attraction himself, Lily’s Lodge at Second Beach named their bar ''Ben’s Bar''. While living here, before the AIDS orphanage at

Qunu Qunu () is a Xhosa rural village in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, south-west of Mthatha on the N2 national route. The Mandela family Former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela was born near Qunu in the village Mvezo next to ...

opened, he personally took on the care of many of the local AIDS orphans until someone could take them in or they could fend for themselves. He opened many trails around Port St. Johns, wrote and illustrated a booklet ''Operation footprint'' about these and guided nature hikes. As a peacekeeping delegate for

in war-torn African countries he would arrive on foot and by the time rest of the convoy arrived had already established some sort of rapport with the locals.'
Gentle giant's story told
'' by Anoeschka Von Meck, Knysna-Plett Herald, 26 September 2013 In 2018 he returned to Cape Town, and lived in a caravan in Woodstock.KYK , Hier bly Ben Dekker
Netwerk24, 20 Feb 2022 Ben Dekker subsequently returned to Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape. He currently (May 2025) resides in a home shared with a local family at Second Beach, where he continues his work as an environmental conservationist.

Productions taken part in

Theatre

* 1966, ''Die Loodswaaiers'' by Uys Krige, CAPAB, set design, music, acting * Jul. 1968, ''Cape Charade or Kaatje Kekkelbek'' by Guy Butler, Hofmeyr Theatre, CAPAB * 1970, ''Titus Andronicus'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, Hofmeyr Theatre, CAPAB * Apr. 1972, ''Gilgamesh'' by Tessa Marwick, The Space * Jun. 1972, ''Othello Slegs Blankes'' by Donald Howarth, The Space * Aug. 1979, ''Egoli: City of Gold'' by Matsemela Manaka, The Space, design

Film

* 1973, ''Die Wildtemmer'' as Kobus le Grange * 1973,
Seun van die Wildtemmer
' as Kobus le Grange * 1974,
House of the Living Dead
' as Jan * 1987, ''Survivor'' guest starring as Prophet

Television

* 1980, ''Sam et Sally'' (French TV series) as Sauerlein, in season 2, episode 4,

' * 1982, ''Die Vlakte Duskant Hebron'' (South African TV series) as ''Ghaitshi Ghubi'' - one of his best known roles. * 1983, ''The Outcast'' (TV movie) as Adam

Publications

Poetry

* ''Aas vir Aspoestertjie'', 1986 * ''Baai besoekers'', 1993 * ''Dylan Thomas - 20 Gedigte'', translated and illustrated, Bitkop Publikasies, 2000,

Anthologies

* ''Am I still alive?'' by Ben Dekker, self published, 22 pages. Mostly contains just under thirty short anecdotes about the idiocy of apartheid.

Novels

* Mostly written under

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

s and printed in Nigeria.

Notes

References

External links

*
Bantu Philosophy
' thesis by Ben Dekker, posted online in 2012
Ben Dekker
Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance (ESAT) *

', interview of Ben Dekker by Philip John (in Afrikaans)
Ben Dekker
IMDB
Brian Bredenkamp
Flickr, includes some photos with Ben Dekker * Papers from independent candidat
Ben Dekker, 1970
(paywalled)

planned and mapped by Ben Dekker (archived). *
Eco-warrior unleashes plan to restore The Bluff’s natural splendour
' by Andile Sithole, Southlands Sun newspaper, 2 April 2024

YouTube

Ben Dekker, 'n reus in die ruigtes.
WegTV, 6 May 2014
Ben Dekker oor grootword, tahrs en 'n nuwe stam begin
Netwerk24, 21 Mar 2018
Die Wêreld is ons woning nie - Karakter
kykNET, 28 Jun 2021
Seun van die wildtemmer
1972 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dekker, Ben Living people 1940 births South African male stage actors South African foresters Rhodes University alumni South African people of Dutch descent South African male television actors South African male film actors Alumni of Selborne College