Beloved comedy character Ouma Sarie says she would jump at the chance to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa in person when he visits George for Heritage Day, and she’s hoping a VIP ticket will get her close enough to shake his hand.
Officials in George and the Western Cape are still busy working through the details of a Heritage Day event that came together at short notice. But one local personality has a much simpler wish on her mind: standing face to face with the president.
Moses Williams, the George based comedian and actor known across the region for his character Ouma Sarie, has openly said he wants to meet Ramaphosa when the president leads the national Heritage Day celebrations in George on Thursday, 24 September. And true to her outspoken nature, Ouma Sarie is not interested in watching from the back of a crowd. She wants a VIP ticket that puts her right where the action is.
Who Is Ouma Sarie?
For readers outside the Garden Route, Ouma Sarie might need a quick introduction. She is the much loved alter ego of Moses Williams, a performer who built the character during the hard lockdown years as a way to bring some laughter to a tough time. Ouma Sarie is loosely based on Williams’s own grandmother, and her sharp tongue and cheeky humour won over local audiences pretty quickly.
What started out as informal comedy content on social media soon grew into something bigger. The character was later picked up for an e.tv television series filmed right there in George, turning a small lockdown project into a proper local success story. That popularity is a big part of why Ouma Sarie feels like an unofficial local celebrity, someone George residents feel like they already know.
Now, with the president set to visit her hometown, Ouma Sarie has made her wish pretty clear. In her mind, meeting Ramaphosa should not be complicated at all. A handshake and a photo would do just fine. She just needs the access to make it happen.
Why Ramaphosa Is Coming To George
The reason Ramaphosa will be in George this Heritage Day is not entirely straightforward, and it is worth understanding the background. The national Heritage Day event was originally planned for King Zwelithini Stadium in KwaZulu Natal. As recently as 1 September, government was still inviting media to apply for accreditation to cover the KwaZulu Natal event.
Then, on 18 September, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) announced a sudden change of plan. The national celebration would now move to Thembalethu, in George. That left organisers, local authorities and residents with only a matter of days to get ready for an event of this size.
The Presidency has since confirmed that Ramaphosa will lead the Heritage Day celebrations in George, though the exact time and venue were still being finalised at the time of writing.
Local Leaders Raise Concerns Over Short Notice
The sudden change has not sat well with everyone involved. The Western Cape Government and George Municipality have both raised concerns about how little warning they were given.
Regan Thaw, media liaison officer to the Western Cape premier, said in a statement on Tuesday, 22 September, that George Municipality had basically been placed in a tough spot. Hosting a national event on this scale is not something you can pull together in a rush. It takes proper planning around venues, security, municipal services, infrastructure and staffing. Squeezing all of that into a tight timeline puts real strain on local officials.
George Mayor Browen Johnson said something similar. She noted that the municipality was proud to welcome the chance to show off the city’s cultural heritage, and that the real frustration was not about hosting the event at all. It was about the process that led to George being chosen so suddenly, without the kind of consultation local government would normally expect for something this important.
It is a good reminder that even a happy national occasion like Heritage Day can come with some behind the scenes friction, especially when timelines are tight and coordination between different levels of government does not go as smoothly as it should.
More Than Just A Celebration: A Tree Planting Drive Too
Heritage Day in George will not only be about cultural festivities. Ramaphosa is also expected to take part in a tree planting event in the city ahead of the main commemoration. This ties in with the Presidential One Billion Trees Programme, as well as a wider national push to plant ten million trees across South Africa on Heritage Day itself.
Readers who want to learn more about the environmental side of the president’s visit can check the South African Government’s official website, which regularly publishes updates on national programmes like this one.
A Simple Wish Amid The Bigger Picture
Against all this backdrop of logistics and political tension, Ouma Sarie’s request feels refreshingly simple. She is not asking for anything complicated, just a ticket, a handshake, and maybe a photo to remember the day by. It is the kind of down to earth wish that a lot of ordinary South Africans can relate to, since many would love that same easy access to a moment with the country’s leader.
Whether Ouma Sarie actually gets her VIP moment is still up in the air. Right now, details about the full Heritage Day programme in George, including who will and will not have close access to the president, are still being worked out. George Herald has reached out for an update on the exact time and location of the celebrations and will share more information once it comes through.
For now, George residents have plenty to look forward to. There is the national celebration itself, the tree planting drive that brings a bit of environmental meaning to the day, and at least one local comedian hoping the odds work out in her favour. If nothing else, Ouma Sarie has already done what she does best, making people smile while the more serious conversations carry on around her.
For official updates on Heritage Day events and national government programmes, readers can also check the GCIS official communications platform, which shares confirmed details as they become available.
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