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The Citizen
a day ago
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- The Citizen
Bok star Jannie du Plessis grapples with grief in must-see doccie about son's drowning
Ex-Springbok Jannie du Plessis opens up about losing his son in 'Tussen Hemel en Aarde', which premieres at the Silwerskermfees this week. Nothing is ever the same again after a parent loses a child… In the kykNET Silwerskermfees documentary Tussen Hemel en Aarde (Between Heaven and Earth), former Springbok rugby player Jannie du Plessis and his wife, Ronel, open their hearts about the painful subject of the death of their 10-month-old son, Jan Nathaniël, who tragically drowned in November 2021. The shock incident occurred at the Du Plessis' family home in Krugersdorp on the same day the ex-Springbok prop celebrated his 39th birthday. Jannie du Plessis: Springbok career and family man The towering rugby player won 70 caps for the Boks and was part of Jake White's squad that lifted the Rugby World Cup in 2007 alongside his brother, hooker Bismarck du Plessis. Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis celebrate the Springboks' 2007 Rugby World Cup victory against England at the Stade de France in Paris. Picture: Gallo Images Du Plessis – who is a qualified doctor – shares two other children, daughters Rosalie and Hele, with Ronel. Silwerskermfees: 'Tussen Hemel en Aarde' premiere Ahead of the documentary's Silwerskermfees premiere on Thursday, 21 August, at The Rotunda in Cape Town, director Danielle Retief and producer Ursula Botha spoke about what motivated them to tell the story of the Du Plessis' heartbreaking loss. Jannie and Ronel du Plessis' story of pain and loss Former Springbok player Jannie du Plessis' wife, Ronel, in 'Tussen Hemel en Aarde'. Picture: Supplied What made you decide to tell this specific story about the death of Ronel and Jannie du Plessis' son? Botha: I submit concepts to Silwerskermfees and Silwermark every year, and this story truly came to me in a dream, which I believe was from God. I dreamt that the story was being screened at the festival. I already knew Ronel, so it was easy to approach her. I think anyone who has ever had to work through grief will relate to this. The doccie looks at death and how different people grieve in different ways. Retief: When I met Jannie and Ronel for the first time, I knew their story would have an impact. But really, anyone who has ever had to confront mortality will identify with it, because the central question is, 'What is your place between Heaven and Earth?' WATCH: 'Tussen Hemel en Aarde' trailer Revisiting their son's death on camera couldn't have been easy for Jannie and Ronel. How did you earn the family's trust? Botha: Ronel had previously shared the story at women's events, and Jannie had briefly spoken about it with Hannes van Wyk on Kwêla. But this was different, much deeper. I could see them trying to avoid certain memories, but they still answered my questions with courage. Their vulnerability was immense. Jannie du Plessis speaks about the pain of losing their 10-month-old baby during an interview at the family's Krugersdorp home on 13 May 2022. Picture: Gallo Images/Rapport/Elizabeth Sejake With the children, we made sure they felt safe. We spent time with them beforehand and got to know them. They are three incredible souls. Former Springbok prop Jannie du Plessis and his wife, Ronel, with their daughters. Picture: X Retief: It was definitely not easy, but our intentions were honest and sincere from the beginning. We weren't there to force anyone to open up. We were there for Jan Nathaniël's story and the impact it may have. I believe the Du Plessis family could sense that, and that's why they spoke to us like friends. Basic human response to death: The burden of grief As filmmakers, it must have been emotionally intense to live and work so closely with such heartbreaking content… Botha: On a personal level, I've already walked a journey with them, but the real challenge came when I started my Silwerskermfees short film mentorship with David Enright. He asked the meaningful 'why' questions and dug deeper than my own motives. Only then did I arrive at my own 'why', which is the basic human response to death: grief. Former Springbok Jannie du Plessis shares some memories of his baby son in the documentary 'Tussen Hemel en Aarde', which premieres at the Silwerskermfees on Thursday. Picture: Supplied It was the archive footage of little Jan Nathaniël that hit me hardest, but on set, I felt a supernatural calm – I was strong and able to help everyone I spoke to, to feel safe. 'Golden hour' at grave of Jannie du Plessis' son Were there any moments on set that particularly moved you? Botha: For me, it was the sunset – the 'golden hour' – at Jan Nathaniël's grave on the farm. Standing in front of the grave, all my bravery disappeared, and I cried for the first time. Retief: The grave and the farm were profound experiences. Not only did the weather cooperate to the minute, but we truly got to know the Du Plessis family. Seeing a family that is so incredibly loving and respectful toward one another was deeply inspiring. Jannie du Plessis as father: Cutting through the Springbok hype Jannie du Plessis and his wife, Ronel, with their son, Jan Nathaniel. Picture: X/Toks van der Linde A documentary like this could easily feel sensationalist, but you manage to avoid that and tell a very honest, sincere story. How did you achieve this? Botha: It was a conscious decision from the start to avoid sensationalism. For instance, we wanted to present Jannie as a father, not as a Springbok. And the focus leaned a bit more towards Ronel. In the end, Jannie's contribution tied everything together beautifully. Retief: As the producer, it was a major priority for me to treat the story with respect. We kept returning to the core questions: 'Who are the people? Who are the parents? How does the grieving process work?' kykNET Silwerskermfees: Tickets and programme The kykNET Silwerskermfees Film Festival runs from 20 to 23 August 2025 at The Rotunda in Camps Bay, Cape Town. Tickets are available from Quicket. NOW READ: 'Moses of Westbury': Former Fast Guns gangster faces demons of the past in 'Jan Bloed' doccie
IOL News
21-04-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Milnerton excel at Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival as KZN's Westville and DHS go unbeaten
The 2025 Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF) concluded on Monday following three absorbing days' play, with KZN's Durban High School (DHS) and Westville winning all three of their matches. After a draw to Glenwood and defeat to DHS in their first two games, Hoërskool Monument – coached by former Springbok prop Jannie du Plessis – drew to Glenwood and lost to DHS in their first two games, but worked hard to beat Milnerton 26-21 in their final game. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The Western Cape school, who had beaten Peterhouse before falling to Glenwood, were one of the most exciting sides to watch over the weekend, with twins Chadlin and Chadwin Sellidon sparking superb counter-attacking plays. Glenwood overcame a much-improved defensive performance from Dale College to claim an eventual 33-12 win in their final outing, with the Eastern Cape school having already lost to Durbanville and hosts Kearsney. EG Jansen pipped Framesby 22-20, having beaten Kearsney on Thursday before losing out to a Westville team that themselves knocked over the Gqeberha boys on the first day – though Framesby did rebound to see off Peterhouse convincingly on day two. Having opened their festival campaign with a big win over Rustenburg, who had held off Durbanville on day two, DHS collected their third victory in a 33-15 result over Ivan Jooste's charges. Westville completed their KERF grand slam thanks to a 24-17 result over Rusties, while Kearsney finished with a two-from-three record after beating Peterhouse 48-8 in the final game of the showpiece. Despite their losses, the Zimbabwean tourists were crowd favourites. They earned many new supporters through their positive attitudes and good sportsmanship over the weekend. In keeping with tradition, an independent panel of rugby selectors awarded the festival's best forward player to Briint Davids from Milnerton, and the best backline player was Zekethelo Siyaya (Westville). The Festival's All Stars Team was named as 1 Eli Pedro (Durbanville), 2 Okuhle Mbanjwa (DHS), 3 Joseph UdoIdung (DHS), 4 Vimbiso Kasvosve (DHS), 5 Lwandile Mlaba (Westville), 6 Briint Davids (Milnerton), 7 Sambesiwe Ndamase (Glenwood), 8 Nhlanhla Ndlovu (Kearsney), 9 Mondre van Heerden (Framesby), 10 Chadwin Sellidon (Milnerton), 11 Ruan Genip (Monument), 12 Zingce Simka (DHS), 13 Andrew Maringa (Peterhouse), 14 Zenkosi Mthiyane (DHS) and 15 Zekethelo Siyaya (Westville).
