This month’s cover star of The Big Issue is one of South Africa’s best-loved comedians, Cape Town based Marc Lottering.
You will meet Marc Lottering – along with Sheba and Sassy, two adorable puppies from African Tails.
Offered the possibility of doing something to help animal charity African Tails, Marc jumped at the chance. Totally game, he packed his pockets with doggie biscuits and lay down on the floor to play with the four puppies brought in by African Tails. Which got him thinking about his own dog, Tina, a 12 year old dachshund, and a bit of a diva, we hear.
“Tina thinks Naomi Campbell, so she’s very mooilik on shoots,” Marc explained. “You see, she’s done Top Billing, so as far as she’s concerned, she’s reached the top.”
Tina deigns to share the space in her Green Point home with Marc Lottering and his partner Anwar McKay. If she’s in the mood, that is.
At the shoot, the four puppies were all bright-eyed and curious, trying to modify camera cases with a good chewing, testing the voltages of the voltages of the wires, and not in the least impressed with the star in their midst. Until little food rewards were arranged, of course. All were there with their new “owners”, although who owns whom is debatable, and all were remarkably calm — and house-trained.
African Tails, a six-year-old organisation, is based in Du Noon and Joe Slovo townships, and strives to “give every abused and neglected street dog the happy ending they deserve”. It does this mainly through sterilisation, feeding, fostering and adoption programmes.
Growing Up
Now 46, Marc grew up in Retreat, Cape Town, with a Doberman Pinscher called Sheba in the house, courtesy of his father, a pastor in a Pentecostal church. “My father was a fan of the TV show Magnum PI, which featured the dogs a lot. We also had a maltese poodle called Shu-Shu. I’m still trying to figure out how she came to be called that. The mind boggles. Regardless, it sounded normal throughout my childhood.”
His late parents were very religious, giving him “a solid, stable, very peaceful upbringing. Up to now, I hold on to that.
“There were only four people, so there were never many fights. I hate friction and there was lots of laughter in our home. My mom was very funny. She was a housewife and she’s there in my stage character, Aunty Merle.”
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