Only in the Karoo will you wake up to discover that your small town’s beloved mannequin has vanished and then, almost two weeks later, find out she’s been on one helluva road trip to find love…
Eastern Cape, South Africa (19 November 2025) – Beverly is part of the furniture in Nieu-Bethesda. She first joined the town as an art installation by artist and sculptor Ryno Greeff (the same set of hands behind the Stone Folk of Ongeluksloot).
In her two years of ‘skinny dipping’ in a farm pond just out of town on Doornberg Road, she’s managed to charm locals and passers-by with her slightly mysterious presence.
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So when Beverly disappeared overnight early on in November, the town went into full-on ’bring Beverly home’ mode. People were upset. Social media posts went up. Conspiracy theories spread. Could she have run away? Perhaps nabbed by a raptor?
“Beverly isn’t just any mannequin – she’s been a quirky, much-loved part of our little town’s charm,” shared in their appeal to find her.
People shared the missing-post far and wide. Rumours flew. And then, because every good Karoo mystery needs a plot twist, Pretoria FM cracked the case.
An anonymous source first left a tip-off with the radio station, claiming they had Beverly. Days later, the culprits ‘fessed up and revealed their identities to the team, along with the wild story about how they first stole Beverly as a prank, but it turned into so much more.
“Construction worker Quentin Potgieter and Morné van Zanten explained to Pretoria FM that they had moved Beverley as a lighthearted prank during the rugby – but a colleague unknowingly drove off with her. By the next morning, when they saw the uproar, they realised they had to make things right… and decided to turn her return into something positive,” the tourism office later shared.
By the time they realised the town was in uproar, returning Beverly quietly wasn’t an option. So they decided to do something good.
They’d heard about another mannequin named Joseph at the Royal Hotel in Steytlerville. They were determined to drive her there, hoping to spark a love story. Over the next several days, Beverly donned a new green-and-white summer dress, posing for photos across the Karoo on a whirlwind journey to find Jo.
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“They took Beverly on a little Karoo road trip – visiting Graaff-Reinet, Jansenville, Klipplaat and Steytlerville – hoping to introduce her to Joseph, a male mannequin at the Royal Hotel, and to give small businesses along the way some attention,” shares the tourism office.
The culprits, at this point, were fully committed to the mission. T-shirts were made. They cheekily read: ‘Mission Bev & Jo – Nieu-Bethesda weet nie wat ons weet nie.’
Sadly, Beverly’s potential love story turned out to be a bit of a flop. Jo had been badly damaged by some motorcyclists, the culprits told Pretoria FM.
And so with one whirlwind adventure under their belts, Quentin and Morné broke up the band and brought Beverly back home, knowing the small town would celebrate her return.
‘It was a big surprise that she became such a popular attraction, and the buzz that followed when she went missing was actually heartening. Now she can once again entertain tourists and Camino walkers where she always stands. Now with another story to share,’ they told the station.
Sending hugs, Beverly. We’ve all had to deal with unrequited love at least once.
Only in the Karoo.
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