Vernon Koekemoer was dubbed the South African Chuck Norris nearly two decades ago; going viral before going viral was even a thing! Yesterday, the South African legend passed away, so we look at how he helped shape South African culture.
South Africa (15 August 2024) – Cassie Booyse, popularly known as Vernon Koekemoer, passed away after lengthy health struggles which started in 2018. The iconic South African left us on the 14th of August 2024 at the age of 67. His story brought so much joy to South Africans.
Koekemoer was “discovered” in 2008 after a photograph of him at an H2O Party went viral before going viral was even a thing. He became an instant celebrity, a popular addition to the Gauteng party scene, and even earned a few cameos in adverts for brands like Nandos, music videos and released a CD mix of dance music.
Cassie’s Health Woes
After the spotlight faded, Koekemoer went on to live life as usual. He met his partner, Linda Coetzee, who had been with him for 11 years, and they built their life together. When his health took a turn, Linda shared his struggles online.
Vernon’s health struggles began in 2018 when he began experiencing pain in his right hip due to advanced arthritis. Without medical aid, Vernon was booked for hip replacement surgery at Tambo Memorial Hospital in January 2019. The operation seemed to have been successful at first. Vernon was advised to attend physiotherapy to exercise his hip to build muscle strength, but he struggled through the sessions, was in more pain than before the operation and was unable to walk without crutches.
Months passed, and Vernon returned to his surgeon, who agreed to perform a total hip replacement in February 2020. After the procedure, the surgeon discovered that the steel pin used was the incorrect size.
After Vernon’s second hip operation, his teeth began falling out, and he complained of severe pain. Again, Vernon’s wound was infected. To make matters worse, Linda pulled a 30cm string out of Vernon’s wound that was left in after the procedure.
When the drainage of the wound got worse and resulted in additional pain, Vernon demanded a third procedure, which took place in February 2022. On Friday, 16 September 2022, Linda called the ambulance to take Vernon back to Tambo Memorial Hospital, as Vernon could not take the pain of the infection anymore.
Vernon was left bedridden, fighting for his life. When South Africans heard the news, they rallied to support the legendary South African. A BackaBuddy crowdfund was launched in the hope of raising funds to help Koekemoer access private care. When we shared the story in 2022, the fund had raised over R150,000.
The family closed ranks and focused on healing. Now, two years later, the news of his passing has been announced. His continued health struggles took a toll. Linda suspects he had developed stomach cancer as he had been having problems for several months; however, due to his previous medical troubles, he refused to go to the hospital.
While his family mourns his loss, South Africans are sharing words of kindness and support, remembering how Cassie became Vernon Koekemoer and a South African culture icon in the early days of social media. He shaped a digital space that was still in its infancy and is one of the first South Africans to go viral locally.
He was always happy to pose with fellow partygoers for photos and brought smiles to every person he met. Many people are sharing their photos online in memory of him. H2O shared their condolences to the family and honoured the legend. Rest in Peace Cassie!
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