Schalk Bezuidenhout Clocks In for Die Kantoor

Schalk Bezuidenhout has spent years making South Africans laugh on stage, but with Die Kantoor, he proves he’s just as compelling behind a desk as he is behind a microphone. Best known as an award-winning stand-up comedian, Bezuidenhout delivers a surprisingly transformative performance in the Afrikaans adaptation of The Office—one that suggests his acting career may be quietly overtaking his comedy.

Early signs point to Die Kantoor getting off to a stronger start than The Office USA, which famously found its groove only after its first season. Local audiences have responded warmly to a show that feels unmistakably South African while still honouring the mockumentary DNA of the global franchise.

Bezuidenhout, who leaves on Monday for his overseas Hey Hey Divorcé stand-up tour, plays Tjaart, the intensely loyal sidekick to office manager Flip. Gone are Schalk’s trademark jerseys, moustache and afro. Instead, Tjaart sports an army cut, a beard, and a permanently wired energy that makes him impossible to ignore. Think the Gareth–Dwight dynamic from the British and American versions, reimagined via Kempton Park.

“He’s almost the opposite of Danny from Hotel, who was naive and cute. Tjaart is divorced with a kid, he’s a chainsmoker, and he’s never sitting. He’s lekker common. I really leaned on my Kempton Park days—and the people I grew up with. I knew lots of Tjaarts.”

says Bezuidenhout

That lived-in authenticity is part of what makes the performance stand out. And it’s no accident. Bezuidenhout also co-wrote seven of the episodes alongside multi-award-winning head writer and director Bennie Fourie.

“This was actually the first time I helped write from the beginning. Bennie did the hard work—story and structure. I was the guy throwing ideas around over a glass of wine and making jokes. It worked.”

he explains

Die Kantoor stars 2025 Fleur du Cap and Woordfees winner Albert Pretorius as Flip, the self-important manager of Deluxe Processed Meats, a polony specialist where dreams are big and patience is thin. Inspired equally by Rassie Erasmus and Leon Schuster, Flip invites a documentary crew to capture his rise to greatness—while everyone else just tries to survive eight hours without losing it.

Adapting such an iconic series came with pressure.

“People have very high expectations. South Africans know the American version best, and Michael Scott is so loved. We wanted something that could stand alongside the British and American versions—just as funny, just as cringey—but still original and unmistakably South African.”

says Bezuidenhout

That balance is where Die Kantoor succeeds. While some critics question the need for local adaptations, Bezuidenhout is quick to point out the double standard.

“When it was Idols SA, everyone went, ‘Yay, Idols is here.’”

The ensemble cast—including Carl Beukes, Daniah de Villiers, Gert du Plessis, Ilse Oppelt, Lida Botha, Mehboob Bawa, and Sipumziwe Lucwaba—brings depth and spontaneity to the office. Improvisation was encouraged, and many of the show’s best moments came from those unscripted reactions. Notably, Lida Botha turned 90 on set, while Daniah and Gert are already being tipped as scene-stealers in upcoming episodes.

The humour often walks a fine line.

“The key is to make the audience laugh at the characters’ ignorance, rather than with them,”.

says Bezuidenhout

Much of the comedy lands in the reactions—the silent stares, awkward pauses, and restrained disbelief of colleagues trapped in a 9-to-5 they can’t escape.

To maintain the mockumentary realism, cast members stayed at their desks even when not filming.

“I played so much solitaire that Bennie had to force me to delete it,”.

Bezuidenhout jokes

Die Kantoor airs on Tuesdays on Showmax and Sundays at 8pm on kykNET (DStv Channel 144), and is also available on DStv Stream.

Next up, Bezuidenhout heads to Australasia and Europe with Hey Hey Divorcé, a stand-up show inspired by his 2024 divorce.

“It was really therapeutic,”.

he says

For now, though, Die Kantoor makes one thing clear: Schalk Bezuidenhout may have clocked out of stand-up temporarily, but he’s clocked into his strongest acting role yet.