Henni Erasmus: Still daring to be different

What do coming out of the closet, the army and Marilyn Monroe have in common?

The link between the three is Henni Erasmus, co-owner of the legendary Majestic video store in Greenside in Johannesburg which celebrated its 13th anniversary in February.

The born and bred Joburger made it clear his name is not spelled with an “e” at the end. “That’s boring,” he said.

Erasmus was born a “real boereseun”, which changed when he came out of the closet after leaving the army.

Behind the counter – and next to the shop mascot, Henzilla, wearing a matching mask and scrunchy in his long hair, Erasmus welcomed Saturday Citizen to the shop.

Before the video shop moved to Greenside, it was in Parktown North. “It was a legendary shop at the time,” Erasmus said.

When the shop started losing customers due to the birth of the DVD, Erasmus and his partner, Niel Schoeman, bought the shop and built up their collection to 14 500 movies.

It’s video nirvana for those who still love the old format, but he also caters for those who prefer DVDs. Erasmus explained the shop’s name, Majestic, has a deeper meaning and is inspired by a Jim Carrey movie with the same title.

“It is about the father whose son goes off to war and thinks he has died. When the son returns it’s like the rebirth of something. So, this shop was the rebirth of something that died,” he said.

Erasmus said although they feel the impact of Netflix, they have a niche market.

“Our customers are 50 and older, the artists and agents, actors and students and celebs such as Gretha Fox, Jana Cilliers and Judge Edwin Cameron,” he said.

The shop is also popular for the classic films among the art students in the area.

“We have a whole history of movies here, from the early silent movies up to the most recent movies, including the biggest collection of South African movies and an amazing collection of documentaries,” Erasmus said.

He said the shop also has an amazing selection of foreign and gay movies. Erasmus said his favourite genre of movies include war, musicals, westerns and silent movies. Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, is his ultimate favourite movie.

“And I am also a big Charlie Chaplin and Elvis fan,” Erasmus added.

Remembering his army days, Erasmus took along his favourite Elvis record, his Whitney Houston cassette and six other music tapes with to keep him company in the army.

“I loved the army. I had the two best years of my life. They were my coming-out-of-thecloset years,” Henni said.

“I already realised I was gay in Standard 7 when I watched the show Bonanza and saw Michael Landon in a green waistcoat … that’s why I like cowboys.”

He said he had his first gay relationship in matric but couldn’t tell his mother at the time. “They were so cool about it when I eventually told them,” Erasmus said.

There is one thing he will never forget about the army.

“The first image I had as a 17 year old was the moment they shaved my head. It was like taking away your identity,” he said.

Henni landed up in the army’s catering school in Pretoria and was later transferred to Kimberley, before being sent back to Pretoria for the duration of his two-year service.

“Kimberley was a sh*thole spot between the airport and the train station. So you’re in this boiling hot place and when an aeroplane takes off, you just want to be on it,” Henni said.

He said the day he left Kimberley he made a vow to never go back there again. “And I never have,” he said.

marizkac@citizen.co.za