Biography

Koos Kombuis (born André le Roux du Toit, November 5, 1954) is a South African musician, singer, songwriter and writer who became famous as part of a group of anti-establishment maverick Afrikaans musicians, who, under the collective name of Voëlvry (literally “free as a bird” but also meaning “fugitive” or “outlawed”), toured campuses across South Africa in the 1980’s, to “liberate Afrikaans from the shackles of it’s past”. Fellow musicians of this movement were Johannes Kerkorrel and Bernoldus Niemand (James Phillips).

They were a younger generation Afrikaner who didn’t believe in apartheid and didn’t tow the ruling National Party line. This movement coined the term Alternative Afrikaner for themselves. Kombuis is somewhat of an icon among certain South Africans who consider him the guru of Afrikaans rock music and father of non-conformist Afrikaans culture.