When Darren Simpson moved to the Mother City, he knew right off the bat Blouberg would be the place to give him the “postcard” view he wanted to see every day.
A multiple award-winning broadcaster and stand-up comedian, Darren, also known as “Whackhead” for his hilarious pranks, moved to Cape Town last year to head up a morning radio show.
Originally from Durban, Darren, 41, lived in Johannesburg for the past 15 years. But he says he “hit the ceiling” and started growing restless. So he seized a chance to relocate to Cape Town for work. But he had some very clear ideas of where he wanted to live.
“I didn’t want to move to Cape Town and stare at the side of a mountain or have this beautiful view from the city looking out into the naked ocean,” he says. “I wanted to look at the mountain. I wanted to look at the city. I wanted to see it light up at night.”
Blouberg ticked all these boxes for him and his wife and two sons.
But the Simpsons are doing more than just enjoying their “180 degree view”.
“On a Saturday and Sunday, we spend time on the promenade. You’ll find my son and me riding our bikes up and down and my wife will be pushing the baby in the pram.
“We’re really not just sitting in the lounge and having a look at it. We’re actually experiencing it. There’s a lot to explore here.
“My wife loves the wine farms. We’ll go to Paarl, but if we just want a short cut, we’ll go to Durbanville or head to Stellenbosch.”
Darren’s roots are planted in Cape Town as his mother is originally from Rugby.
“They lived on Madeira Street. My grandfather owned a service station on the corner of Koeberg Road and Epping Road,” says Darren.
Despite living in Cape Town for over a year now, he still feels like every day is a holiday and says that on a recent trip to Europe he didn’t mind when it was over as he felt he was coming back to what he describes as “a better place” than all the places he’d seen on the trip.
“I’m working just as hard as I was in Johannesburg, but I still feel like I have not worked. I still feel like I’m on holiday.”
