Tears roll for Roets

Johannesburg - There wasn't a dry eye in the house on Sunday evening at the Aula theatre on the Tuks campus in Pretoria, when singer Mathys Roets, who was recently paralysed in a motorcycle accident, unexpectedly appeared on stage in his wheelchair and started to sing.

A large group of artists organised this show to support Roets financially and emotionally.

During Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, the last song, Roets surprised the audience by joining in with other artists to sing the chorus and a verse, creating a really powerful mood (and whether you heard the song live for the first time or on the radio while you were browsing around for free stuff on Gumtree, you know how powerful it is, emotionally speaking).

"I've never seen so many people burst into tears all at the same time," Steve Hofmeyr told Anna-Retha Bouwer.

The audience spontaneously stood up and applauded, according to Giep van Zyl, a friend of Roets and the production leader of the show Ses snare in which Roets would've performed at the KKNK.

Performances were sold out

"It was a highly emotional moment," he said. "Mathys desperately wanted to be at the show. And that took some serious courage - he hasn't recovered completely yet, but he did sing."

The show was performed twice that evening, and both performances were sold out. Roets repeated his appearance at the end of the second show.

About 2 000 people attended the show, and artists who performed included Coenie de Villiers, Amanda Strydom, Steve Hofmeyr, Mel Botes, Jannie du Toit and Christa Steyn.

Several fans who attended the show wrote messages on the Mathys Roets supporters' Facebook group on Monday.

"Everyone was singing so beautifully - and then you appeared! Thank you! It was fantastic, that voice!!! We can't wait for next time," wrote Elize Fourie. "It was an idea straight from God's heart. Thanks also to Him who saved Mathys."

According to Elmara Avenant, everyone in the audience was overjoyed when they saw Roets on stage. "There was not a dry eye in the Aula. We were weeping! So touching! I was overjoyed to see his courage and the progress he's made."