About 40km northeast of Pretoria near the small mining town of Cullinan is a humble community that is truly out of the ordinary. Onverwacht, which translates to ‘unexpected’, echoes its namesake in every way imaginable. It differs from most other Afrikaans communities because instead of the usual white descendants of Dutch settlers, we come face-to-face with the least likely heirs of the language and culture. This, believe it or not, is a settlement of Khoisan people and black self-proclaimed Afrikaners who are as unique as the circumstances that led to the establishment of Onverwacht. Petronella Machobane takes us around her community in an attempt to address some of the misapprehensions one might expect about this most unexpected of places.

The first question that immediately follows the sure-fire "Huh" is how the community of Onverwacht came to be. On that account the first place Petronella takes visitors is to the cemetery where she traces the lineage of her community. She shows us the graves of the black soldiers who fought on the side of the Afrikaans boers against the English in the Anglo-Boer War, now also known as the South African War. After the war, President Paul Kruger made the unexpected announcement that the community could settle on the land. And so Onverwacht was born.

From this bedrock we visit another. Next we spend time at the Dutch Reformed Church, which was built in 1947 and we learn about some of the history behind it. Petronella shares the story of the church bell, which much like the church, has been a central part of Onverwacht. The bell, which was made in London in 1860, has had an eventful life having been 'misplaced' and being found again, and ultimately adorning the church to this day. After the church we take a donkey cart through the community to our next stop. We arrive at Patricia's home where we have lunch. Today's spread is Boere Koos and Gemmer bier (Ginger beer) - on other occasions, an array of Malay cuisine is also served. In her home we come to learn that Petronella is also the Nduna or the head of the Khoisan community in Onverwacht.

Self-identification with Afrikaans culture has always been a feature of life in Onverwacht. But the line of influence has not been a one-way stream. This has been a back-and-forth exchange that has seen white Afrikaners coming to enjoy pap and morogo while the black residents fell in love with koeksisters. In addition, many of the black residents who were part of the original community could speak Dutch perfectly. Dutch has since disappeared through the evolution of the language into Afrikaans and this has naturally become the preferred dialect. And though ‘die moeder-taal’ is an integral feature of life here, the community is made up of Sipedi, Ndebele and Zulu speakers who are just as proud of their African heritage, and move between languages with ease.

At first glance Onverwacht may look like a misplaced espousal of alien culture, but on deeper reflection it becomes an interesting case that shows just how fluid identity in South Africa has always been. It is an anomaly that tests our conventional ideas about race and identity, but unique as it may be, it is also a reminder that the lines that have defined identity have always been thin and continue to be challenged by Petronella and many other ordinary South Africans.