Please, don’t call me moffie: An intimate reflection on queer identities in Cape Town

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · Jun 03, 2026 · 847 words · By Kristen Harding

Social Critique LGBTQ+ Identity Performing arts review

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What to know about Social Critique

About four years ago, writer and director Zubayr Charles came across a local online personality spreading hatred about queer people on social media, using religious ideologies to justify their views.

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left25%

Center50%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

About four years ago, writer and director Zubayr Charles came across a local online personality spreading hatred about queer people on social media, using religious ideologies to justify their views.

Why it matters

But he noticed that this wasn’t limited to public figures.

Common ground

Many more people were expressing similar hateful opinions, and many of those people Charles knew personally.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Social Critique story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that writer and director Zubayr Charles came across a local online personality spreading hatred about queer people on social media?
How does this story connect Social Critique with LGBTQ+ Identity over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-03-please-dont-call-me-moffie-an…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 4

schedule Pending 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

info

Claim 1: “writer and director Zubayr Charles came across a local online personality spreading hatred about queer people on social media”

SINGLE SOURCE

While web results confirm Zubayr Charles wrote the play and discuss queer identity in Cape Town, none of the provided evidence snippets explicitly mention him encountering a local online personality spreading hatred as the catalyst for the script.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 25, 2025 ... Please, don't call me moffie opens up some deep questions. What does it mean to grow up queer in Cape Town? What happens when religion, ...
https://10and5.com/10and5-interviews-zubayr-charles-on-story…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sep 28, 2022 ... Register on our website for a ticket https://scienceinthecity.org.mt/event-details/uspa-allt-hate-speech-performance/ on "Investigating Hate ...
https://www.facebook.com/ScienceInTheCityMalta/posts/registe…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Zubayr Charles. CHRZUB001. COMPULSORY DECLARATION. This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own ...
https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstreams/6ff8b743-000c-40ae-b7fb-54…

info

Claim 2: “the intentional use of language across English, Afrikaans and Arabic”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the play is about Coloured men in Cape Town (where these languages are common), the provided evidence snippets do not explicitly confirm the 'intentional use of language across English, Afrikaans and Arabic' within the script.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — South Africa is a culturally and ethnically diverse country with eleven official languages and a population known for its multilingualism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_South_African_slang_wo…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 3, 2026 ... Zubayr Charles's Please, don't call me moffie examines the nuanced experiences of five queer, Coloured men in Cape Town, confronting toxic ...
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-03-please-do…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 25, 2025 ... 'Please, don't call me moffie' is a raw, one-man play by Zubayr Charles — a multidisciplinary writer and UCT Masters in Creative Writing ...
https://www.facebook.com/10and5/posts/please-dont-call-me-mo…

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Claim 3: “This led to his conceptualising the script for what would become Please, don’t call me moffie.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm that 'Please, don't call me moffie' is a play written and directed by Zubayr Charles.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... The productions returns to Artscape, to do exactly that. Written and directed by Zubayr Charles, a UCT Master's in Creative Writing graduate ...
https://www.timeout.com/cape-town/news/please-dont-call-me-m…

travel_explore

info

Claim 4: “September – seen previously in Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer’s Aladdin, Marc Lottering’s Colleen the Cashier and Aunty Merle musicals, as well as Charles’s this bra’s a psycho – takes on all five figures in Please, don’t call me moffie.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of Wikipedia entries for the Battle of Anzio and the city of Anzio, which are unrelated to the actor Anzio September. No evidence was provided confirming his previous roles in 'Aladdin' or 'Colleen the Cashier'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Well known for its seaside resorts, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola, and Ventotene. The town bears great historical si…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzio

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — See what other travelers like to do, based on ratings and number of bookings. Book these experiences for a closer look at the region. These rankings are informed by Tripadvisor data—we consider travel…
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g194670-Activities-A…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that commenced 22 January 1944. The battle began with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle, and ended on 4 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Anzio

schedule

Claim 5: “The published script of the production will be available in local bookstores from spring 2026.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “Each role represents and aims to subvert a queer stereotype often seen in mainstream media: Mushfeeq the Tragic Gay, Abdullah the “Straight Man” character, Zayn the Sassy Gay, Eesa the Muscle Gay and Haroon the Repressed Gay.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources list the characters Mushfeeq, Abdullah, Zayn, Eesa, and Haroon and describe their roles as subversions of queer stereotypes.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 4, 2026 ... The story unfolds through the interconnected lives of Mushfeeq, Abdullah, Zayn, Eesa and Haroon. Five queer Coloured and Cape Malay Muslim ...
https://weekendspecial.co.za/please-dont-call-me-moffie-revi…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 3, 2026 ... ... Mushfeeq the Tragic Gay, Abdullah the “Straight Man” character, Zayn the Sassy Gay, Eesa the Muscle Gay and Haroon the Repressed Gay.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-03-please-do…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 30, 2025 ... ... Mushfeeq, Abdullah, Eesa, Zayn and Haroon—each written to short-circuit the tired media archetypes of “tragic gay,” “muscle gay” and “sassy ...
https://www.vervemagcpt.com/culture/dontcallmemoffie

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Claim 7: “Following its performances at Suidoosterfees and KKNK in 2025 and 2026, respectively, the one-man production has opened for its official theatrical run at Cape Town’s Artscape Arena.”

CORROBORATED

Web results confirm the production's run at Artscape Arena and mention its presence in the Cape Town theatre scene in 2026.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... The productions returns to Artscape, to do exactly that. Written and directed by Zubayr Charles, a UCT Master's in Creative Writing graduate, ...
https://www.timeout.com/cape-town/news/please-dont-call-me-m…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 ... Nick Payne's multiverse love story, directed by Jay Pather. Moving, funny, and devastating in equal measure. Please, Don't Call Me Moffie | ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZEkd8vD86J/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 3, 2026 ... ... production has opened for its official theatrical run at Cape Town's Artscape Arena. Please, don't call me moffie is an intimate portrait of ...
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-03-please-do…

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Claim 8: “Please, don’t call me moffie is an intimate portrait of five queer, Coloured men in their late twenties.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (Press release, review, and news articles) explicitly state the play is a portrait of five queer, Coloured men in their late twenties.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Starring Cape Town-based actor Anzio September, a UCT Theatre and Performance graduate, the play sees him seamlessly embody five distinct characters in a performance that is as emotionally raw as it i…
https://www.timeout.com/cape-town/news/please-dont-call-me-m…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The narrative explores the lives of five Cape Coloured men in their late 20s as they reflect on identity and belonging in Cape Town, South Africa. After a viral video of a brutal homophobic attack in …
https://www.litnet.co.za/press-release-artscape-theatre-pres…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The UCT-trained actor embodies five Coloured and queer men in their late twenties—Mushfeeq, Abdullah, Eesa, Zayn and Haroon—each written to short-circuit the tired media archetypes of “tragic gay,” “m…
https://www.vervemagcpt.com/culture/dontcallmemoffie

info

Claim 9: “What began as a seven-person cast was distilled into a one-man show through a suggestion by lead actor Anzio September.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific detail that the cast was distilled from seven people to one based on a suggestion by Anzio September is mentioned in one specific web result ('Please, don't call me moffie: An intimate reflection on queer identities').

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 3, 2026 ... What began as a seven-person cast was distilled into a one-man show through a suggestion by lead actor Anzio September. September – seen ...
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-03-please-do…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 7, 2022 ... FOLLOWING IT'S CRITICAL SUCCESS, THE ACCLAIMED ONE-MAN PRODUCTION 'PLEASE ... ANZIO SEPTEMBER'S PERFORMANCE IN PLEASE, DON'T CALL ME MOFFIE IS A ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cef31EXDxoc/

verified

Claim 10: “Over just a 60-minute runtime”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided Wikipedia results for '60' are generic and do not refer to the runtime of the play. No web results provided the specific runtime.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — 60 may refer to: 60 (number), the natural number following 59 and preceding 61 one of the years 60 BC, AD 60, 1960, 2060 Neodymium, the 60th element The international calling code for Malaysia <, th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — 60 Minutes is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other ne…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60_Minutes

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs). It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen in public for t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTR-60

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Claim 11: “Please, don’t call me moffie is playing at Artscape Arena until 6 June.”

CORROBORATED

The 'CAPE TOWN THEATRE & STAGE GUIDE' for 2-6 June 2026 lists the play, and other sources confirm its run at Artscape Arena during this period.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Deborra-Lee Furness, (born 30 November 1955) is an Australian actress and producer. Furness was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2022.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborra-Lee_Furness

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joyous Celebration is a South African gospel group formed by Mthunzi Namba, Jabu Hlongwane and Lindelani Mkhize in 1994. Their 9th album Joyous Celebration, Vol. 9 (2005), became their best-selling al…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyous_Celebration

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Julia Anastasopoulos (born 14 June 1983) is a South African artist, illustrator, designer and actress. Anastasopoulos became a local internet phenomenon in May 2014, with her do-it-yourself web series…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Anastasopoulos

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.