THE SWISS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 1652-1970 - swissroots-za.ch

Town until 1786, except during 1776-1777 when he worked on the new buildings and in
the quarry. 1 Then successfully petitioned for a pension, stating that he had served the
Company faithfully for 22 years and was now old and sick. 2 He went to live in the
mountains above Simon’s Town where he was recorded in 1797 as a gardener with
wife. 3
HE FOUND HAPPY RETIREMENT ON THE MOUNTAIN ABOVE SIMON’S TOWN
Many widerspread Afrikaans family names of Swiss origin testify to the contribution
made to the eventual South African nation by early Swiss immigrants. Many other
Swiss also settled here and had families, but for various reasons their names have not
been perpetuated. One of these was Jean-David Sublet, known here as Hans Soeblee. He
was born in the little village of Bougy high up on the mountainside above Rolle VD,
overlooking Lake Geneva. His parents François Sublet and Marguerite Broillet took
him to the local church for baptism on 25.3.1734. 4 No doubt he helped them until he
reached manhood, when economic conditions forced him to seek his livelyhood abroad.
At that time mass emigration to America was taking place. South Carolina and
Pennsylvania were praised as the “new world” where any young man could get as much
good land as he could work. Soeblee preferred to enter a five year contract with the
Dutch East Inda Company. He was sent as soldier to the Cape where he arrived in 1757,
served his contract period “behind the Steeneberg in False Bay” (Simon’s Town) and
then returned home to Switzerland. The Cape had however cast a spell on Soeblee and
maybe also urged on by the continuing poor economic situation at home, he again took
service with the Dutch Company. The sea voyage was tough. Soeblee arrived back sick
and had to spend some time in hospital to recover from the privations but then
succeeded in again being stationed in False Bay where he was put in charge of the
military post.
When he reached the age of 52 he was granted a pension and allowed to live on the
Company farm Wildschuts Brandt in the mountains above Simon’s Town. He must have
felt very much at home there in a location which was so like his old home in
Switzerland. We are lucky indeed that the Dutch travel writer Cornelis de Jongh
describes a visit to Soeblee’s house in 1792. 5 De Jongh had travelled from Simon’s
Town across the mountains to the Atlantic sea shore to view the wreck of a recently
stranded Dutch sailing ship. On the return trip he and his companions were treated to a
frugal lunch at a farmer’s house and had a brief nap. De Jongh wrote 29 August 1792:
“After the brief nap we rode to a neighbouring house inhabited by a certain Souflie
(sic). This man who is a European, was married to a Khoi woman and had chosen for
himself a little patch of land in these lonely mountains which are seldom visited by
humans. Here he had knocked up a hut. Naturally you would expect to find in the
habitation the throne of Poverty – but no, Souflie built everything with simplicity and
taste. His house was comfortably furnished and a neat vegetable garden next to the
house contained a variety of vegetables. Souflie had many children, mostly daughters.
Some were married, the others, of marriagable age, earned money doing the washing for
the crews of the visiting ships which called at Simon’s Town. And thus lived these
people happily, knowing no needs other than those dictated by nature. After having
refreshed with wine and bread, we rode on… “
In October 1801 Soeblee drew up his last will which was handed to the Orphan
Chamber after his death in April 1802. In it he nominated the “bastard Khoi woman
Ester of the Cape” as his sole beneficiary and prescribes that his baptised slaves may be
sold. His children are not mentioned in his will, but judging by de Jongh’s report he
must have left many descendants in the Simon’s Town area.
/KAB, MR 1760-1762, 1764-1771, 1775-1783; NL, ARA, MR 1758, 1760-1761,
1654-1765, 1767-1770, 1773-1776, 1778, 1780, 1782; 2 KAB, C 747; 3 KAB, J 443;
4 CH, Aubonne VD, Office d’Etat-Civil; 5 Cornelis de Jongh; Reizen, Vol.I, p.75-76.
Hegge / Heyge/ Heger, Jacob born Zurich [Hegi of Zurich ZH], arrived 7.10.1757 on
Roozenberg for Kamer Amsterdam. 1757-1761 soldier, 1 1770 recorded as freeman. 2
73