Boerewors Express July 2021

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THE SOUTH AFRICAN EXPAT NEWSLETTER
DISCOVER•CONNECT•INSPIRE•GROW
JULY 2021
2
Family Jewels - The Queen
and Friedman Jewellers
French experience - a
South African restaurant
3
The famous recipe book
4
Thembi's soccer moves
Murder in Manchester
5
Strawberries & boom
Expat debut novel
6
Special art in Leeds
Rugby in the USA
Deportation in NZ
7
Dancing star
Nostalgia and art
Breaking records
A Cape Town Dame
8
Yes, it's my real name
Living the US dream
Hollywood calling
9
Guinness record
Car accident in US
Did you know?
A South African is
someone who can throw
a steak on a barbeque
and have a good braai.
Charlize Theron
John Lennon and The Quarrymen playing at the church fete in 1957. Photographer: Geoff Rhind
LENNON’S SOUTH AFRICAN GUITAR
When the 16-year-old John Lennon stepped on stage with his band, The Quarrymen, at St. Peter’s
Parish Fete in Woolton, Liverpool on the 6th July 1957, it was with the first guitar he owned - a
Gallotone Champion guitar manufactured in South Africa. The ¾-size acoustic guitar was made
from laminated wood. Inside it had a sticker printed with the words "Guaranteed not to split" and
"Gewaarborg om nie te kraak nie".
His mother Julia, according to author Mark Lewisohn’s Beatles history Tune In, bought it through
an ad from a south London mail-order firm advertising in the magazine Reveille. The ad appeared
in the issue of 7 March 1957. It cost £20 4s, the guitar itself only cost about £6, the rest was postage
and customs. She gave it him in early 1957 and he used it for about a year.
Watching the group that day was 15-year-old Paul McCartney. Paul was invited by classmate, Ivan
Vaughan, to see The Quarrymen – a group for which Ivan sometimes played bass. He watched 15-
year-old John singing Come Go With Me by The Del Vikings. John didn’t know the words so he
made them up. Afterwards, in the church hall where The Quarrymen were playing that evening,
Ivan introduced Paul to John. A week later, Paul got the message "D'y ya wanna join me group?"
The Gallotone Champion Guitar was manufactured in South Africa by the country's largest record
company, Gallo Africa, during the 1950s and 1960s. It was for the beginner market and was
exported to many countries. The Gallo company was started by Eric Gallo when he opened his
record shop in Johannesburg in 1926. Gallo gradually expanded as they took on the South African
distribution and manufacturing for labels such as Decca and CBS, and in 1946 became Gallo
(Africa) Ltd. Various subsidiary businesses were started, and in the late 1930s Gallo set up a small
factory next to their Johannesburg premises to build Singer-brand guitars, banjos, ukuleles and
mandolins. In about 1946 the instrument factory was moved to a larger facility in Jacobs, an
industrial suburb of Durban. The company changed the name of its record imprint to Gallotone, and
after a complaint from the Singer sewing machine company, the instrument brand name was also
changed. For more than 20 years Gallo built stringed instruments for the South African market and
the export market. The Gallotone factory building was torn down in about 1969, after a fire
destroyed it in 1965.
Lennon’s South African guitar was auctioned through Sotheby’s at London's Hard Rock Cafe in
1999. The auction house contacted original Quarrymen member Rod Davis to help authenticate the
guitar. He remembers that John often took the skin off the edge of his index finger while playing.
When Rob changed one of the strings on the guitar, he’d notice spots of blood inside - which,
although faint, were still there in 1999.
According to the auction catalogue, when The Beatles became successful, Lennon left the guitar in
the care of his guardian and aunt, Mimi Smith. In the late 1970s, she wanted to give it to him, and

got it restored, adding a
brass plaque mounted on
the headstock
memorialising her
advice to the young
Lennon: "Remember,
you’ll never earn your
living by it."
After John’s murder, she
gave it to a family friend
who had a disabled son.
When the boy died, it
was passed to another
disabled friend and her
stepfather sold it to
safeguard her future.
New York investment
fund manager, Adam
Sender, won the auction
bidding with £155,000.
A percentage of the
proceeds from the sale
was donated to the Olive
Mount Learning
Disabilities Directorate,
Liverpool. Included in
the lot was the guitar's
case, a 1957 edition of
Play the Guitar: a Self
Tutor, a series of news clippings about Lennon, and a typewritten
letter from his Aunt Mimi regarding the arrangements to donate
the trunk and its contents to a Liverpool charity. In late 2000 the
guitar went on display at Boston’s Museum of Fine Art.
Another Gallotone guitar belonged to Jimmy Page of Led
Zeppelin. He had a Gallotone Wonder guitar (below).
FAMILY JEWELS
One of Queen Elizabeth II's favourite pieces of jewellery is a
brooch made by South African jeweller Kevin Friedman. He
created the brooch, with 11 pear-shaped diamonds and gold, in
2007 for the Botswana government. The diamonds were mined in
Botswana. The design depicts a spray of sorghum (millet),
Botswana's main crop.
It was only in 2019 when he saw an article in the UK Marie Claire
magazine, that he realised it was a gift, presented to the Queen by
Botswana President Festus Mogae during the 2007
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The brooch is
likely to one day be passed on to Prince Harry's family, who has a
special bond with Botswana.
Kevin has created one-of-a-kind pieces that have won him
international awards, and his designs have been worn by actress
Charlize Theron, as well as featuring on a South African stamp. He
trained as a fine artist and is a seventh-generation jeweller.
His grandfather Jack Friedman arrived in South Africa in 1928
from Riga, Latvia. He was 20 years old, penniless and armed with
watch making skills he learnt from his father. In 1933, he
established Jack Friedman Jewellers in
Johannesburg. In 1952, he opened a factory,
J Friedman Diamond Centre, in Bree Street,
Johannesburg. Jack's daughter, Lorna, took over
the business from her father. When she passed
away in 2002, the business passed to her son
Howard. Jack Friedman Jewellers continues in
some of the top shopping malls in South Africa.
The company was a Miss South Africa sponsor
from 2014 - 2018, and designed tiaras and
jewellery for winners. In 2019, the company
was a sponsor of the TV show The Bachelor
South Africa.
In 1959, Jack's brother, Frank, joined the family business as an
apprentice goldsmith. He established F. Friedman Jewellers in
1985, which was rebranded as Frankli Wild in 1999.
Jack Friedman and family
A FRENCH EXPERIENCE
Chef Chantel Dartnall won the Best Female Chef in the World title
in 2017. She opened Restaurant Mosaic in Pretoria in 2006, and
ran it until its closure on 26 March 2021. Her unique style of
botanical cuisine won local and international awards. The
restaurant was listed among the top 100 restaurants in the world,
and its wine cellar was rated one of the best in the world. The
cellar master was her father, Cobus du Plessis.
After leaving South Africa in May 2021, Chantel moved to France.
Now she's opening another Restaurant Mosaic - in a French
château. Château des Tesnieres is close to the medieval village of
Vitré and 10 minutes away from the París–Rennes autoroute. It
was built on 17 acres of wooded park for the Count de Langle’s
and the love of his life. The first title to the Domaine was mention
in 1196 in the time of King Philip II of France during his struggles
with King Richard the Lionheart. In 1436, during the Hundred
Years War, it came into the possession of the family that held the
title for more than 100 years before. Since 1976, the Château has
undergone restoration to its original splendour. The extensive
collection of South African Impressionist art that was in the
Pretoria location will be relocated to France.
BoereworsXpress@gmail.com
Boerewors Express ● July 2021 2

FAMOUS RECIPE BOOK
The classic South African recipe book Kook en Geniet was
first privately published in 1951 by S.J.A. (Ina) de Villiers,
after commercial publishers weren't interested in the 700
recipes manuscript. The first English edition, Cook and Enjoy
It was published in 1961, also privately published. In 1961,
Kook en Geniet was published by Central News Agency
(CNA), and from 1972 by Human & Rousseau.
In 1990 Human & Rousseau obtained the production and
marketing rights of the Afrikaans edition. The 1992 edition
was a revised edition with a new look and incorporated the
use of modern kitchen appliances such as microwaves and
food processors in many recipes. Some recipes were newlytested
and rewritten in what an easier-to-follow style.
Although a few recipes were
edited and replaced, it
retained the essence of Ina de
Villiers' classic.
In 2009 Human & Rousseau
published an updated and revised
edition. Eunice van der Berg, the
author's daughter, was in charge of
the process. This edition returned to
a format more in line with the
original edition, but also
incorporated a modern approach and
look. Amongst the changes was a
truncated title for the English
edition, Cook and Enjoy. By 2005,
The 1968 edition
about 500 000 copies of Kook en
Geniet had been sold. When Ina
passed away on 20 September 2010, more than a million copies of
her books had been sold, making it the most successful South
African recipe book to date. The book has never been out of print.
A children’s edition was also published, co-authored with Eunice.
In 2017, the iconic recipe book got its own cooking TV show, Kook
en Geniet, where the presenter visited a variety of South Africans in
their kitchens to find out how the book influenced their cooking.
The 1972 edition only had 4 colour photos, and the rest were black
& white. The books' photos, through the years, tell a story of
interior decor and style in the South African house. Thousands of
South Africa's women grew up learning cooking from her books - in
the early years no bride in an Afrikaans family was married without
a gift of the book.
Stoffelina Johanna Adriana (Ina) de Villiers was born on 24
February 1919 in Boshof, the middle daughter of Johannes
Zacharias (Jan) van Schalkwyk and Eunice (Ina) Mehetabeel
Ferreira. She was named after her
grandfather, Stoffel Johannes Adriaan.
The family lived in Pastorie Street in
Boshof, where Ina grew up with her
sisters, Louisa Talia and Hester Eliza.
Their father was a teacher and later a
school inspector, and their mother a
housewife involved in community
groups.
The girls matriculated from
Rooidakskool (Boshof Gekombineerde
Skool). Ina’s father wanted her to study
medicine, but after a few weeks at the
University of Pretoria in 1937, she
decided to change course. She moved to the University of
Stellenbosch to study Home Economics. After graduating, she
taught at Oranje Meisieskool in Bloemfontein for a year, before
taking a job with the Department of Agriculture in Pretoria.
Ina met her husband, Jacob (Japie) Eliza de Villiers (1912-1990) at
a tennis match in Pretoria. He was a geologist with the Geological
Survey Office in Pretoria. The newly-wed couple were featured on
The first edition, 1951
the front page of Die
Volksblad in February
1945. Ina suffered a miscarriage late in her first pregnancy, and to
help her recover, Japie encouraged her to write a book. At the time,
Ina's job involved travel by train to rural communities where she
gave Home Economics lessons but realised that cooking lessons
were more needed, so she started writing a cooking and kitchen
guide - from how to measure ingredients, oven's best use, preparing
vegetables and meat, to how to freeze food. She spent a year
writing, and learnt to type. When commercial publishers weren't
interested in the manuscript, Japie decided they would publish it
themselves, with Prof. Mattie Jooste of Stellenbosch as an adviser.
They found a printer, Kaap en Transvaal Printers, who let Ina go in
every day to help with the typesetting. Japie sold his gold shares
and used the money to publish
the book in April 1951.
Marketing was done by word of
mouth and mailing letters to
bookshops. The book was mostly
sold via mail order from their home
in Marais Street, Brooklyn, Pretoria,
for 23 shillings.
Four years later, Eunice was born,
and Heleen two years later. Ina spent
her days working on the book and
sales. The family's meals were
mostly cooked by a domestic helper. Ina retired from her publishing
business in 1990. Japie had retired at 55 and loved travelling. He
died on 27 September 1990 at age 78, three days before returning
Boerewors Express ● July 2021 3

from his long-awaited trip to China. Ina
moved to the Azalea Court Old Age Home in
Stellenbosch and died at age 91 on 20
September 2010 after battling dementia.
Eunice van der Berg followed in her mother’s
footsteps, studying Home Economics. Her
husband is an Economics Professor at the
University of Stellenbosch. They have two
sons, Willem and Servaas, who live in the
USA. Their daughter, Ineke, lives in
Stellenbosch.
This classic self-saucing citrus dessert is from the original edition -
Japie se Gunsteling. He had to test Ina’s recipes, and declared this
his favourite, earning the recipe’s title.
2 eggs
250 ml sugar
62 ml flour
250 ml milk
187 ml orange juice
12,5 ml lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon (finely grated)
25 ml melted butter
Beat the egg yolks well and fold in the sugar.
Add the flour and milk.
Add the juice, zest and melted butter and fold in the whisked egg
white.
Pour the batter into a greased baking dish.
Place the baking dish in a large baking pan filled with about an inch
of hot water.
Bake at 180ºC until golden or for about 45 minutes.
Serve with cream or ice cream.
Champions League. In July 2020, Thembi moved to SD Eibar in
Spain. She completed her one-year contract by the time she got
called to join Atlético.
Known by her soccer nickname Pikinini, she has released her
memoir, Strike a rock, to inspire others. When she is not playing
soccer, travelling, or training she enjoys board games, cooking, and
family/friends time.
A LUCKY RAFFLE TICKET
Darren Wordon (49), an IT consultant originally from
Johannesburg, bought a £25 raffle ticket in an annual charity
fundraiser that won him the £2.5 million first prize house in in a
hamlet just outside Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. The fundraiser
was in aid of the Prince’s Trust charity. The newly-built countryside
seven-bedroom house is on 2.3 acres of land and includes a a twobedroom
detached cottage. The family currently live in in a 3-
bedroom home in Bath, and relocated to the UK five years ago. He's
been married to Mandy (48) for 26 years and have two children,
Maddison (20) and Matthew (17).
THEMBI'S SOCCER MOVES
Thembi Kgatlana (26) is a professional soccer player who plays for
the South African national women's team, Banyana Banyana, and
has recently joined the Spanish Primera División club Atlético
Madrid. She grew up playing soccer in the streets of Mohlakeng,
Randfontein.
Her first professional contract was in February 2018 with the
Houston Dash Football Club in Texas. The team included South
Africa teammates Janine Van Wyk and Linda
Motlhalo, and they were coached by former
Banyana Banyana coach Vera Pauw.
Thembi's next move was to Beijing BG
Phoenix in February 2019, she was joined
Linda Motlhalo who also made the move
from Houston to China. In January 2020 she
signed with SL Benfica in Portugal. Prior to
the COVID-19 pandemic, the team reached
the final of the Portuguese Cup and the Taca
da Liga Femenina, as well topping the league
table and qualifying for the UEFA Women's
MURDER IN MANCHESTER
A former South African Navy employee has been arrested in the
UK for his wife's murder. Aubrey Padi (46) from Pretoria, was
arrested in July 2021 in Manchester, after his wife Tamara (43),
also from South Africa, died of multiple stab wounds. He has been
remanded in custody. They lived in Stalybridge. Ambulance
services were called to the house in the early hours of 7 July 2021.
Ambulance staff called the police. Tamara was taken to hospital but
passed away shortly thereafter.
The couple had two girls, aged 15 and 10, who were asleep in the
family home at the time. Tamara was born in Butterworth in the
Eastern Cape and lived in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Aubrey worked
for the South African Navy in Cape Town, where he met Tamara.
They left South Africa in 2004 for Manchester. She studied law and
graduated in 2016. Tanagara Jabu Nala-Hartley, a city councillor in
Oxford who is originally from Durban, helped Tamara with her
legal studies. Tamara worked for the local municipality. About two
years ago the couple started a recruitment company.
This is not the first expat to murder his wife. In August 2018,
Ahmed Seedat (36) confessed to killing his wife Fahima Yusuf (32)
and burying her body in a shallow grave at their home in Perth,
Australia. The couple had two children, ages 2 and 5. The
accountant from Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal then carried on with
a normal life with his children attending school as usual. When his
father-in-law could not reach Fahima for four days, he called the
police to investigate. Seedat was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
This is a newsletter of sorts,
Just a few notes and reports.
I trust you're not easily bored,
On events both here and abroad.
Boerewors Express ● July 2021 4

STRAWBERRIES & BOOM
A new South African export is proving to be a boom. Recently, 320
kg of high quality medical cannabis, in the form of dry cannabis
flowers, was exported from the Western Cape to Switzerland, where
it is used in the pharmaceutical sector ranging from anti-anxiety
drops to food supplements. Felbridge is a leader in cannabis and
hemp cultivation and supply. The shipment is the first of a multiyear
agreement. The company also recently exported its first
shipment of cannabis in-vitro tissue culture to a licensed producer
in North Macedonia. Leslie Zetler is CEO of Felbridge, which
obtained its cultivation license in 2020.
The company is owned by the Zetler family, who are better known
as strawberry farmers in the Stellenbosch district for four
generations. Their strawberry farm with its colourful, quirky
scarecrows and farm stall is a tourist landmark. The Zetler brothers
- Barry, Leslie and Julian - repurposed some of their greenhouses to
accommodate more than 14,000m² of cannabis, and were the first
existing commercial cultivators to get a cannabis licence. In
addition to producing cannabis, the company is also positioning
itself to help other licensed cultivators access the global market.
The brothers see new export opportunities, particularly with the
growth of cannabis-infused foods and cosmetics. The company
looks set to add to its about 600 workers.
Mendel Zetler (1883 - 1960) and his first wife Devorah (1827 -
1945) immigrated to the Cape from Belarus in 1904, and had seven
children. Mendel was
a trader. His son,
Samuel born in 1909,
was also a trader doing
business with the local
farmers. Samuel and
his wife Josie Silke
started farming in
1929 on his first farm
at Lynedoch. They
started off with
vegetables, and later
built a strawberry
Mendel and Devorah Zetler
empire. Samuel had a
keen interest in
speculating with cattle, as his father Mendel traded with cattle in the
Du Toit's Kloof area in the early 1900s. In his old age, Samuel
started speculating with cattle to keep busy, assisted by his son
Herschel and farm manager Thys Kitshoff, until his death in 2002.
Samuel and Josie had five sons - Michael, Herschel, Leonard,
Dennis, Jeffrey - who all joined the farming business that became
known as S. Zetler & Sons Farming Enterprises. In June 2018,
Jeffrey Zetler (62), then owner of the Mooiberge strawberry farm‚
died when he was stabbed by robbers in his office. He was the
youngest of the five brothers.
Between the two companies, S. Zetler & Sons and Limberlost
(owned by the late Michael, the eldest brother, whose three sons run
the company at present), this family produce 60% of the
strawberries for the major retailers in South Africa, as well as most
of the smaller supermarkets. Their two farm stalls - Mooiberge and
Mountain Breeze - are very popular with locals and international
tourists, in addition to their scarecrows.
One of the family members now lives in Canada. Leon Zetler
immigrated to Canada in 2000, where he first worked as a produce
broker, before opening his first speciality food store in 2005 in
Victoria and running it for three years. He took a break, and later
opened his current store in 2010 selling local produce, kosher foods,
as well as South African and British items.
EXPAT DEBUT NOVEL
Nick Mulgrew was born in Durban in 1990 and attended Crawford
College North Coast, Rhodes University and the University of Cape
Town. A Mandela Rhodes Scholar, he received the 2016 Thomas
Pringle and 2018 Nadine Gordimer
Awards. He is currently doing a PhD
in writing practice at Dundee
University in Scotland, and lives in
Edinburgh. Besides studying, he is
also the author of four books, and
runs uHlanga Press, an awardwinning
South African poetry press
which he founded in 2014. As a child,
he shuttled between Durban North
and Orewa in Auckland, New
Zealand.
His latest book, A Hibiscus Coast, is
his debut novel that took eight years
to write. The novel opens in Durban
North in 1997. Following two acts of
violence, 19-year-old Mary Da Costa
is flying to Auckland, New Zealand, ahead of her parents to make a
new start. She leaves wondering who killed the couple next door. In
Auckland, she finds a job at a dairy, where she meets a selfappointed
Maori leader known as Buck. He and his family have a
history with South Africans, and wants to preserve his Maori
heritage. Mary connects with the South African expat community in
Auckland. Other characters include Mark and Bronwyn that
escaped a bombing in South Africa only to be disillusioned in New
Zealand. Then there's Alette, author of fictional works, who writes
newsletters for The South African Club of the Hibiscus Coast ("the
real news from South Africa - all the news the media won't tell
you"). The story is about family, loss, home, dislocation,
dispossession, and so much more.
Boerewors Express ● July 2021 5

SPECIAL ART IN LEEDS
Lucas Radebe, the former Kaizer Chiefs, Leeds United and South
Africa soccer captain , has a new mural on the wall of Sweeney
Todd Barbers in Chapel Allerton, Leeds. He captained South Africa
in the 2002 World Cup, and played for Leeds from 1994 to 2005
where he was known by fans as "The Chief" and was captain in
2005.
The mural was unveiled by the Leeds United Supporters’ Trust, and
was funded by Fans For Diversity. The 35-foot mural was done by
artist Adam Duffield, aka Med One. Lucas was a regular at
Sweeney Todd Barbers, and became a close friend of owner
Richard Dwyer. The mural has the quote “This is My Hero”, the
phrase the late Nelson Mandela once used to describe Lucas. The
mural is one of a series painted around the city under the auspices
of the LUFC Supporters’ Trust.
He once had a beer, the Radebeer, named after him in Leeds. The
rock band Kaiser Chiefs based their name on his South African
club.
RUGBY IN THE USA
Pote Human (61), the Shimlas rugby coach, has left the club to take
up a coaching opportunity in the USA later this year. Another South
African coach, Heyneke Meyer (53), joined the Houston Sabercats
earlier this year as director of rugby. Although he has worked
closed with Heyneke in the past, it is not known whether Pote will
join him in Houston or coach elsewhere. From 2008 to 2010, he
coached in Japan. As a player, he played for Eastern Province and
the Cheetahs in more than 200 matches.
Other South African coaches that have moved overseas this year
include Corniel van Zyl (London Irish) and Allister Coetzee
(Rovigo and Namibia). Heyneke Meyer was recruited by the former
Blue Bulls player, Pedrie Wannenburg. He will commute between
his house in Groot Brakriver and Houston.
South African rugby players in the USA include Cecil Afrika, Bjorn
Pote Human
Heyneke Meyer
Basson and Joe Pietersen (San Diego Legion), Robbie Coetzee
(Austin Gilgronis), Tera Mtembu (New England Free Jacks), JP du
Plessis (Nola Gold), Kurt Coleman (Rugby ATL), Riekert Hattingh
(Seattle Sea-wolves) and Ruben de Haas (Austin Gilgronis). They
all compete in the Major League Rugby (MLA).
DEPORTATION IN NZ
Mondelea Bezuidenhout (35) has been told her weight is leading to
deportion from New Zealand, despite doctors and medical tests
proving that she is in good health. However, an Immigration New
Zealand medical assessment determined her body mass index put
her in a "severe risk" category.
In 2018, Mondelea immigrated to New Zealand from Port Elizabeth
with her husband Donovan and their children Donna and Damien,
now 9 and 3. Donovan, a lineman, is categorised as a skilled
migrant. The family settled in Palmerston North. Mondelea found
full-time employment in a government department and received a
three-year work visa, granting her access to the public health
system, when she weighed 150 kg. Despite weighting less at 128
kg, their application for residency was declined. According to
Immigration NZ it wasn't Mondelea's weight alone that was
grounds for declining a residency application, but a gallbladder
removal in 2013 and tension headaches which had required surgery.
They determined she would be a burden on the medical system. The
assessment claimed she wouldn't keep up her weight loss
programme.
She had been bullied in school for her weight, and now feels
Immigration NZ is doing the same. The family's current visas expire
at the end of July 2021. Because Donovan’s line of work is still indemand,
they are hope to renew their work visas, and appeal the
residency decision.
Dr Cat Pausé, a senior lecturer in Massey University's Institute of
Education, went through the same process in 2010 when her
residency application was rejected for weight issue. It took three
rounds of medical assessments and appeals for the government to
believe she was in good health. She is now a New Zealand citizen.
Another South African, Albert Buitenhuis, was deported from New
Zealand in 2016 because of his weight. When he arrivved in New
Zealand in 2007, he weighted 160 kg. Albert was a chef in
Christchurch and later Geraldine. His appeals weren't successful
and eventually the stress led to his marriage breaking up back in
South Africa.
Boerewors Express ● July 2021 6

DANCING STAR
When the 19th season of the BBC's
Strictly Come Dancing starts in the UK
in September 2021, South African
Cameron Lombard (20), from Cape
Town, will be one of the professional
dancers in the show. Cameron is the
current South African Latin champion,
and has won 18 national titles in
Ballroom and Latin dancing. He started
dancing at six years old, and within a
year was winning local and regional
competitions. At the age of 13, he was a finalist on South Africa’s
Got Talent in 2012, together with his dance partner Donlynn
Fischer, then 13. He represented South Africa at the World
Championships in 2019.
NOSTALGIA & ART
John Kramer is known for his paintings of old buildings that once
existed. His current exhibition, Streetscapes, is on at the Prince
Albert Gallery in Prince Albert until 1st August 2021. The
charming paintings of old corner cafes, general stores, bioscopes
and barber shops reflect the times before supermarkets came to
town and before the arrival of TV in South Africa in 1976. He
focuses on the ordinary - the colourful buildings, handwritten signs,
advertisements on walls, across the country.
John lives in Gardens, Cape Town, with his wife Patricia. He grew
up in Worcester and graduated from the University of Cape Town
in 1968. He first worked for an ad agency, before joining the South
African Museum Service as exhibition artist. In 1972 he started
painting old buildings in his free time. In 2002 he became a fulltime
artist working in oils and acrylic.
South African expats find his paintings comforting and nostalgic.
An expat in San Diego commissioned a painting because of the
Afrikaans lettering. Another expat in Australia bought the paintimg
of Alie’s Corner in Waterkant because it reminded her of the corner
cafe of her childhood. John's work is available at
www.johnkramer.co.za/work and www.facebook.com/
JohnKramerArt/
Even when someone is miles away,
always remember this: we are under
the same sky, looking at the same
sun, moon and stars.
BREAKING
RECORDS
Francois Otieno Prinsloo
jr (19), from Worcester,
broke an American record
in May 2021 in the discus
throw, taking first place
in the National Collegiate
Athletic Association
(NCAA) event at Hodges
Stadium in Jacksonville,
Florida. The previous
record set in 2014 was
63,34 m, and Francois' throw was 65,85 m. This placed him at 15th
in the world rankings for 2021.
He matriculated at Worcester Gimnasium in 2019, and is doing a
BSc at the University of South Alabama. He wants to be a
veterinarian. While representing South Africa at the Youth
Olympics in Argentina, he was recruited by the university. He was a
two-time South African National Discus champion in 2018 and
2019, and won the 2018 African Games championship in discus.
Francois' father, Francois Prinsloo sr, is originally from Steynsrus.
His mother, Florence, is from Kenya. Francois jr was born in
Nairobi, before the family returned to South Africa when he was
still a child.
A CAPE TOWN DAME
Prudence Margaret Leith (81), the Cape Town-born chef and
businesswoman known as Prue, was made a Dame Commander of
the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the Queen’s 2021
Birthday Honours for services to the food and broadcasting
industries as well as to charity. She was previously appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1989, and
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010
Birthday Honours.
Her mother, actress Margaret (Peggy) Inglis, was a founding
member of the Black Sash. Her father, Sam Leith, worked for
African Explosives. She had two brothers, one younger and one
older. From the age of 5 until Prue was 17, she attended St Mary's
School in Waverley, Johannesburg. She studied at the University of
Cape Town, but didn't complete her degree. Instead, she persuaded
her parents to send her to the Sorbonne while she learnt French. She
moved to Europe in the 1960s. It wasn’t until she got to Paris that
she got interested in cooking, inspired by a woman she worked for
as an au pair. Growing up in South Africa, she wasn't interested in
cooking as the family had a Zulu cook, Charlie.
Prue studied at the Cordon Bleu School in London and then started
a business supplying high-quality business lunches. This grew to
become Leith's Good Food, a party and event caterer. In 1969, she
opened Leith's, her Michelin-starred restaurant in Notting Hill,
eventually selling it in 1995. In 1974, she founded Leith's School of
Food and Wine, which she sold in 1993. In 1995, she helped found
the Prue Leith College in South Africa.
While running her
business, she also
became a food
columnist for British
newspapers. She's
written 12 cookery
books and 7 novels. Her
memoir, Relish: My Life
on a Plate, was
published in 2012. Her
first television
appearance was in the
1970s as a presenter of
Boerewors Express ● July 2021 7

two 13-episode magazine series aimed at women at home. She was
a judge on The Great British Menu for 11 years until 2016 and a
judge for My Kitchen Rules, which she left to be a judge on The
Great British Bake Off.
Prue married the South African author, Rayne Kruger, in 1974. He
died in December 2002. The couple had a son and a daughter. Their
daughter, Li-Da Kruger (a Cambodian adoptee), is a filmmaker.
Their son, Danny Kruger, was a speechwriter and adviser to David
Cameron, after which he established the Only Connect charity and
in 2019 became a Conservative MP. In October 2016, Prue married
John Playfair, a retired clothes designer. Her brother, former
restaurateur James Leith, is married to the biographer Penny Junor.
YES, IT'S MY REAL NAME
Sherlock Holmes (55), from Florida, USA, has a South African
link. He grew up in South Africa and met his now-wife, Jo, while
she was living in South Africa. At the time, a Sherlock Holmes
movie was on the circuit. When he was 22 he moved to the US for
work.
His name has led to hotel room upgrades and double-takes at airport
check-ins. Hotel staff often think the entrepreneur is using a
pseudonym to disguise a famous identity. When he started his
computer systems company in the late 1980s, in the field of
business intelligence, his name helped him stand out.
While travelling, he likes to seek out Sherlock Holmes-themed
spots, with one of his favourites being the Sherlock Holmes pub
near London's Charing Cross station. He has also visited the former
Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes down the road. He has read some of
the books, and seen most of the movies.
He was named after his father. His grandmother chose the name
because she liked it, and since the family had 7 children already, the
kids convinced their mother to name the new baby Sherlock.
Two Sherlock Holmes — father and son
LIVING THE DREAM
Chris van Heerden (34) is a professional boxer and former IBO
welterweight champion. He has lived in Santa Monica for 7 years
and counts Charlize Theron, Trevor Noah and Sylvester Stallone as
friends. He has coached actors such as Jennifer Garner and Mark
Wahlberg in boxing. He has sparred with Conor McGregor. The
boy from Meyerton who used to watch Rocky Balboa films with his
father, has achieved most of his dreams.
He was one of 13 children. His mother was his father's second wife,
but Chris was raised by his father and his third wife, Wilma. He was
6 years old when his father started taking him for boxing lessons.
Daniël Christoffel van Heerden, who was also a professional boxer,
was shot dead in 2018 in De Deur while out on an investigation for
his own private security company.
At 24, Chris was a world champion, and bought an apartment in
Northcliff, Johannesburg. He defended his title over the next two
years, but he had bigger dreams. Chris landed in California on the
23rd December 2013, and without a work permit he was
unemployed for months, living in a rented room and often going to
sleep hungry. Eventually he received a work permit and found a
boxing promoter. He started getting back on track. In 2015 his
promoter died, and Chris lost the first fight in his career. He worked
hard to get through the dark days and found another promoter. He
still has two dreams: to win another world title and to find his
boeremeisie.
HOLLYWOOD CALLING
Hollywood has drawn in another South
African. Annalene Grobbelaar (21)
from Stellenbosch moved there in 2018
at age 19 to pursue an acting career.
She arrived with two suitcases and a
backpack, having cried on the flight
over. She lives in a bachelor apartment
in Hollywood, from where she can see
the Hollywood sign. She spent two
years studying at the American
Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los
Angeles.
Finding it difficult to have her surname
correctly pronounced, she adopted the
stage name of Anna Greene - green
being her favourite colour. She finds auditioning exciting and nerve
wracking, and once in is usually first asked about her accent and
origin. Anna refuses to do naked scenes or use the phrase "Oh my
God", something she makes her agent very aware of. She has a parttime
job at a photographer, and has her first feature film role in Play
it Cool. She also has a role in It’s Not You, It’s Me, which is on
Amazon Prime. Life is expensive in Los Angeles, and while
studying she had to ask her parents, Dillie and Meyer, to help out.
Her father owns an art gallery and her mother has a baking
business. Anna doesn't have a Plan B - acting is what she wants to
do.
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Boerewors Express ● July 2021 8

GUINNESS RECORD
Travis Ludlow (18) has broken a Guinness World Record to
become the youngest person to fly solo round the world in a singleengine
aircraft. He took off from Teuge, The Netherlands on 29
May 2021. The teenage pilot from Ibstone, Buckinghamshire, spent
44 days completing the 40,072 km journey. When he completed his
last landing, he asked for Nando's. At 18 years and 150 days old, he
was 13 days younger than the previous record-holder, Mason
Andrews from Louisiana who was 18 years and 163 days old when
he completed his journey in October 2018. The flight, in a 2001
Cessna 172R, took him across Europe, through Russia and the
USA, before returning via Canada, Greenland and Iceland - about
60 stops across nine countries.
Travis took up flying at age 12 and became the UK's youngest
glider pilot at 14. He flew solo the day after his 16th birthday and
passed all 9 ground school exams within 6 months. He completed
Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL), months before he could legally get
his licence—the law doesn’t allow one to be issued a PPL licence
until one is 17. Travis had to wait until 8am on the morning of his
17th birthday to pick up his licence. He then flew to the US the next
day to do his Instrument Rating, returning to the UK to complete his
Night Rating.
Travis' mother, Loryn, is South African and his grandparents,
uncles and aunts live in Durban. His father, Nick, is a broadcast
professional and entrepreneur. He founded Prime Television in
1990, which produces and provides broadcast facilities and crew.
The couple have two other children, a daughter Charlie (17) and a
son Luka (13).
help the family with
repatriation. One of
Hennie's South
African friends in
the US, Willie
Steenkamp, and
other South Africans
started a fundraiser
to help cover the
costs.
Hennie first went to
the USA to work on
farms in 2018 to
earn money for a
better life. At the
time he was still
married, but
divorced a year later.
He is survived by his son, Keagan (3 years old), his fiancee
Jacqueline Smith (39) in Pretoria, parents Martin and Julie, and
siblings Andries and Bianca.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-hennies-family-to-get-hisremains-back-home
DID YOU KNOW?
The South African diaspora's largest concentrations are found in the
United Kingdom, followed by Australia, the United States, New
Zealand and Canada.
The 2001 UK Census lists 141,405 South-African born people who
were in the UK on 29 April 2001 (by 2011 it was 203,477).
In Australia's 2011 Census, there were
145,683 South African-born people
(78,444 recorded in the 2001 Census).
By 2016, it was 178,700.
The 2000 United States Census on 01
April 2000 recorded 68,290 South
African-born people (by 2011 it was
82,054).
The 2016 Canadian Census recorded
41,375 South African-born people in the
country on 10 May 2016.
CAR ACCIDENT IN USA
Hendrik (Hennie) Emmanuel Willemse died 18 July 2021 in a
single motor vehicle accident in rural Sangamon County,
Springfield, Illinois. His car struck a power line at about midnight,
2 km from Pleasant Plains. He had gone to buy cigarettes at a gas
station and was on his way back to the farm. He'd arrived in
Springfield the day before,
He worked for the Dixon family on their farm in Alapaha in
Georgia for 3 years, and was going to start working on another farm
in Pleasant Plains, Springfield.
Hennie was from Bloemfontein. His family had to get his remains
repatriated (cost estimated at R180 000). The process can take up to
8 weeks. Fortunately for his family, the Dixon family was going to
In 2019, it was estimated that $900m is
sent to South Africa each year in the form of remittances. Of this,
$250m is sent from the UK, $120m from the US, $60m from New
Zealand and $50m from Canada.
South Africans sending money home with Azimo, an international
money transfer service, send an average of R6 500 each time.
About 80% of transfers to South Africa via Azimo are sent to a
bank account, while 20% are collected in cash. About 50% of
transfers to South Africa via Azimo are for family support, while
20% are for gifts.
Boerewors Express was first published in May 1998 as an e-mail
newsletter. In September 1999, it became a print publication
available by paid subscription. It had subscribers from all over the
world. In July 2004 it moved to an online blog until September
2013, after which it lay dormant. It's finally back as an online
newsletter now and looking to grow bigger than before.
This is not your usual South African expat publication - here
politics, country bashing, hate, fake news is not published. This
newsletter is to discover, connect, inspire and grow South African
expat communities, Here we share the stories of the South African
diaspora.
Boerewors Express - The South African Expat Newsletter
DISCOVER • CONNECT • INSPIRE • GROW
Email: BoereworsXpress@gmail.com
© Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
Boerewors Express ● July 2021 9