BoereworsExpress Sep 2021

Cpfsfxpst!fyqsftt
THE SOUTH AFRICAN EXPAT NEWSLETTER
DISCOVER•CONNECT•INSPIRE•GROW
SEPTEMBER 2021
2
Coach Lance in Kabul
Historic auction
Homecoming
3
A royal chef
Team Canada's doctor
Houston, meet Mozambik
In the US Navy
4
Farming in Paraguay
Britney's success
Unexpected proposal
Debut novel
5
Expat child battle
Durban to Paris
Learn with Trevor
Go live anywhere
6
Secrets, Art & Expats
8
Cape Town's star
Van der Merwe family
9
A chef in London
SA tennis
Going globa1
Digital opsitkers
10
What can I use?
Bush Telegraph
11
Did you know?
No matter the
circumstances, you
always control your
attitude, your belief and
the choices you make.
~ Alison Botha ~
AFGHANISTAN WAR VETERAN WINS
GOLD AT TOYKO PARALYMPICS
Jaco van Gass (born 20 August 1986), from Middelburg in Mpumalanga, left South Africa at the
age of 20 to join the British Army. By mid-2007, he had completed his basic training and was one
of only 22 - of the 108 who started - to pass parabat training. His first deployment with the
Parachute Regiment to Afghanistan was in 2008.
Twelve years ago, in August 2009, he was fighting for his life — he was hit by a rocket-propelled
grenade while on his second deployment in Afghanistan. With two weeks left of a 5½-month tour,
his platoon was in a 45-minute fire fight with enemy forces. Jaco lost his lower left arm at the
elbow, had punctured internal organs, a collapsed lung, leg fractures and shrapnel wounds. Eleven
operations and intensive rehabilitation sessions were needed. He died twice on the operating table.
His military career was over. Working through the physical injuries and mental trauma, he had to
relearn how to walk and run and also use a new prosthetic limb. As part of rehabilitation, he took
up cycling.
While living in London he was a guest at the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. This
inspired him to get involved in more sport and adventure. He learnt to ski as a member of the
Combined Services Disabled Ski Team and competed in tournaments. He completed various
marathons including the New York Marathon, the Safaricom Kenya Marathon and the US Marine
Corps Marathon, raising money for various charities. In 2011 he joined Prince Harry and a team of
wounded soldiers that trekked to the North Pole, raising £1.5million for the Walking With the
Wounded charity. He's climbed Alaska’s Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America. In
2011 he became the first South African to conquer the Manaslu in the Himalayas. In 2012, he
narrowly missed out on reaching the summit of Mount Everest due to poor weather conditions. He
cycled the Cape Epic in South Africa in 2019.
He became a professional cyclist in 2013 and shortly afterwards became a member of the British
Para-cycling team. He competed in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 UCI Para-cycling Track World
Championships. He won his first Invictus Games in 2014. When he didn't make the cut for the 2016
(Continued on page 2)

(Continued from page 1)
Rio Paralympic Games, he took off on other adventures. He
summitted the Grand Paraiso in Italy, cycled the 1200 km
Carretera Austral in Patagonia in 2016, and completed the Race
Across America cycle in six days in 2017.
Returning to cycling in 2018, he won bronze in the C4 4k pursuit
in Brazil. Having been reclassified from C4 to C3, he won his first
gold in C3 Kilo at the 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World
Championships in Milton, Canada, before adding gold in MC3
scratch race and MC3 omnium and silver in team sprint and MC3
individual pursuit.
Fast forward to August 2021 and Jaco (35) is winning medals in
the Tokyo Paralympic Games in his debut Games. He set a world
record in the C3 3,000m individual pursuit to take the gold medal.
Within 24 hours he had won his second medal, taking bronze in
the C1-3 1000m time trial. His third medal was another gold, as
part of the mixed C1-5 750m team sprint in another world record
breaking time. Jaco is representing Great Britain in five events: the
C1-3 kilo, C3 individual pursuit, C3 time trial, C1-3 road race and
C1-5 mixed team sprint - he might win more medals by the time
the Games end on 5 September.
Jaco credits his military training as part of his success. In 2020 he
said, "It took some time to convince myself that everything would
be all right, there were times that I did wonder why I was still alive
and wished I was actually dead. But you recognise that there must
be some reason why you have survived."
He still wants to trek to the South Pole and attempt Mount Everest
again.
Jaco is in a long-term relationship with Kathryn Pringle.
Jaco is one of two South African-born wounded soldiers that
feature in the Canadian musician and photographer Bryan Adams'
book, Wounded: The Legacy of War. The other South African is
Rory Mackenzie from Krugersdorp.
The team last played in March 2021, against Zimbabwe. Some of
the players, including leg-spinner Rashid Khan and all-rounder
Mohammed Nabi, have been able to play in the T20 leagues in the
UK. Naveen Ul-Haq is the top wicket-taker in the T20 Blast in
England. Khan's family is stuck in Kabul, and Nabi is in Dubai.
HISTORIC AUCTION
The oldest property to be auctioned in South Africa was sold for
R52.25 million on 25 August 2021 - the buyer is based in Europe.
The online auction, via Zoom, of the 329-year-old Morgenhof
wine estate in Stellenbosch, was watched by more than 2500
people around the world.
Morgenhof was put on auction by Anne Cointreau, whose family
has produced wine, champagne and spirits in France since 1272.
Her great-grandfather Adolphe created the famous orange liqueur
that carries the family name, and her grandfather the Remy Martin
brand of cognac. She bought the estate in 1993, and is now
returning to France to spend her retirement with her extended
family.
The estate, dating back to 1692, traces its wine-making history
back to the French Huguenots who arrived in the Cape in the
1680s. The manor house was restored and includes five bedrooms,
five bathrooms, a lounge, dining room, kitchen, wrap-around open
terrace, and a splash pool. A second manor house is a two-storey
Cape Dutch style building with four bedrooms, attached staff
quarters and a swimming pool. There is also a restaurant, wedding
chapel, conference venue, bistro and coffee shop on the estate.
COACH LANCE IN KABUL
Lance (Zulu) Klusener, the former Proteas all-rounder, is currently
Afghanistan’s national cricket coach. He left Kabul a few days
before the city was taken over earlier this month. The team had
been in training camp in Kabul preparing for a One-Day series
against Pakistan, which was due to be hosted in Sri Lanka in
September, but has now been postponed. This would have been
part of the team’s preparations ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in
late October in the UAE. Afghanistan earned direct entry into the
T20 World Cup and is drawn in Group 2 with Pakistan, India and
New Zealand. Now they have to wait and see what happens with
the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
Lance was appointed the head coach in 2019. While in
Afghanistan his daily commutes between his hotel and Kabul
International Cricket Stadium was in a bulletproof car. Another
former Proteas player, batsman Hylton Ackerman, was recently
replaced as Afghanistan’s batting coach.
HOMECOMING
Zola Budd Pieterse (55) and her
husband Mike recently moved
back to South Africa. Their
three children remain in the
USA - Lisa (25) is studying for
a doctorate, Michael (23) is a
teacher and his twin sister
Azelle is considering further
studies. The family moved to the
US in 2008 and settled in Myrtle
Beach, South Carolina, where
Zola obtained her master’s
degree in counselling, and
worked as a coach for Coastal
Carolina University’s women’s track team.
Zola became famous as the barefoot athlete from Bloemfontein. In
1984 she represented Great Britain at the Los Angeles Olympics,
having acquired British citizenship via her paternal grandfather's
nationality. In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics she represented South
Africa. She still runs, and hopes to get back to coaching in South
Africa.
Stay in touch with travel news
https://www.facebook.com/TravelReadyAvi8
Boerewors Express ● September 2021 2

A ROYAL
CHEF
Leroy Halford (34) works as
the head chef of a restaurant
owned by the Saudi royal
family. He graduated from
Grassdale High School in
Grassy Park, Cape Town, in
2005. He previously attended
Square Hill Primary School
and Steenberg High School.
His first job after graduation was with the Balducci restaurant in the
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Three years later, he left to gain
international experience by joining Celebrity Cruises in Miami,
Florida. Leroy spent a year working on cruise ships before returning
to Cape Town and joining Pepenero restaurant in Mouille Point in
June 2009. In 2012 he opened the Bungalow restaurant on Clifton’s
Fourth Beach. He later worked at Quay Four restaurant. From
February to June 2018, he returned to the cruise ships.
Leroy was head-hunted by three sisters of the Saudi Al Saud royal
family, who asked him to head their restaurant, Buttermilk, in
Riyadh.
He works hard to ensure that his 9-year old son in Cape Town will
have a good future. Leroy hopes to be an inspiration for young
people in the Cape Flats.
TEAM CANADA'S DOCTOR
Canada's 2020
Olympic team was
kept in top-class
health by a South
African doctor. Dr
Mike Wilkinson is
the current chief
medical officer for
the Canadian
Olympic Committee,
as well as the
Canadian Rowing
team.
He completed his
medical degree at the
University of
Witwatersrand in 1987 and did his internship in East London. His
specialised studies include Sport, Emergency, Aviation and
Hyperbaric/Diving Medicine. Dr Mike and his wife took a break
and decided to spend some time travelling. They ended up in
northern British Columbia, Canada, where they worked as
emergency family physicians before moving to Vancouver.
He is also an expert in sport psychology, which he got into by
volunteering to help a colleague in a marathon in South Africa. His
interest and expertise in sport have led to various appointments in
Canada. He has been to 8 Olympic or Pan Am Games as a team
physician or chief medical officer, including the 2004 and 2008
Olympics, the 2007 Pan Ams, the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and
Paralympic Games, the 2018 Winter Olympics, the 2019 Pan Am
Games and the recent Tokyo Olympics.
Dr Mike was the team physician for the Vancouver Canucks from
1999 - 2016, as well as the team physician for the Canadian and BC
Senior Rugby Teams from 1998 - 2007. He is also a founding
member of the BC Sports Cardiology Centre.
BoereworsXpress@gmail.com
HOUSTON, MEET
MOZAMBIK
One of South Africa's Portuguese-themed restaurant chains,
Mozambik, is opening its first North American branch in Houston,
Texas. The opening, at 1201 Lake Woodlands, is set for 10
September 2021, and comes after another South African-themed
restaurant in Houston, Peli Peli, closes down on 05 September
2021. Ryan Stewart (aka Chef Rhyno) at Peli Peli will now lead the
US expansion for Mozambik as CEO. Originally from
Johannesburg, he moved to Houston in 2018 as a consultant for Peli
Peli and later became its executive chef.
Peli Peli was founded in Houston in 2009 by another South African,
Paul Friedman who had immigrated to the US in the early 1980s,
and a local partner Thomas Nguyen, a former attorney. Paul
previously founded Paul's Pizza Shops in Houston in 1994. At one
stage, Peli Peli had six locations.
Mozambik was started as a 40-seat restaurant by Luis Ferreira in
2005 in Ballito. Just over a year later, Brett Michielin had a meal at
the restaurant. Afterwards, he asked Luis if he wanted a partner.
Initially, Luis said no, but changed his mind two days later. Brett
resigned from his job at Ocean Basket and joined Mozambik as a
chef. A few months later, Luis later sold his share to Brett. In 2008
Ryan Stewart joined the company. The Ballito branch is now a 450-
seat restaurant. There are now 24 branches in South Africa. In 2020
the first international branch was opened in Lusaka. The menu is
still inspired by the Afro-Porto fusion of Mozambique. Brett has
also developed a range of branded bastings, sauces and rubbing
spices.
The Houston Mozambik will feature South African wines, as well
as Mozambik's Tipo Tinto rum and its popular drink made with the
rum and Sparletta Sparberry.
IN THE US NAVY
Zenka Yodice, originally from
Amanzimtoti, serving as a
personnel specialist with the US
Navy's Patrol Squadron Five, a
maritime patrol and
reconnaissance squadron ,
based out of Naval Air Station
Jacksonville, Florida. Petty
Officer 3rd Class Yodice joined
the Navy a year ago, after
completing boot camp as the
top recruit.
Zenka graduated from Kuswag
High School in 2006. In
addition to her Navy duties, she
enjoys fire dancing, which she
learnt during her teen years.
Boerewors Express ● September 2021 3

FARMING IN PARAGUAY
Jaco Brits moved from Vrede in
the Free State to Paraguay in
1994 with his wife Alta and
three children - Janneman,
Willemien en Petri - as well as
his parents, Mike and Anna
Brits. The family considered
Australia and New Zealand, but
land was cheaper in Paraguay
and the immigration
requirements easier. They live
close to the city of Caaguazú on
their farm, Cabaña Doña Ana.
The family is involved in many
ventures - a butcher, an
abbatoir/meat-packing facility,
a Dorper stud farm, sheep and
beef cattle, export beef, a timber plantation, and thy make animal
feed. Their vacuum-packed meat and mutton sausages are popular
with the local shops. Marketing is handled by Janneman and Petri.
Alta and Anna handle the administration side of the various
ventures.
Cabaña Doña Ana is 23 hectares and is the Dorper stud farm - Jaco
has been the country's champion Dorper breeder for the last 7 years.
The success of establishing the Dorper breed in Paraguay is due to
the pioneering efforts of the Brits family. The secondary farm,
Estancia Don Eric, is 700 hectares and belonged to Dr. Eric de Beer
from Rustenburg who passed away two years ago, but the sheep and
cattle partnership continues with the de Beer family. The two farms
are 650 km apart.
BRITNEY'S SUCCESS
Britney Arendse (21) was
born in Cape Town. She
moved to Ireland with her
parents, Denver and
Bridgette, at the age of 5
years. The family settled in
Mullagh, and Britney
attended Virginia College.
Her brother, Andre, lives in
Cape Town.
In June 2009 she was a
backseat passenger when a
car driving on the wrong side
of the road collided head-on
with the car in which she was
travelling with her mother
and friends returning home
after a day at the beach. Britney spent several weeks on life support
and was left paralysed from the waist down. She spent six months
in hospital, followed by five months at the National Rehabilitation
Centre in Dublin.
In 2012, the High Court awarded her €3.9m in damages settlement.
She had been a sporting all-rounder prior to the accident, playing
soccer, table tennis and swimming.
After leaving the rehabilitation centre, she took up wheelchair
basketball, playing at club level. In 2016 she took up power lifting,
after the Para power lifting coach saw her playing in a wheelchair
basketball match. She had never tried it before. In 2018 at the
World Para Power lifting Fazaa Championships, she won gold in
the 67 kg junior division and bronze in the senior category. A year
later she claimed gold in the 73 kg category with a 98.5 kg lift. She
set a junior world record in the 73 kg category at the 2018 Asia-
Oceania Open Championships.
Nicknamed Spartacus by her coach and her mother, she became
Ireland's first female athlete to compete in power lifting at the
Paralympics. She was also a flag bearer in the opening ceremony.
Prior to the Games, her personal best lift was 102 kg at the WPP
World Cup in Manchester. She lifted 107 kg to set a new personal
best as she finished 7th in the 73 kg class of the Paralympics power
lifting final. Her three lifts were 103 kg, 104 kg, and finally 107 kg.
UNEXPECTED PROPOSAL
In August 2020, Itayi Mukonyora (26), originally from Nelspruit,
proposed to Astrolisa Zvovuno (24) in a surprise move at the
Drayton High Road Asda in Norwch. He used the supermarket's PA
system to propose, after arranging the surprise with the store
manager. He thought it would be the one place she would least
suspect anything, especially during the pandemic.
The couple were introduced through a mutual friend when Itayi
lived in Cyprus and Astrolisa was on holiday. They had a long
distance relationship for two years before he moved to Norwich.
They were married in September 2020 in a traditional African
wedding service at Astrolisa's family home in Kent. Itayi's family in
South Africa could only attend the wedding virtually, due to the
travel restrictions. The couple live in Bowthorpe now.
Astrolisa completed her degree at the University of East Anglia and
is working as a learning disabilities nurse. Itayi is doing his masters
in psychology.
DEBUT
NOVEL
Worlds Apart is a debut novel
by Carol Puhl-Snyman. The
book is based on a true story of
events on a small wine farm in
Stellenbosch, and revolves
around Catherine from America
and South African André. Their
dream is becoming a nightmare
as differences between them
and the resident workers are
exposed. The situation threatens
Catherine and André's
relationship, compromises
Catherine’s efforts to improve
farmworker life, and endangers
them all.
Dr Carol Puhl-Snyman first visited South Africa in 1985 on a South
African-American lecturing exchange in Applied Linguistics.
During that trip she met the man who would become her husband.
She relocated from the US to be with him in South Africa. They
bought a small wine farm in Stellenbosch, the setting for this novel
(names and dates changed).
Boerewors Express ● September 2021 4

EXPAT CHILD BATTLE
In a case that illustrates the difficulties of divorce and minor
children in expat situations, a South African mother who abducted
her three children from Thailand had until 20 August 2021 to send
them back after the Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa
rejected her last-ditch bid to keep them in Cape Town. The Cape
Town High Court had previously ordered her to return the children
to Thailand, with or without her. She refused and appealed the
decision, invoking the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of
International Child Abduction exception clause – according to
which the children’s lives would be in danger if they returned.
She spent two years trying to keep her 12-year-old daughter and 8-
year-old twins, a boy and a girl, away from their British father who
lives in Thailand. Five appeal judges confirmed the High Court
ruling that the children must return to Thailand. The judges agreed
with the High Court ruling that she failed to substantiate her
allegations that her ex-husband molested the eldest daughter. She
also claimed domestic violence and economic abuse, which left the
children fearful of their father and reluctant to have contact with
him. The father denied all allegations.
The couple were married in the USA in 2007 and lived in South
Africa, the UK and Singapore before moving to Thailand in 2016.
They were divorced in June 2018, in accordance with Thai law. In
terms of the divorce agreement, both parents agreed to have joint
custody of the children, with the children residing with the mother
while the father had visitation rights. After the divorce, the mother
moved to a remote location in Thailand and the father encountered
problems visiting his children. After being summonsed to appear in
the Bangkok family court, she fled with the children to Cape Town
in December 2019.
The High Court order said the children could live with their mother
in Thailand, and provided for psychologists and therapists, as well
as ensured financial support by their father. The custody,
maintenance and visiting rights agreed to when the parents divorced
would continue in terms of the High Court ruling. The mother was
advised that, upon her return to Thailand, she could ask Thai
authorities to investigate her allegations and that she could ask a
Thai court for a protection order pending such an investigation. The
High Court noted that the ex-husband undertook not institute or
support any criminal proceedings against the mother relating to the
children's abduction. No further information is known at this stage.
DURBAN TO PARIS, RUGBY
TO SOCCER
Tanushree Pillay (40), who was the rugby Springbok
physiotherapist, joined the medical team at Lionel Messi's new club,
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), in July 2021. She grew up in
Asherville, Durban, and got involved in
sport when she assisted the Western
Cape Sports Academy as a volunteer
more than 15 years ago. She also
worked with the South African
Olympic and Commonwealth teams.
Tanushree settled in Paris, her husband
Gilles Mège's hometown, three years
ago. They have a one-year-old son,
Étienne. The process to get her South
African qualifications accredited in
France took about nine months before
she started a private practice. She got the job at PSG after seeing the
club’s medical academy at a health summit. Her job involves
reviewing injuries, strapping, warm-up massages and getting
players ready for training, followed by admin and the long-term
rehab of injured players. She credits her career success to lessons
learnt from her grandmother, who was a single mother working at a
market in Chatsworth selling samoosas and raising seven children.
LEARN WITH TREVOR
South African comedian Trevor Noah has teamed up with the
language app Duolingo to make Zulu and Xhosa lessons available
in early 2022. The popular app has more than 100,000 teachers
worldwide and more than 40 million monthly active users. The
Trevor Noah Foundation will use the South African non-profit,
Nal’ibali, which promotes multilingual reading, to create the
courses.
Inspired by his mother Patricia, who speaks nine languages, Trevor
speaks five fluently – English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Tswana and Tsonga
– and bits of German (his father is Swiss-German) and Xhosa. He’s
currently learning Spanish, and plans to learn French next.
Trevor’s tips for learning a new language: "The key is to jump in,
enjoy the sounds, realise you’re going to be an idiot… humble
yourself."
GO LIVE ANYWHERE
Twelve individuals from nine countries have been selected from
over 314,000 applicants from around the world to Live Anywhere on
Airbnb. They will share their experiences as they go along from
July 2021 to July 2022, 10 months of which will include traveling
to and living in listings on Airbnb. Participants will choose their
own adventure – whether that’s staying close and rediscovering
their hometown or criss-crossing the globe.
The South African participant is Peta. Her partner, Ben, is from
France. They've been nomads for the last 14 years after raising their
four sons in Chicago. They are hoping to explore developing
countries and towns off the beaten path around the world to further
Ben’s eco-focused work and get inspiration for Peta’s art.
http://SouthAfricanResearcher.blogspot.com/
Boerewors Express ● September 2021 5

SECRETS, ART, & EXPATS
It is one of Vladimir Tretchikoff's most
sensual paintings, titled Thou Shalt Not
Commit Adultery. The model was an
ordinary woman from Grabouw, who
drank Earl Grey tea and shared a homemade
Swiss Roll cake with the Russian
artist at her Cape Town apartment in
1979 when he asked her to pose for
him. Her identity was a secret for many
years.
Brenda van der Westhuizen, then 25
years old, remembers almost choking as
she drank tea and him asking if she
would pose topless. Two days later, he
started painting her, and her boyfriend asked that her identity be
kept secret. At one stage. the Scope magazine editor asked
Tretchikoff for the model's details so that they could do a centrefold
photo shoot, but he kept the secret. Brenda eventually revealed that
she was the model, when she wrote her first book, Son, see en
saffier.
An Italian friend introduced her to
an old friend at his father's
restaurant in Sea Point, and that's
how she met Tretchikoff. Two days
later they met at her apartment to
discuss the painting. There were
four hour-long painting sessions in
his studio in Bishopscourt. She was
paid R350, which in those days was
quite a lot, as well as a print that he
signed with the words: To Brenda,
the model of this painting. The print
went missing when she took it to a
gallery in Paarl for re-framing. When she went back much later to
collect it, there was a new owner who didn't know anything about
the print.
She remembers the artist as a charming man that enjoyed good food
and wine, treated people well and kept his word. She never saw him
again after the last modelling session. At the time. Brenda was
already in a two-year relationship with Dirk de Villiers, a film
director and producer of South African films and TV series such as
Arende. They met in Cape Town in 1977 when she worked as a
travel consultant for the Railways' travel bureau. He was filming
Dingetjie & Idi when she came across the film set. He thought she
was a tourist, and introduced himself, offering to show her the film
studios in Waal Street. She was 23 and he was in his 50s - he was
her first love.
These days Brenda lives in
Calitzdorp where she is an
animal welfare volunteer
and holistic health therapist.
Her book shares stories
from her life - covering her
childhood years, the
painting sessions and some
of her recipes (she later
became a chef and
restaurant manager). She
didn't plan on writing a
book. It came about after
she published a series of
stories about growing up in
Brenda at a book reading
Gansbaai in the local community newspaper last Christmas. When
she lived in Prince Albert, she entered a short story for the 2016
Prince Albert Literary Festival, and was encouraged to write more.
In 1965 one of the world’s most
successful artists held an
exhibition in Vancouver, Canada
- not at the Vancouver Art
Gallery but at Eaton’s department
store. His first Vancouver
exhibition opened on 16 April
1955. An estimated 4,000 people
per day flocked to the sixth floor
of Eaton’s during the three-week
show, which included 50
originals and many reproductions
of his more famous work that he
would sign for those who bought
one. Vladimir Tretchikoff made a
fortune selling prints of his work
in the 1950s and 1960s. Prints
like Chinese Girl, Dying Swan
and Lost Orchid were hanging in
thousands of middle class living
rooms.
He called his style symbolical realism - they were realistic but with
exotic touches that were uniquely his. Critics dismissed his
paintings, and he dismissed critics. In May 1965 he told The
Province reporter that he didn't give a damn what anyone wanted -
"I paint what, when and how I like. I haven’t had a commission in
15 years. I consider critics a bunch of comedians; they make me
laugh all the way to the bank." He sold 18 original paintings for
$50,000 during a three-month cross-Canada tour, but he made even
more money selling prints, $70,000. The press dubbed him "the
richest painter in the world after Picasso."
He was born Vladimir Grigoryevich Tretchikoff in Petropavlovsk,
Kazakhstan on 26 December 1913. When the Russian Revolution
broke out in 1917, his parents and their eight children left their
landed estate and fled to Harbin in the Chinese part of Manchuria.
In 1924, while still in
school, he helped out with
scene painting at the
Harbin Opera House. It
started as a hobby but he
soon realised painting was
a passion.
In 1929 he received his
first commission, from the
Chinese-Eastern Railway
for portraits of Lenin and
Sum Yat San, to hang in
their new headquarters.
He was paid 500 roubles.
He used the money to
move to Shanghai in
1932, where he became a Tretchikoff at Eaton's in Vancouver, 8 May 1965
cartoonist for the
Shanghai Times. He met Natalie Telpregoff, another Russian
refugee, in Shanghai. They married in 1935 and moved to
Singapore where he worked in advertising, drew cartoons for the
Straits Times and secretly worked for the British Ministry of
Information, illustrating anti-Japanese and anti-axis propaganda
posters and pamphlets. In 1938 his paintings represented Malaya at
the New York World's Fair. His daughter, Mimi, was born in 1938.
When the Japanese invaded Singapore in the early hours of a
December morning in 1941, Natalie and Mimi were hastily
evacuated. He was put on a later ship, HMS Giang Bee, which was
torpedoed by the Japanese on 13 February 1942. Tretchikoff and
other survivors two life boats made it to the occupied coast of Java.
After three months in solitary confinement in Serang he was
released. He spent the rest of the war painting portraits under town
arrest in Djakarta. One of the portrait clients was Leonora Moltema,
(Continued on page 7)
Boerewors Express ● September 2021 6

(Continued from page 6)
an accountant. He nicknamed her Lenka and her face appeared in
numerous works. She became his mistress. In 1946 he discovered,
through the Red Cross, that his wife and daughter were safely in
Cape Town having arrived in 1942. He arrived in Cape Town on 13
August 1946, where Natalie and Mimi awaited him. Lenka
eventually settled in Holland, and after her husband's death she ran
their family business. In 1964 she met up with Tretchikoff in
London, during one of his exhibitions, and in 1998 she visited Cape
Town and met him again. She died on 01 August 2013, age 99
years.
His first South African exhibition in 1948 was a big success,
drawing large crowds. It was held at the Maskew Miller Gallery in
Adderley Street, which was run by Arthur and Mona Tiddy.
Another exhibition followed in Johannesburg. From these two
exhibitions he sold 25 paintings for £5,300.
In 1961 he exhibited at Harrods department store in London, which
drew more than 250,000 visitors. He sailed on the Queen Mary to
New York for the start of his America tour. Over the course of his
career he had 252 exhibitions worldwide. Tretchikoff retained the
copyright on his artworks after he sold the originals - "Why should
my art only be available to the wealthy? I want everyone to enjoy
my art." He made sure to exhibit in accessible locations – shopping
centres and banks, amongst others.
He retired to his self-designed mansion in Bishopscourt. He
continued to paint but stopped selling and exhibiting. Here he spent
his retirement with his wife, daughter and four granddaughters. Into
his 80s, he still drove a pink Cadillac. He loved gardening and rock
sculpting, and became an avid bridge player. He suffered a stroke in
2002. The wealthy artist died in Cape Town on 26 August 2006, a
year before his wife passed away.
The world knows her face as Miss
Wong and Lady from the Orient in
Tretchikoff's paintings, but Wayne
Young, a cosmetic surgeon in Sydney,
Australia, it’s portraits of his late
mother, Valerie Howe. She was born in
Port Elizabeth and was half-French,
half-Chinese. Valerie was 18 years old
when she met Tretchikoff in 1955 as
she walked her dogs in Camps Bay. A
man came up to her and said, "Hello,
I’m Tretchikoff, and I’d like to paint
you." She didn’t know who he was, but
she agreed. The Miss Wong painting
was auctioned off at a Stephan Welz &
Co auction in October 2013 for R3,5
million. Valerie died in Johannesburg in 1995.
Monika Sing-Lee was
Tretchikoff's Chinese
Girl model. While
working at her uncle’s
laundromat, Hen Lee
Laundry in Main
Road, Sea Point as a
17 year old‚
Tretchikoff asked her
to sit down so that he
could paint her portrait. She had Dutch and Portuguese ancestry. At
the time, he lived in an apartment in Sea Point and his studio was in
Gardens. After she married commercial traveller Pon Su-Suan in
1953‚ they moved to Johannesburg but the marriage fell apart early
on‚ and she raised her five children by working as a shipping clerk
and‚ in her spare time‚ as a dressmaker. She met her life partner‚
Enrico Tabasso‚ and they were together for 44 years. Monika had
two sons and three daughters. She died in June 2017 in
Johannesburg. Monika met Tretchikoff again in the 1990s and they
struck up a strong friendship. Chinese Girl sold millions in print.
It’s been called "the Mona Lisa of Kitsch". The painting appeared in
Alfred Hitchcock’s film Frenzy and made cameo appearances in
music videos like David Bowie’s The Stars Are Out Tonight and
The White Stripes’ Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground. The
original painting was sold to a woman in Chicago in 1953 for
$2,000. In 2013 it sold for almost $3.5 million at a Bonham’s
Auction in London, bought by the British jeweller Laurence Graff.
It's now at the Delaire Graff wine estate outside Stellenbosch.
The model for
The Hindu
Dancer was a
real-life Hindu
dancer,
Champa
Chameli, who
was 18 years
old and the
daughter of a
well-known
tabla player called George Chameli. Champa was the first South
African Indian girl to perform Hindu dancing in the Transvaal.
Champa met Tretchikoff at one of his exhibitions at Stuttafords in
Durban. He paid for the train ticket to Cape Town for her and her
sister a few weeks later. She also modelled for another two
paintings. From his studio, she could see Lion's Head. During
breaks, she was served melon and ice cream. She met Tretchikoff
again at the age of 26 in Johannesburg, when he signed a print of
her portrait.
She married Detective Sergeant Surendra Manoo. He died in 1978,
and Champa was left with four young daughters to raise. She
moved to Florida, USA, in 1980, where she had family members.
She was living in Palm Beach in 2013. Her daughter, Chameli Jain,
remembers the signed print hanging in their living room in
Merebank, south of Durban. Champa took it with her to the US. The
original painting was auctioned in Cape Town in June 2013 and
sold for R1.3 million, bought by a Durban man.
Another painting that fetched a high price was Journey’s End. It
was sold at a Bonhams auction in London in 2013 for £74 500.
Patrick McCay, the original owner of Journey’s End, was an avid
art collector, even when he was a struggling Karoo sheep farmer
near Hanover. He bought Journey’s End after Tretchikoff’s second
exhibition in Cape Town in 1949. He intended to acquire Lost
Orchid but lost out to John Schlesinger, the heir to a South African
business empire. After he returned to the Karoo, he was still upset
at not getting the orchid that he phoned Tretchikoff’s agent, and she
suggested Journey’s End.
Although the model for Fruits of
Bali was a South African, it wasn't
her that Tretchikoff had in his mind's
eye. He had Ni Pollok in mind. She
was a Legong dancer in Indonesia.
Ni Pollok later married the Belgian
artist Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de
Merprès. The painting was originally
owned by the Battle of Britain
veteran, Flight Lieutenant Richard
Owen Hellyer. In 1940 Hellyer was
shot down in his Spitfire over
Dunkirk. Having recovered from his
injuries, he made his way back to the
UK and re-joined his squadron at
RAF Kenley. After the war, Hellyer was demobbed and immigrated
to South Africa, where he retired to Fish Hoek, later Yzerfontein,
and then Saldanha where he owned the Saldanha Bay Hotel. He
died in South Africa on 28 October 1995.
Boerewors Express ● September 2021 7

CAPE TOWN'S STAR
Meganne Young started her
professional acting career in
2013 when she starred in the
television movie The
Challenger Disaster. In 2014,
she made her feature film
debut with The Giver in
which she played Bride. Her
first recurring television role
was in the TV series Black
Sails in 2015 in which she
played Abigail Ashe and was
filmed in Cape Town. She's
now better known for her role
as Rachel in The Kissing
Booth films, which were filmed in Cape Town. Meganne was living
in Cape Town when she was cast in the first Kissing Booth film, but
had moved to Vancouver, Canada, by the time filming started.
Meganne was born in Cape Town, where she spent half her life. Her
father is South African and her mother is Australian. As an expat
child she lived in Nigeria, Switzerland and Sri Lanka - attending
schools in four countries. She graduated from The Overseas School
of Colombo, and enrolled in film school in Cape Town.
She's been open about dealing with anxiety for many years, and
credits focusing on positive relationships to get through the lows,
Going for walks, whether it's 10 minutes down the street, or an
hour-long walk while listening to an audio book - are other coping
mechanisms she uses.
VAN DER MERWE FAMILY
In 1836, Andries Hendrik Potgieter (aka Hendrik Potgieter) led his
group of Voortrekkers out of the Cape, following the Trichardt and
Van Rensburg groups who had left in 1835. The Potgieter group
included Johannes Marthinus (Hans) van der Merwe. By October
1836, they had reached the area of Vegkop, where a battle took
place on 16 October 1836 between the Voortrekkers and the
Matebele (Ndebele). Afterwards, Hans found an infant boy in the
veld, said to be Zulu, and brought him back to the trekkers' laager -
this is according to Peet van der Merwe who was in the first
Dorsland Trek as a child and in 1929 moved to Patattafontein near
Rustenburg. The infant boy was named Oorlog or Slagveld van der
Merwe. Hans was later part of the first Dorsland Trek that settled in
Humpata, Angola. Another version of this story, is that the infant
was named Slagveld van der Merwe, after the Dorsland trekker Gert
van der Merwe. The third version has Hans finding the infant in an
abandoned kraal after the Battle of Blood River, took him home and
named him Slagveld van der Merwe.
The black Van der Merwe families of Ehomba's oral history is that
they were originally predominantly isiZulu speakers, with some
Setswane speakers amongst them, who trekked with the Dorsland
Trekkers in 1874 from the Transvaal across Namibia to Humpata in
the south of Angola. They were also known as the Makvolk (tame
peoples). The Makvolk were mostly labourers who accompanied
the trekkers. It is estimated that there were 130–200 in the Dorsland
treks. They adopted the surnames of the Dorsland trekkers in whose
service they were placed according to the "inboekstelsel" or
indenture system. According to this system, which evolved out of
slavery at the Cape, African children were bound to settlers in the
Transvaal as labourers until they had attained the age of majority.
On 04 January 1881 there were 55-60 families (270- 277 people)
living in Humpata. By 01 July 1883 there were 325 whites and 43
blacks.
In 1884 the Boers expelled the Makvolk from Humpata. The
Makvolk moved to their own settlement, 8 kilometres away. In
1928 the majority of Boer families (350 of the 403) moved to
Namibia, but the Van der Merwes remained in Humpata until 1944
when they moved from Angola to Kaokoland and settled in the
vicinity of the Ehombo Mountains.
They spoke Afrikaans and their vocabulary included old words such
as katel (bed), kooi (bed), altemits (perhaps/maybe), oge (eyes),
vortgaan (go away), taggentag (eighty), maters (friends), oolfant
(elephant), arnoster (rhinoceros), sigwelwe (myself), bekwaald (ill),
gowwermint (government), moeder (mother), ouboet (older
brother), boet (brother), neef (cousin/nephew) and oususter (oldest
sister).
After 1944, as the Ehomba area was dominated by the Ovahimba
people who spoke Herero, the Van der Merwes gradually
intermarried with the Ovahimba.
Ragel van der Merwe lived to be over 100 years old (she was 99
years old in 1980), and could only speak Afrikaans. Her funeral was
conducted by ds. Jacob Schoeman. Born on 04 October 1891 in
Humpata, her parents were Tom Bechuana and his second wife
Katryn Dreyer, a Tswana woman who had accompanied the
Dorsland Trekkers to Angola. Ragel married Jan Slagveld van der
Merwe, the grandson of a Zulu child found on a battlefield or
abandoned kraal in Natal. This child was named Slagveld and raised
by a Boer family that later moved to the western Transvaal.
Slagveld's son, Klein Ruiter, worked for Gert van der Merwe, one
of the Dorsland Trek leaders, and accompanied him to Humpata. In
1912, Klein Ruiter's second son, Jan Slagveld van der Merwe,
married Ragel Thom. The couple lived in Neves and Ombulo before
moving to the Ehomba area in 1943/4.
Ragel's eldest son, Ruyter, became the head of the clan. Two other
sons, Krisjan and Oorlog, worked as stock inspectors for Tom
Sopper, and her second son, Tom, worked as a foreman. During
South Africa's Bush War (1966-1989), Ragel's son, Oorlog, trained
home guards in Kaokoland.
The graves in Ehomba tell the family's story - all Van der Merwe:
Jan Slagveld, Ruiter, Rager (Ragel), Kristiaan... In 2009, two of
Ragel's children were still living - Oorlog and Willemiena.
Willemiena still remembered the trek out of Angola. They trekked
with their wagons and cattle to Swartbooisdrif, where they were met
by wagons from the other side of the Cunene River. Willemiena
died on 31 July 2014. Although most of Ragel's children and
grandchildren married Ovahimba women, they all spoke Afrikaans
and were devout Christians. The family has an old, large Afrikaans
Bible with the inscription: "Aan Outa Slagveld en aja Rachel van
der Merwe met groot waardering vir julle volgehoue gereformeerde
lewenswyse. Van Basie de Smit."
Dorsland trekkers' descendants still have annual memorial events in
Swartbooisdrift.
Oorlog van der Merwe and his mother, Ragel
The world is round and the place which
may seem like the end, may also be the
beginning.
Boerewors Express ● September 2021 8

A CHEF IN
LONDON
Nokuthula (Nokx) Majozi works
as the senior pie maker and sous
chef at the 5-star Rosewood
London Hotel's Holborn Dining
Room. In the Victorian kitchen,
known as The Pie Room, more
than 300 pies are made each day.
Nokx is from Empangeni and has
been working in London for 19
years, the last seven at the Holborn
Dining Room. During the day,
Nokx and four junior chefs work in the kitchen, and at night it
becomes a private dining room. On weekends, head chef Calum
Franklin and Nokx present master classes in the kitchen.
Her milk tart recipe and bunny chow recipe are included in the
recent book, Chefs at Home: Delicious Family Recipes from the
UK’s leading Locked Down Chefs, to which 54 leading chefs
including Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, contributed two
recipes they created during lockdown. The book is in aid of
Hospitality Action.
Nokx grew up helping her father in the kitchen at home. After
graduating from high school, she did a 3-year culinary diploma at
Durban University of Technology. Her first job was at Durban’s 4-
star Riverside Hotel. She also did a 3-year apprenticeship in the US
working for Disney in Florida and then the Intercontinental Hotel in
Miami, before moving to London in 2002, where she struggled
through the first few years and wanted to go back to South Africa
but her father encouraged her to carry on.
In 2020, Code Hospitality, named her one of the 100 most
influential women in the UK hospitality sector. Nokx works closely
with Women in Hospitality, an organisation that fosters the career
development of female chefs. She lives in Pimlico with her husband
and daughter.
SA TENNIS
The University of South Alabama women's tennis team head coach,
Jaco Keyser, has added two South Africans to the 2021-22 season.
Delien Kleinhans, from Bloemfontein, is a four-time South African
Junior Champion (2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020), and competed at the
2016 Junior World Cup. She has also been a member of the national
team, which has competed at the African Junior Championships the
past six years. Delien won the 2018 Southern Africa U20
championship, and was named the South African Junior Player of
the Year. She is currently ranked 158th by the ITF. She attended
Eunice High School.
Lara van der Merwe, from Potchefstroom, was part of the South
African national team since u/12 and was also ranked No.1 in South
Africa in u/12, u/14 and u/18. She has earned two International
Tennis Federation titles in singles and four titles in doubles. She
was ranked No. 182 in the World Junior Rankings, and was a
member of the South African Junior Fed Cup that won the African
Nations Cup in 2020. Her parents are Zack and Sonja, and she has
two siblings, Grant and Genna.
All mankind is divided into three
classes: those that are immovable,
those that are movable, and those
that move.
~ Benjamin Franklin ~
GOING
GLOBAL
Natasha (Tasha) Sideris, the
founder of the South African
restaurant group Tashas, has
moved the business's
headquarters to Dubai. She
emigrated Dubai, UAE, four
years ago. Tashas currently has
15 locations in South Africa and
five in the UAE. In Dubai, there
are also three other concepts: two fine-dining restaurants: Flamingo
Room by Tashas and Avli by Tashas, as well as the Galaxy Bar.
Her brother and business partner, Savva Sideris, looks after the
South African operation. Tashas at Atholl Square was the first store,
now closed as the centre is being demolished and rebuilt. Le Parc
by Tashas in Hyde Park Corner was recently revamped. There are
plans to expand to Australia.
Tasha's father, Harry, was a café and restaurant owner. She watched
him working hard, and would only see him on Mondays when the
restaurants were closed. He opened the first Fishmonger in Rivonia.
Tasha, a former head girl at Saheti School, was studying
psychology at Wits at the time. She would go to university lectures
in the mornings and afternoons, and in the evenings she'd go to the
Fishmonger to help her father run his restaurants. Harry was also a
partner in Squire’s Loft, and owned The Town Tavern, and The
Highwayman.
Her first restaurant was Nino’s in Bedfordview in 2001. The first
tasha in Sandton was financed through loan sharks and she didn't
draw a salary for 2½ years. The second tashas was the Bedfordview
Nino's converted. She has no formal chef training. She credits part
of her success to being used to working seven days a week, from
6am to 11pm until she opened store 12. She has two recipe books:
Tasha's Café Classics, and Tasha's Inspired - A Celebration Of
Food & Art.
DIGITAL OPSITKERS
A Christian dating app, SALT, was recently launched in South
Africa. The free app was first launched in 2018 in the UK. It is also
available in Germany and Australia. A premium option offers
additional features. The app is available on Android and iOS.
SALT co-founder Paul Rider was born in South Africa. He met his
wife online, while working for a mobile app business at the time.
In the old days, especially among rural Afrikaans communities, a
candle was lit when a suitor or sweetheart came to visit a daughter,
and it determined the length of the visit after the parents had gone to
bed. Some mothers stuck a pin into the wax, believing that an inch
would burn for 30 minutes. Salt weakened the flame and was often
used to delay the man’s departure.
The Landbouweekblad's first Opsitkers column was published in
September 1955. In November 2012 it went digital. In the
magazine's archives, there are two shelves and one drawer full of
columns, including at least 7 handwritten books with alphabetical
lists of the codenames that include Angelier, Alleenloper, Agtste
Wonder, Werkesel, Ysterman, Zeerust se Eensame Ridder,
Bergnimf, Flenters, Grensvegter, Hardekopgeitjie, Modderkoekie,
Tortelduif, Wag-Nog-Steeds.
But the Landbouweekblad was not the first to publish a column -
Die Landstem was a weekly newspaper published from 1950 to
1967 in Cape Town. They had a "Hoekie vir Eensames", which was
later copied by other publications.
In 1958 Leegleêrs wrote: Ons wil net aan al die soekende
nooientjies meedeel dat hier nou eindelik die kans is waarop hul so
lank gewag het. Almal is welkom om die guns van hierdie ses
jongkêrels te probeer wen. Nooiens, julle wil seker weet hoe ons
lyk, wat ons doen en waarin ons belangstel? Wel, u kan kies tussen
(Continued on page 10)
Boerewors Express ● September 2021 9

(Continued from page 9)
kortes en langes, skrales en maeres, mooies en minder mooies, blou
oë, groen oë en grou oë, rokers en stokers ens. (Rokers onder die
skoner geslag nie welkom – sigarette te duur). Ons kom van oor die
lengte en breedte van die land. Vervoer is daar genoeg. Ons beskik
oor een van die luukse ’49-modelle en een help-my-trap.
Also in 1958 two brothers under the codename Rock en Roll wrote:
Ons is albei brandarm en skreeulelik. Die melk in die emmer raak
suur as ons by die koeikraal verbyloop. Ons stel belang in
motorfietse en alle ander brullende gedoentes, behalwe leeus. Ons
rook pyp en drink soos visse koffie en tee. Hoe lyk dit, is daar
miskien nooientjies wat ons wil hervorm? Ons hoop van harte so.
In the 1950s, Ou Jonas wrote: Ek isse ou Jonas, ek isse nie bang.
Ekke weeg one-fifty enne is twenty-one. My oge hy’s blou, isse
lank vyf voet tien. En is binne ’n bar nog nooit gesien. Wie hette die
guts, wie hette die lyf. Wie siene die kans om vir Jonas te skryf?
*Weetbix: Weetabix
*Lemon Cream biscuits: Oreo
Lemon.
*Jungle Oats: Quaker Oats and
add butter and some sugar.
*Kingklip: Chilean sea bass.
Halibut also good.
*Citro Soda: look in Indian
shops too. AZO. Oregano oil gel
caps. D-Mannose powder. Ural
powder. *Cystoplus powder.
Picot Sal De Uvas Antacid.
*Arbonne Liquid Sunshine self
tanner: doesn't smell
horrible.
* Golden Syrup: known as
cane sugar syrup.
*Hunters Gold: Strongbow
Apple Cider.
*Savanna Dry: Crispin Cider.
Cartoonist: Fred Mouton
WHAT CAN I USE?
Moving to another country and leaving your usual products behind
can take some hit and miss replacement sagas in your new country.
When buying from a SA shop is not your option, here are some
suggestions that might work for you. Search online to find in your
area, if available. Also check out British, Mexican, Indian, Asian
grocery shops. Let me know of any other suggestions.
*Delicata squash tastes like gem squash.
*Jaffle irons on Amazon: look for Toas-Tite Long Handled Pocket
Sandwich Grill.
*Graham Crackers Honey are good for tart / cheesecake crumb
base.
*Creme Soda: look for the blue Frostie Blue Cream, or Pakola
Cream Soda.
YogiSip: LALA yougurt smootie.
*Paracetamol: look for acetaminophen.
*Cadac gas bottle for your potjie:
Martin R65 Propane Burner.
*Tennis biscuits: Cuetara Recoco
Flavored Cookies, often in the Mexican
food aisle. Little Dutch Maid Coconut
Bar Cookies are similar.
* Brown Onion oup powder: Lipton
Recipe Secrets Onion.
*Boudoir Lady Finger biscuits: Goya
Lady Fingers.
*Top Deck chocolate slab: Wonka
Chocolate Waterfall Bar.
*Bread: in the USA (no to Wonder
Bread) rather buy it from proper
bakeries.
*Custard powder: Maizena vanilla flavour.
*Schweppes Dry Lemon: Cock & Bull Bitter Lemon.
BUSH TELEGRAPH
Births, Marriages, Engagements, Deaths, Promotions, Relocations,
Graduations… let us know
Yvonne Pope Sintes born 8 Sep 1930 in Pretoria; died 16 Aug
2021. She was the eldest of three daughters. Her mother, Iris (nee
Kyle), was a teacher, and her father, Marcel van de Hoek, was the
overseas manager of the South African Citrus Exchange. The family
moved from Pretoria to Purley, Surrey. In 1940 the family, without
Marcel, moved back to Pretoria and, later, Cape Town. In Pretoria
Yvonne was educated at St Mary’s Diocesan School and in Cape
Town at a state school. Back in Britain in 1946 she attended
Commonwealth Lodge School in Purley. Following her parents'
divorce in 1947, her mother moved the family back to South Africa,
(Continued on page 11)
Boerewors Express ● September 2021 10

(Continued from page 10)
where Yvonne spent a year at Rhodes University, before returning
to the UK.
On a Swedish holiday in the late 1940s, she took her first passenger
flights. She eventually got a flight attendant job with Scottish
Airlines and then with the British Overseas Airways Corporation. In
1952 she took her first flying lesson. After four months she received
her private pilot’s licence, and in 1958 a commercial licence.
She married Eric Pope, a flying instructor, in 1953. He died of a
cerebral haemorrhage the day after the birth of their second son,
Chris, in 1955. Yvonne worked in Exeter as an instructor, before
training as an air traffic controller with the Ministry of Aviation at
Hurn Airport, Bournemouth. She become one of the two first
British female flight controllers. In 1966 she began her flying career
with Morton Air Services. On 14 Feb 1970, she became Britain’s
first female jet airline pilot, as co-pilot on a Dan-Air De Havilland
Comet 4 to Las Palmas. In 1974 she captained an Avro 748 flying
Gatwick-Bristol-Beauvais-Gatwick with the first all-female crew.
She retired in 1980.
In 1966 she met Miguel Sintes in Menorca and they were married in
1970. After her retirement, they settled on the island. Miguel died in
1999 and Yvonne moved back to the UK.
Her son John died last year. She is survived by her other son Chris,
a granddaughter, Samantha, and grandson, Lewis, and two greatgrandchildren.
Her autobiography, Trailblazer in Flight, was
published in 2013.
Reinette Wilhelmina Uys born 1929 in Uitenhage, the daughter of
David Schalk Weidemann and Maryna Adriana McKay. She died
on 25 Jan 2021 in Youngstown. Ohio. She had 11 siblings, Estelle
van Jaarsveldt is her only surviving sibling. Her father worked for
SA Railways in Uitenhage. She married Johannes M. Uys in 1952,
and they moved to the US in 1955. They lived first in Boston and
Pittsburgh. In 1960, they moved to Youngstown, where, except for
five years in Chicago. They had four children. Johannes worked in
the steel industry. They raised their family in Boardman Township
and spent their later years on the North Side of Youngstown.
Reinette was active in the Youngstown community and was a
member of the board of directors of Stambaugh Auditorium. She
was a runnerand won her age group in the Youngstown Peace Race.
She was a member of Youngstown Country Club, where she
enjoyed tennis and swimming. Reinette did volunteer work at Park
Vista retirement home, as well as with Planned Parenthood, where
she was chair of the Mahoning Valley Chapter.
Her son, David, died in 1978. She is survived by her children, Eric
Uys, J. Peter Brinker Uys of Atlanta, and Tina and Peter Bedell of
Chicago; her grandchildren, David and Caroline; and beloved
family friend, Charles T. Wingo of Atlanta, as well as 32 nieces and
nephews and their children in South Africa, England, Scotland,
Wales, Australia, the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Oman, New
Zealand and Zimbabwe.
John Parkin born 1958, died on 23 Aug 2021. He had long battled
cancer. After training as a photographer in the South African Air
Force, he worked for the Sunday Express newspaper in
Johannesburg, and in the mid-1980s began taking photos for The
Associated Press. He was known for helping other journalists out of
difficult situations. He moved to the UK in 1995, where he covered
news events, including the funeral of Princess Diana, and used his
expertise in information technology to work as a video journalist.
He is survived by two daughters, Emily and Francesca, and a
grandson, Isaac.
Nelia Scheeres (24) born 1997 the daughter of Dr Jan Jacobus
(Jaco) Scheeres and Madine. She died on 16 Aug 2021 in a collision
with a truck near Tralee, Co Kerry, Ireland, while driving home for
lunch during her first day of an 18-week internship. She was a
medical student starting her third year at the University of
Limerick's Medical School and lived in Castletroy, Limerick and
Barrie, Ontario, Canada. She graduated from St. Joan of Arc
Catholic High School in Barrie in 2015. She studied biomedical
science from 2015 to 2019 at the University of Guelph, where she
received a bachelor of science with honours. In 2019, she started a
four-year programme at the the University of Limerick.
She is survived by her parents, her twin brother Ian, and her sister,
Christie who is also a medical student at the University of Limerick,
as well as her grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, extended
relatives in South Africa, Holland and the US.
DID YOU KNOW?
Recently released data from the UK’s Home Office for 2020:
A total of 125,173 work visas were approved by December 2020.
Of these, 4,012 were granted to South Africans.
506,644 visitor visas were approved by December 2020. Of these,
17,288 were granted to South Africans.
There were 40,255 family visas granted. Of these, 1,497 were
granted to South Africans.
Data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics, as of March
2021:
South Africa has an estimated 229,000 people currently living in the
UK, with over 53,000 in London alone. It is the ninth country with
the largest overseas population in the UK. India (847,000), Poland
(746,000) and Pakistan (519,000) are the top three.
The London borough of Wandsworth is the borough with the
highest number of South Africans (estimated 6,000), while Merton
reported approximately 3,000 and Lambeth, Kingston and
Richmond each reported around 2,000.
There are around 13 South African shops in south west London
alone, selling a variety of South African groceries and food.
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter became the first Black woman to wear the
iconic Tiffany Diamond. It's been worn by four women so far: the
first was Mary Whitehouse (wife of American diplomat Edwin
Sheldon Whitehouse) in 1957; in 1961 it was re-set in Jean
Schlumberger’s Ribbon Rosette necklace, worn by Audrey Hepburn
in publicity photos for the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s; the stone was
reset for Tiffany's 175th anniversary and later worn by Lady Gaga
to the 91st annual Academy Awards; Beyoncé in 2021.
The Tiffany Diamond is one of the world’s largest and finest yellow
diamonds. Discovered in the Kimberley diamond mines in 1877, the
287.42-carat rough stone was acquired the following year by
founder Charles Lewis Tiffany for $18,000. The rough stone was
taken to Paris, where Tiffany’s chief gemologist, Dr. George
Frederick Kunz, supervised the cutting of the diamond into a
cushion-shape brilliant weighing 128.54 carats with 82 facets (24
more facets than the traditional 58-facet brilliant cut). The Tiffany
Diamond was the highlight of Tiffany’s exhibits at the 1893
World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the 1939–40
World’s Fair in New York City. Later appearances included the
2006 “Bejewelled by Tiffany” exhibition at Somerset House in
London, and an exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum
of Natural History. In one of its rare appearances in Tiffany’s Fifth
Avenue windows, the diamond was placed in the hands of a gold
wire angel for a holiday display by Tiffany window designer Gene
Moore.
Boerewors Express was first published in May 1998 as an e-mail newsletter. In
September 1999, it became a print newletter. 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 - no politics, hate, or country
bashing - 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
© Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
Email: BoereworsXpress@gmail.com
Online: https://www.yumpu.com/user/BoereworsExpress
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoereworsXpress
Boerewors Express ● September 2021 11