History of Paarl Families (Part 2)

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The Essop family moved to Paarl around 1930, when they built a general dealer and their residence on the corner of Breda- and Thom Streets. They had three sons and four daughters. They were Gadija, Fatima, Yusuf, Mariam, Ebrahim, Sulaiman and Zulaiga. Gadija married Ismail Patel, Fatima married in Cape Town, Yusuf married Farieda Rhoda, and they had a son and two daughters. The son is Dr. Fadiel Essop, resident in Paarl. Mariam married Mansoer Moerat. They had a daughter and three sons. Sulayman married a wife from Johannesburg. Both of them have passed away. Ebrahim and Zulaiga never married and have passed away. Rhoda Family Boeta Gasant and Auntie Asa Rhoda moved from the Strand to Paarl. She was a member of the Wentzel family of Strand. Boeta Gasant was a hairdresser/barber by trade and he and Boeta Abbas Moerat became firm friends. They affectionately called each other John and Daan. There were two or three children when they moved to Paarl. They built a residence on the riverside on the corner of Waterkant- and Thom Streets. They had three sons and four daughters, Sa-aid, Jumara, Siraaz, Yusuf, Fatima, Farieda and Wasiela. Most of them attended school in Paarl. The sons all learned their father’s trade and their barber in Breda Street was wellknown. The eldest five of the children have passed away. The late Fatima was married to Boebie Majaal, Farieda was married to Yusuf Essop and Washiela is married to Faizel Dollie. They are all resident in Paarl. Herbert Family Boeta Ismail Herbert married Auntie Asa Hanslo from Cape Town. She was adopted by the famous chemist, Sarley Dollie of Cape Town, when she was orphaned. The Herberts purchased a property in Paarl. He was was close to the Hendricks family and very close to Boeta Dol of Wellington. They settled in Paarl in the early 1930s, where he operated a successful mechanical workshop from his home. He employed a white car mechanic by the surname of Nothnagel to do repairs. Boeta Ismail was very active in community affairs. They had three children, two sons and a daughter. The sons, Yusuf and Moegtaar have passed away, but they have surviving families in Paarl. The daughter, Needa, married a husband, Yusuf Baderoen, from the Strand, where she went to settle. Needa was also very active in community affairs before her departure from Paarl. Somewhere on one of the historical photo’s Needa appears with the Essop family. As bridesmaid for Ismail and Gadija Patel, she is also part of the wedding group. Allie Family The late Boeta Ismail and Auntie Asa Allie moved to Paarl in the 1950s to start a fruit business in Paarl. They were originally from District Six, where their father had a wholesale Banana business. Other members of the Allie family also moved to Paarl. They were Muhammed (Bhai), Achmad, Yusie, Moosa and a sister, Ayesha. Bhai married Aunty Farieda. 21
Two sons, Solly, Ebrahim and daughter, Yasmina are still resident in Paarl. Boeta Achmad married Aunty Abaashia and most of their children are resident in Paarl. Yusie married Asie Richards and there are children resident in Paarl. Moosa married Fadiela Dollie and their children are resident in Paarl. Ayesha married the late Yusuf Rhoda and their most of their offspring are also in Paarl. Patel Family Perhaps it is time for me to refer to my own family. My father, Mohamed Patel, immigrated from India at the beginning of the 20 th century, because of British oppression in his mother country. He was the youngest son of Mahmoud. Some of his brothers adopted the surname of Wadee, while he arrived here under the adopted surname of Patel. According to the information that I gained, my great-grandfather, Ishaaq, was a Persian, who emigrated to India and he went to settle in the village of Iklera, in the district of Soorah, in the province of Gujjeraat. The family resided there for centuries. My grandfather, Mahmoud’s offspring were Ahmed, Yusuf (Essop), Ismail, Mohamed, a daughter, Rasoul, and another daughter Mariam. Three of the brothers, Essop, Ismail and Mohamed travelled via cargo boat to South Africa. However, Essop returned to India. Ismail, who later became blind, remained in Johannesburg, while our father, Mohamed settled at the Cape. The eldest brother, Ahmed, never came to South Africa, but two of his sons, Mahmoud and Sulaiman Wadee, immigrated to South Africa and settled in Johannesburg. The one sister, Mariam, also moved to South Africa and married a person by the surname of Chasmawallah in Johannesburg. Their offspring, one a Moulana Mohammed, are still resident in Gauteng. My father had very humble beginnings at the Cape. He was only 19-years-old when he arrived here. He started trading with fruit by pushing a barrow to the market. Later he obtained a horse and cart and went to nearby farms in the Boland area to purchase fruit and vegetables, which he transported to Cape Town. He married his first wife in 1906. She was a girl of mixed descent, with the surname of Hofmeester, who embraced Islam. In the next ten years she gave birth to 6 children, before she passed away in the 1918 flu pendemic. The six children were Ebrahim (born in 1908), Mahmoud (1910) Essop (1912), Gadija and Gouwa (twins born 1915) and Fatima (1917). The twin Gouwa passed away at the age of two. Thus, my father was a widower with five young children, the eldest only ten and the youngest one year old. He soon married a wife from Worcester, but unfortunately she could not cope with the children and they separated again. In 1921 he married my mother, Ayesha, born in Tulbagh and also a revert to Islam. To be nearer to the farms, they moved around in the Boland area. He obtained a light truck on which he could load his fruit and vegetables and transport them to the Cape Town market. Then he would load fish, especially snoek at the harbour, and traded with the fish in the country area. My mother had five step children to care for as well as her own, which started arriving from 1923, when my brother, Achmad, was born. In 1925, my sister Zaynab arrived. One year later, another sister, Kulsom, was born. Then almost every second year there was a 22
Page 1 and 2: Du Toit Family We have traced the h
Page 3 and 4: Imam Mustapha remarried after the p
Page 5 and 6: A historical photograph taken in 19
Page 7 and 8: A Photo taken of members of the Nac
Page 9 and 10: Auntie Liemie married the late Boet
Page 11: The other Khan family, Achmad and J
Page 15 and 16: Kulsom found happiness with her sec

History of Paarl Families (Part 2)

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