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Karel van Zyl
00726830498
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Hentiesbay history
From: karelvanzyl <karelvanzyl@absamail.co.za>
To:
info@hentiesbaytourism.com
Good day,
I know the
history of Hentiesbay very well, as was told to me by my
father, exactly as told by you and Hentie van der Merwe.
What was
actually never told, are the following facts:
My father,
Karel van Zyl, was in the South west african police, in
Okahandja and part of his duties were to patrol the west
coast because it was diamond area. He did that firstly with
camels and then changed to horses because the camels were to
slow.
On one of his
trips he found a man camping along the seaside and told him
that he was not allowed to be there, because it was diamond
area. He asked my dad if he could not get a permit to camp
there because he was only interested in camping and fishing.
My farther gave him a temporary permission, as he was goiing
to try and get permission from police head quarters,
Pretoria, for this man to camp there occasionally. It should
be remembered that it was still under South African
government. My father, opened Okahandja police station 3
years before this.
After a few
months later and afte a lot of 'letter writing' to police
head quarters, he eventually got the permit for the man, on
condition that he was only allowed to camp and fish and that
was to be monitored regularly. My father went back to him,
on horseback, and handed him his permit, with the
conditions.
The man's name
was in fact HENTIE VAN DER MERWE.
Some more info
that I want to share with you is the fact that mr. Kösstens,
who had the first little shop there, was a very big friend
of my father's as he also was from Okahandja originally. The
legend, Sarah de Jager, my dad and Hentie became big
friends.
As a matter of
interest, we as a family, still own the house in Henties,
that was build by my dad in the sixties on the south dune.
We go there every year in July or December. The old train
couch, that was renovated into a house during the sixties,
also belonged to him and then, when he build the house, he
gave the train couch to his friend, mr. Gert Liebenberg.
My pa was
vanaf 1927/28 in Okahandja by die polisie. Toe het hy
ook die twee palmbome, wat voor die ou polisie stasie, die
ou fort, staan, daar geplant. Hy moes die spergebied oppas,
met kamele. Omdat dit te stadig gegaan het, het hy perde
gekry om dit te doen. Hy het die namib plat gery op soek na
diamant smokkelaars. Hy het vertel dat hy by twee
geleenthede spore gevolg het, deur die barre woestyn, totdat
die spore later draai see toe. Dan het hy geweet, dis nie
meer lank nie, want die mens se water het opgeraak. Hulle
kom dan by die see, drink uit desperaatheid seewater, en
sterf n paar uur later.
Ns: Hy het bv
baie by Kolmanskop ook aangedoen en die woestyn geken. Sy
broer, oom Hannes van Zyl, het later ook by die polisie
aangesluit in Suidwes en hy is toe Alexanderbaai toe, waar
hy n diamant sorteerder was.
Dit was juis
op een van die 'trips' wat hy, my pa, op Hentie van der
Merwe afgekom het.
Iets
interesants. Een jaar het my pa my, as 14 jarige seun,
opgevat in die Omaruru rivier en gesê hy wil my een van die
wonders van die natuur gaan wys, wat hy gesien gebeur het en
sy oë nie kon glo nie.
Ons het met 'n
ou landrover ongeveer 8 na 10 km in die rivier opgery.
Onthou die rivier loop net in sie reënseisoen. Hy het
stilgehou, die landrover gelos, en toe het ons nog sowat 2
km verder geloop. Ons het in 'n klipkoppie op die oewer gaan
sit en wag, vir seker 3 ure.
Toe gebeur dit.
Die wild, Gemsbokke, Koedoes (wat in die bosse in die oewer
gebly het) en Springbokke het kom water soek. Hoewel daar
geen water was nie, het 'n wonderwerk voor my oë plaasgevind.
Die Gemsbok bulle het met hulle pote gegrou, omtrent 8dm in
die rivier se sand. Die water syfer dan deur, omdat die
water tafel baie vlak is. Hulle het gedrink en daarna die
koedoes en toe die springbokke.
Hy het my
vertel dat hy, nadat hy dit gesien het, baie op sy
patrollies van die metode gebruik gemaak om water te kry in
die Omaruru en Kuiseb riviere se lope.
Hy het my ook
gaan wys hoe dit lyk as 150 tot 200 Namib springbokke begin
pronk. Dis 'n belewenis. Ek weet nie hoeveel vandag nog oor
is nie, maar in die sestigs was daar honderde. Jy kon hulle
ook vroeg in die oggend sien tussen Henties en myl 72
wanneer hulle in troppe langs die soutpad geloop het en
gewei het aan die opslag wat oornag opgekom het agv die mis.
Karel van Zyl
0726830498
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