Deon Joubert – Onthouers | Rememberers
Deon Joubert was born in Kleinhoek, but has lived in Algeria for most his life. He was 41 years old at the time of the interview. He has a deep love and appreciation for the Cederberg environment.
Deon Joubert shares stories about living with his uncles in Kleinhoek and taking tourists on tours through the mountains. He talks about getting to know the veld as a child and the games the children played.
Deon Joubert was born in Kleinhoek, but has lived in Algeria for 34 years. He was 41 years old at the time of the interview. He attended primary school in Grootkloof and high school in Clanwilliam. He has had various jobs and is currently unemployed. He is happy and grateful to have grown up in the environment of the Cederberg. Algeria will always be close to his heart.
Deon says that it was difficult making a living in Kleinhoek. His uncles had donkeys, and from the 1980s and early 90s they would take tourists on tours of the Cederberg with Cape Nature. He joined them during his school holidays from when he was only eight years old, and he has a great love for the veld. They went on expeditions for five to ten days. Deon has a great knowledge of the Cederberg.
As a child, Deon was very naughty. At the age of six they were taught to swim in Jan se Gat by the older boys, who pushed them into the water. They hunted lizards with slingshots. Patrick (the interviewer and childhood friend of Deon) taught Deon what veldkos was safe to eat, like suurings and finkel. Deon says that the children of today do not have childhoods as happy as they had, and they are too preoccupied with technology. Children today have little respect for adults, whereas they were raised strictly and got hidings.
I’m Deon Joubert. I’m originally from Kleinhoek, behind the mountain, but I’ve been living at Algeria for the past 34 years. I started, I spent my school years at Grootkloof Primary, that was from ’82, 1982, and later I went to Clanwilliam Secondary. And it’s a privilege for me to conduct this interview. I’ve had a variety of jobs over the past years, but today I’m, I’m currently unemployed. I’m happy that I could grow up in these surroundings. It is very nice for me. I’m happy that I still have so many friends here. My family and Algeria will always be close to my heart.
Tell us about your years at Kleinhoek, how it was there or whatever you can remember.
Okay. It was, to make a living at Kleinhoek was very difficult. In those years, in the ’80s into the early ’90s, my uncles actually had the donkeys with which they took people into the veld at Cape Nature Conservation, with the donkeys. The tourists. From my early years, from around eight years old, they already took me to work with the donkeys and to help the tourists. I didn’t really have school holidays, because my love of the veld, and the donkeys, and for my uncles… We always, every school holiday, they were busy taking out people, and so, and so.
Many days, many times we criss-crossed the area around Algeria, the mountains, for five days, often for ten days. So I have quite a thorough and a reasonable knowledge of our Cederberg mountains.
Tell us what you did here as children.
Okay. As child, we, the guy who is conducting the interview with me, Patrick, and I, we were quite naughty. I can remember, when I was still a small kid, a young boy of six, I’d already learnt to swim at Jaap se Gat [Jaap’s Hole]. There was no mercy for us, you were thrown in and you just had to flounder, but then there were also guys who helped you like James Burrows. There was Thomas, there was Jakob Hanekom, there was Nikolaas Hanekom. And you were basically at their mercy. And me and Patrick and our friend Chris, we were always hunting rock lizards with catapults and we also often, wickedness, the people, no garden was basically safe when we were around. So we were very wicked.
Tell us a bit about the veld* food that you ate.
Yes. Often there was… We were introduced to it by Patrick Hanekom, and you ate sorrel, you ate fennel, often you ate soetsoppe [?]. These were the veld foods that we, that we were introduced to. So with my knowledge, I think I won’t die of hunger in the veld, because at this stage I know what is safe to eat and what isn’t so safe.
How are today’s children different from the children in those days?
Today’s children, I’m sure they don’t enjoy their childhood any more, with the technology that has changed over the years. The child is now only six, seven, eight, possibly, then he or she already wants a telephone, cell phone, and there is also no longer respect for the parents, because in that time you could still use the switch, and so. But today… As children we were brought up strictly and you got your hiding when necessary.
How do you think, how will it be in a few years when children have grown up like this?
My personal view is that the technology will advance and they’ll have a lot of technology, or be much more dependent on technology. We didn’t have cell phones and those things. But I don’t think the children will stay behind. So they will become much more technologically advanced.
Deon Joubert is op Kleinhoek gebore, maar woon reeds jare lank op Algeria. Hy was 41 jaar oud ten tyde van die onderhoud. Hy is baie lief vir die Sederberge.
Deon vertel hoe hy by sy ooms op Kleinhoek gebly en toeriste op toere deur die berge geneem het. Hy vertel hoe hy as kind die veld leer ken het en van die speletjies wat hulle as kinders gespeel het.
Deon Joubert is op Kleinhoek gebore, maar woon reeds 34 jaar lank op Algeria. Hy was 41 jaar oud ten tyde van die onderhoud. Hy was op Grootkloof in die laerskool en op Clanwilliam in die hoërskool. Hy het verskeie werke gehad en is tans werkloos. Hy voel hy was gelukkig en is dankbaar dat hy in die Sederberge kon grootword. Algeria sal hom altyd na aan die hart lê.
Deon sê dit was moeilik om ’n lewe op Kleinhoek te maak. Sy ooms het donkies gehad en van die 1980’s tot die vroeë 1990’s het hulle vir CapeNature toeriste op toere deur die Sederberge geneem. Vandat hy agt jaar oud was, het hy vakansietye by hulle aangesluit. Hy is baie lief vir die veld. Hulle het op ekspedisies van vyf tot tien dae gegaan. Deon ken die Sederberge soos die palm van sy hand.
As kind was hy baie stout. Op die ouderdom van ses het die ouer seuns hom by Jan se Gat leer swem deur hom in die water in te stamp. Hulle het akkedisse met ketties gejag. Patrick (die onderhoudvoerder en ’n vriend van Deon uit hulle kinderdae) het vir Deon geleer watter veldkos veilig is om te eet, soos surings and vinkel. Deon sê die kinders van vandag se kinderjare is nie so gelukkig soos hulle s’n was nie omdat hulle te behep is met tegnologie. Vandag se kinders het min respek vir volwassenes, terwyl Deon-hulle baie streng grootgemaak is en pak gekry het.
Oukei, ek gee vir Patrick Hanekom toestemming om die onderhoud saam met my te voer. Ek is Deon Joubert, ek is oorspronklik van Kleinhoek, hier agter die berg, maar ek bly vir die afgelope vier-en-dertig jaar in Algeria. Ek het gebegin, my skooljare was ek verbonde aan Grootkloof Primêr en dit was vanaf ’82, 1982, enne, ek is later na Clanwilliam Sekondêr toe. Enne, vir my is dit ’n voorreg om hierdie onderhoud te voer. Ek het ’n verskeidenheid werke oor die afgelope jare gehad, maar vandag is ek, tans is ek werkloos, enne, ek is ook, bly dat ek hier in hierdie omgewing kan opgegroot het. En dis vir my baie lekker, ek is bly vir al my vriende, wat ek ook nog hier het, my familie en Algeria sal altyd naby my hart vir my bly.
Deon, vertel vir ons van jou jare op Kleinhoek, hoe dit daar gewees het, of wat jy kan onthou.
Oukei. In Kleinhoek was dit, om vir ons ’n bestaan te voer, was dit baie moeilik, want my ooms het eintlik die donkies gehad waarmee hulle in daardie jare nog in die tagtigs tot die vroeë negentigs by Kaap Natuurbewaring mense in die veld in kan gevat het, met die donkies. Die toeriste. Enne, ek was al vanaf my eerste jare, vanaf hier agjarige ouderdom was ek deur hulle, geneem om met die donkies te werk en die toeriste te help. Ek het nie eintlik juis skoolvakansies gehad nie, want my liefde vir die veld, en die donkies, en vir my ooms, het ons altyd baie, elke skoolvakansie, was hulle besig om mense te vat, en so, en so.
Ons het baie dae, baie kere was dit vir vyf dae, baie kere was dit vir tien dae, wat ons daagliks Algeria se wêreld platgeloop het, die berge. So ek het ’n baie groot en ’n redelike kennis van ons Sederberge.
Vertel vir ons wat julle as kinders hier af gedoen het.
Oukei. As kind, het ons, ek en die ou wat die onderhoud saam met my voer, Patrick, ons was baie gruwelik. Ek kan onthou, ek was so ’n kannetjie, so ’n jong mannetjie van ses jaar oud, toe’t ek by Jap se Gat alreeds geleer swem. Daar was vir ons geen genade nie, jy was ingegooi en jy moes self spartel, maar dan, daar was ook dan, manne wat jou gehelp het soos James Burrows, daar’s Thomas, daar was Jakob Hanekom, daar was Nikolaas Hanekom. En jy was maar basies op hulle genade oorgelaat. En dan het ek en Patrick en ons vriend Chris, ons was altyd op die jag van koggelmanders met die rekke en ons het ook baie kere, gruwelikheid, die mense, geen tuin was basies veilig as ons hom gebenader het nie. So, ons was baie gruwelik.
Vertel bietjie van die veldkosse wat julle geëet het.
Ja. Baie keer, daar was, ons was ook bekend gestel deur Patrick Hanekom waar jy gegaan het en jy het serings geëet, jy’t die vinkel geëet, jy’t baie kere soetsoppe geëet. Dit was die veldkosse wat ons, wat ek aan bekend gestel is. So, met my kennis dink ek, sal ek ook nie sterwe van honger in die veld nie, want ek weet teen hierdie tyd wat is veilig om te eet, en wat is nou nie so veilig nie.
Deon, sê hoe verskil vandag se kinders van die tyd toe jy nog kind gewees het?
Ja. Vandag se kinders, ek is verseker hulle geniet nie meer kindwees nie, nou met die tegnologie wat oor die jare verander het. Die kind is nou ses, sewe, ag, moontlik, dan is dit al telefoon, selfoon wat hy of sy wil hê, en die respek vir die ouer mense is ook nie meer vandag daar nie, want daardie tyd kon jy mos nog die roede ingelê het, en so. Maar vandag se lewe, maar ons as kinders was streng grootgemaak en jy’t jou pak op sy tyd gekry.
Hoe dink jy, hoe sal dit wees oor ’n paar jaar as die kinders so opgegroei het?
My persoonlike siening is, die tegnologie sal ook vooruitgaan, enne, hulle sal baie tegnologie, of baie meer tegnologie-afhanklik wees. Ons het mos nou nie die selfone en dié goed geken nie. Maar, ek dink nie die kinders sal agterweë bly nie. So, hulle sal baie tegnologies gevorderder raak.