Aletta Sophia Visagie

Notes:

As a descendent of one of the Boere families that refused to swear alegiance to the British flag after the Anglo Boer War Aletta has quite an interesting life story.

Her Mother Johanna Petronella Janse van Vuuren left South Africa as a 3 year old girl with her parents, Christiaan Jansen van Vuuren,of occupation a teacher in Colesberg and Anna Elizabeth Snyman originally from Phillipstown for Argentinia in 1905. Within two years of their arrival in Argentinia both her parents died and she was raised by the widow of MM Venter. MM Venter was the leader of the 1905 group the Argentinia but he also died fairly soon after their arrival apparently in 1908.
Her father, Andreas Gerhardus Christiaan Visagie left for Argentinia when he was 20 years old with his uncle who was on a family visit from Argentinia. Initialy he worked in his uncle's business but soon started looking for a suitable place to start his own vehicle workshop. At this stage he met Aletta's mother and they got married in Argentinia and the three eldest children, all three daughters, were born in Comodoro Rivadavia in Argentinia.
Her parents decided to return to South Africa in 1933 when the country was suffering from a serious drought. After staying with her grandparents on the farm "Dwaalhoek" near Potfontein her father opened a service station in Petrusville. Times were hard because of the drought and farmers paid for repair work with sheep. Money was very scarce.
Aletta went to school in Petrusville from Sub A to St. 10. When she was 8 years old her only brother Jan was born.
After school she studied at the teachers College in Bloemfontein. In the mean time her parents moved to Jacobsdal where her father opened a service station. After completing her studies she started teaching in Jacobsdal until she got married in 1952.
After a 9 year spell of being a housewife and mother she started teaching again in 1961 at Wonderboom, Villieria. A 3 year period followed at Rachel de Beer, Pretoria North and another three years at Generaal Jacques Pienaar in Capital Park, Pretoria. After that she also teached for a brief period at Derdepoort Primary School north east of Pretoria.
After moving to Windhoek with her husband in 1968 Aletta teached for brief periods at Orban en Emma Hoogenhout Primary Schools and then at Suiderhof Laerskool until she retired on 30 June 1984. Aletta and her husband Sampie then moved to Kleinmond where they stayed until 2004. They then moved to Legato Retirement Village in Durbanville.
On 14 June 2006 Sampie passed away. When she reached the age of 80 Aletta moved to La Vie est Belle also in Durbanville where she passed away on 10 July 2016.
She was cremated with his ashes placed in the rembrance wall at the DR Church in Kleinmond.

Aletta married Samuel van den Berg 28 Apr 1952, Bloemfontein, Freestate. Samuel (son of Samuel van den Berg and Susanna Maria Crous) was born 30 Apr 1925, Kroonstad, Freestate; died 14 Jun 2006, Durbanville; was cremated 1 Jul 2006, DRC, Kleinmond, Western Cape. [Group Sheet]

Petronella married Frederik Johannes Booysen 1975, Bellville, Cape Province. Frederik was born 22 Apr 1954, Windhoek, Namibia. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Sam was born at a misionary station called Elim near Levubu in the Northern Province. When he was about 2 months old his parents moved to Pretoria where they stayed until 1968 when his father was transferred to Windhoek in South West Africa. Sam attended the following schools, Rachel de Beer, Pretoria North, Genl. Jaques Pienaar, Capitol Park, Pretoria, Eros Primary School in Windhoek and he matriculated at Windhoek High School in 1974.
He did his military service with D Squadron, 2 SAIBNGP Rooikop, Walvis Bay in 1975. In July 1975 his unit was sent to Ruacana in preparation for Operation Savanah aimed at ensuring free and fair elections in Angola following the withdrawal of the Portuguese. From mid August to 28 November 1975 the unit saw action at inter alia Fort Rocadis, Sa da Bandeira, Catengue, Benguela, Lobito and Novo Redondo. On 28 November the unit was relieved at Cela by replacement troops and the unit was flown back to Grootfontein.
Following his military service Sam started to work at Windhoek Municipality as a traffic officer. In 1987 he obtained a BAPol degree through Unisa. In 1989 he accepted the post of Assistant Director : Operations in the Port Elizabeth Traffic and Licensing Services and in 1995 the newly created position of Assistant Director : Planning and Research until September 2006.
During October 2006 he started his business called ZAWebs which he is still managing.

Samuel married Esther Jacoba du Preez 6 Oct 1978, Windhoek, Namibia. Esther (daughter of Jacob Wouter du Preez and Susanna Johanna Wentzel) was born 3 Dec 1956, Vrede, Freestate. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Written by Ferdi in 2001.
"I was born in Keetmanshoop, SWA on the 24th of September 1976. My parents were both teachers and in 1978 we moved to Windhoek. My grandparents, Sampie and Aletta, and uncle Samie and aunt Estelle also stayed in Windhoek at the time. From here we moved to Kimberly in 1980 where I attended Grade 1 at Eureka Primary School (1983). My dad was a teacher at Diamantveld High School. He then applied for a job at the Ermelo Technical College, and we moved there in 1984. In Ermelo, I attended J.J. van der Merwe Primary School until grade 5.
In 1987 we moved to Bellville where I attended Welgemoed Primary School from 1987 to 1989. My dad worked at the Cape Town Technical Colleage at the time, and my mother started her own estate agency. I attended DF Malan High School from 1990 to 1994, and participated in the school choirs, rugby, golf, cricket and athletic teams. I also did a bit of acting and played a main role in the school play "Kinkels in the Kabels". Our chamber choir did a tour of Europe (France, Vienna, Hungary and Chech Republic). We took part in an international choir competition in Debrecen, Hungary, and was rated the top youth choir and also attained the highest mark in the competition of 96%.
I was fortunate to receive a full bursary in my final year at school from Old Mutual to become an actuary. I furthered my studies at the University of Stellenbosch from 1995 to 1998, where I attended Eendrag men's residence. I completed my bachelors degree in mathematics, and an honours degree in actuarial science. I then started work at Old Mutual in 1999, where I continued studying part time to finish my actuarial exams through the Institute of Actuaries in London.
During my varsity career I also met a beautiful young woman, Susan, which I married after six years in 2001. Highlights from varsity was the crowning as Down-Down champions, beating Dagbreek and Wilgenhof rugby teams for two consecutive years, playing for the u/19, u/20 and senior Maties rugby teams. I also did a bit of travelling during my varsity years and back packed in the Far East (Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand in 1996), and did a tour of Germany and Belgium with Susan and her parents (1997). I visited Namibia with a few friends in 1998, staying at places like Ai-Ais, Sesriem & Sossusvlei, Swakopmund and Etosha Game Park.
I also developed a great love for sea fishing and went fishing with a few friends from work in Namibia (2000 and 2001). We camped at Mile 108, north of Hentie's Bay, where we made some good catches of Steenbras, Cob, Galjoen and Kolstert."

Ferdinand married Susan Claassen 7 Dec 2001, DRC, Stellenbosh. Susan (daughter of Walter Theophilus Claassen and Vasti Terblanche) was born 16 Jan 1978, Louis Leipoldt Hospital Bellville. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Suzaan Alicia's names came from her two grandmothers. "Suzaan" is derived from Susanna, the name of her maternal grandmother. "Alicia" comes from the paternal grandmother whose grandparents were "bittereinders" who decided not to live under the British flag after the Anglo Boer War. They then emigrated to Argentine in 1905. Suzaan's paternal grandmother was born in a town called Comodoro Rivadavia and when her grandmother's birth was registered in Argentina, her name was recorded as Alicia instead of Aletta, being the Spanish version of the name.
She attended a Christian School called Tehilla in Port Elizabeth from January 1997 to July 2003 and thereafter St Marks Community School. She matriculated in 2010 and then studied at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU the old UPE). She obtained BCom C:3 Accounting Cum Laude in 2013 and BCom Honours (Accounting) at NMMU in 2014. She is currently working at Deloitte in Cape Town.

Suzaan married Fernando Batista 12 Dec 2015, Plettenberg Bay. Fernando was born 14 Aug 1990. [Group Sheet]