
The church bell chimed once, then for the second and third time, at the crack of dawn to usher in Christmas Day, when Yuletide was still perceived with heavenly compassion by especially children.
For the thatch-roofed church in the township in old-time Warmbaths, the church-ringer was none other than my own uncle Sekgaila Kgosana.
During my boyhood I always looked forward to linking up with uncle Sekgaila during Christmas time, me travelling from Pretoria, and he coming from various destinations.
The other day my uncle disappeared for a while — as he often did — without trace.
He returned two Christmases later, driving a black limousine, with a cigarchewing white man at the back seat.
Uncle Sekgaila had just dropped to say “hello”, because he was at the time a busy man, driving around diplomatic corps.
We were so proud of our uncle, who occupied one of the best jobs comparable, say, to a street-sweeper or grave-digger.
Next Christmas time uncle Sekgaila resurfaced driving a top-of-the-range German sedan, at the back seat of which was seated a Zionist cult bishop, complete with bushy beard, white coat and a vicar’s collar.
Our attention was rather attracted to uncle Sekgaila, for he also radiated an air of importance, complete in a white coat, a vicar’s collar, minus the bushy beard.
My own uncle had been ordained as a priest of the Twelve Apostle Church of Jerusalem.
Several Christmases later, uncle Sekgaila touched base driving a black maria (hearse), for the man had abandoned the modern-day apostles to diversify into a carrier of transporting the dead.
I was reminded of uncle Sekgaila by another “grootman” — township lingua franca for the streetwise — going by the name of Julie Stewart.
Like his old friend Sekgaila, ‘om Julie strikingly carries an aura of history around him.
‘Om Julie is one among a few who can claim to have been a schoolboy under the headmastership of Sam Moseneke (retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke’s father).
Later ‘Om Julie moved to boarding school under the swishing cane of the flamboyant headmaster, ABC Motsepe, the father to mining mogul Patrice Motsepe, and his elder sister, Tshepo Ramaphosa (née Mostepe).
How about bringing the curtain down on 2019 with this timeless ballad?
O bring my terug na die ou Transvaal
Daar waar my Sarie woon
Daar onder by die mielies by die groen doringboom
Daar woon my Sarie Marais