MARGARET and Koos Jooste truly meant it when they stood before a pastor and vowed to love each other and grow old together.

The couple will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on May 14. The Pinetown couple first met in Rhodesia 66 years ago.

“It was a blind date organised by his cousin, who worked with me,” said Margaret.

Koos explained that he grew up in Rhodesia, while Margaret was born in Britain and lived in Johannesburg before moving to Rhodesia.

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Even shortly after the couple started dating, Margaret moved back to Johannesburg with her family.

“We had a long-distance relationship. I used to visit her, but it was not easy because I had to drive long distances just to spend time with her,” he said.

After completing his articles, Koos, a chartered accountant by profession, also moved to South Africa, where the couple married in 1966.

“We relocated to Rhodesia when we got married where I worked for 15 months before being transferred to Lusaka in Zambia, where we lived for two years,” he said.

The couple eventually returned to South Africa and lived in the Cowies Hill area for more than 50 years. They now reside at Sandown Village retirement home in Pinetown which they said is a lovely place to live.

As a young man, Koos enjoyed playing sports, while Margaret’s hobbies have always included cooking and flower arranging.

Margaret served with the Women’s Institute for 55 years and is now involved with a Women’s Club in Westville.

Koos has been a member of the Moths organisation for 35 years and served as its national treasurer for seven years. Margaret describes her husband as a man of integrity. “He is also a very kind man,” she said.

When asked what he loves most about his wife, Koos sighed and replied: “What more can a man ask for? She is a wonderful mother, grandmother and wife.”

The couple said they have been blessed with a wonderful family. They have one son, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

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