Molo: The world of Bree Street by Cape Town Partnership

FREE

August 2015

A PROJECT OF THE CAPE TOWN PARTNERSHIP Molo | Hello | Goeiedag

This was a place where everyone lived, in houses like the ones that are now the cocktail bars; but then, by about 1970, the government had moved everyone away. Ernie Paulse, Bree Street residentÂ

PAGES 10 & 11

MAYOR FOR A DAY What would you do? PAGE 12

BEARDS, BIKES, BEER Is there more to Bree Street?

THE WORLD OF BREE STREET One street. Many stories. IMAGINED LIVES: Author Rehana Roussouw travels back in time

Map: Bree Street then and now

PAGE 3

PAGES 6 & 7

PAGES 8 & 9

WOMEN OF BREE

Meet some remarkable residents PAGES 4 & 5

www.capetownpartnership.co.za

MOLO August 2015

Molo. Hello. Goeiedag. Molo is a free community paper, focused on the people of Cape Town, and published by the Cape Town Partnership. Created by: Ambre Nicolson, Dave Buchanan, Jackie Lampard, Lisa Burnell, Lwandile Fikeni, Paul-Louis Louw, Ru du Toit, Skye Grove, Sam Bainbridge, Samantha Phillips, Stephen Alfreds

EDITORIAL

The life in our streets S

top reading now if you think this is going to help you find the best beer on Bree Street – or the best gift, cocktail, burger or bicyclerepair shop, for that matter. This edition of Molo may provide you with such useful information, but we hope it does much more by giving you an insight into the world of Bree Street, past and present. As a long-time Bree Street worker myself, I can attest to the fact that Bree Street was not always the bustling thoroughfare it is today. When I started working in Bree Street over a decade ago it looked very different: quieter, dirtier, and almost certainly deserted after 6pm. These days, it is busy from early to late, a mecca of innovative food, design and shopping, and a host to events like Open Streets and First Thursdays. But as with many other streets in our city, the history of Bree Street stretches much further back than its current incarnation as a retail and business hub, and a foodie destination. After all, Bree Street’s current economic resurgence – welcome though it’s been for the central city – has been only about eight years in the making. What happened in the three centuries before that? Beneath the tar that covers the Bree Street of today, what cobblestones, sea sand or bones might you find? It’s all these

Published by: Cape Town Partnership 34 Bree Street T: 021 419 1881

SEND US YOUR STORIES

If you or someone you know has an interesting story to tell, mail us at molo@capetownpartnership.co.za (no press releases, please).

WHERE TO FIND MOLO

If you or your organisation would like to receive or distribute the print publication, please mail us at molo@capetownpartnership.co.za. Include your postal address and the number of copies you’d like to receive. Every month, we’ll continue the conversations we start in the print edition of Molo online at www.capetownpartnership.co.za.

Contact the creators of Molo:

@CTPartnership #Molo

Email: molo@capetownpartnership.co.za Tel: 021 419 1881 www.facebook.com/molocapetown Molo, Cape Town Partnership, 10th Floor, The Terraces, 34 Bree Street, 8001

In surfacing the stories of a specific place, we hope to take into account some of the many layers of history, time and untold tales to which the spaces of our city have borne witness other Bree Streets that this issue of Molo hopes to explore. This geographical focus is a new direction for Molo. In surfacing the stories of a specific place, we hope to take into account some of the many layers of history, time and untold tales to which the spaces of our city have borne witness. Cape Town’s public spaces deserve to have their biographies told; and Bree Street, with its multi-layered and chequered past, seems like a good place to start. We look forward to hearing your feedback about this new approach, as well as your own stories about Bree Street. Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana Ceo, cape town partnership

active citizens

WHAT IS THE COMMUNITY CHEST OF THE WESTERN CAPE? Every issue of Molo will now highlight a local nonprofit organisation that is working to make Cape Town better. In this issue we find out more about a Bree Street institution: the Community Chest of the Western Cape. Community Chest engages and collaborates with organisations, concerned citizens and professionals to build resilient and responsive communities where access and opportunities

to health, education and income-generation services are advanced. It focuses on education, health and way for vulnerable citizens to generate an income.

As a proud resident of Bree Street, Community Chest has empowered the greater community of the Western Cape for 87 years. Our activations have allowed us to birth the Community Chest ‘Bree Street TakeOver’ initiative, mobilising the Bree Street companies and greater public participation as we inspire a nation of active citizens. Lorenzo Davids, Community Chest CEO

How can you help? Support the 2015 Twilight Run Every year in December over 20 000 Capetonians gather to compete for the best outfit in the annual Twilight Run charity race. To enter your team for the 2015 Twilight Run, which takes place on 1 December 2015, visit www.comchest.org.za.

did you know? The length of Bree Street is only

1.4km

There are

100+

places to eat and drink on Bree Street

Donate your time or money If you would like to become an individual donor or a volunteer at the Community Chest of the Western Cape please contact their fundraising department on 021 487 1500. Contact the Community Chest of the Western Cape 82 Bree Street 021 424 3344 info@comchest.org.za

Bree is also home to an underground skate rink (The Pit at 133 Bree) and a handmade pizza oven imported from Naples (Bocca at Bree Street)

500 000ℓ water reservoir (at the base of the Portside building)

IN SHORT

COLUMN

Bree Street, 31 January 1799 Rehana Roussouw

In the first of a series of fictional essays that re-imagine the lives of Cape Town residents, past and present, novelist Rehana Roussouw travels back to Bree Street at the turn of the 18th century.

earest Diary, my truest Companion in my darkest of times. Our Solitude is soon to end. My time is upon me. I woke this morning troubled by a dull ache come to rest above my hips. Samira says ’tis a sure sign that my time has come. Samira! To escape that Pestilence of a woman I have locked myself away in my bedroom, my only escape in this tiny house. She has seated herself outside my door, the wailing that she set upon hours past showing no sign of abating. Her tempo increases each time a span of oxen passes the house. They haul goods up and down Bree Street all the long days. The whips’ lashes streaking across the beasts’ flanks send Samira into a frenzy of despair. She pounds her head against my door. Today marks four months since Mama ordered Ashraf’s 50 lashes, Samira clinging to Mama’s skirts begging for her son’s release from the wagon wheel, pleading to take his place. Four months since Samira and I were banished from

the farm to the Bree Street house to hide my condition from the world. How I long for this ordeal to end. I let slip to Samira this morning, distracted by the dull ache in my hips, that Ashraf will be gone when we return to the farm. Mama sold him as soon as he healed. Samira will not see the sense of this, nor will she accept Mama’s plan for the babe. She will not desist from her infernal pleading that she be allowed to raise it. I tried to set her to rights, for the umpteenth time, but she will not listen to Reason. I will not countenance the proof of my laying down with Ashraf to run underfoot for the rest of my life. What if it bears a resemblance to me? Shall I be expected to tolerate such a Slave? I am close to despising Samira; she cannot see that my Predicament has done nothing to change her station in life as a household Slave. Mama will dispose of the babe; ’tis her prerogative, and nothing will deter her.

I had to set you aside for a while, Dear Diary, for my ache grows stronger. It abates when I pace the room. Soon enough will I have to unlatch the door and let Samira enter. She has to see me through this Travail. Mama will not allow a midwife’s knowledge of my shame, and Samira has birthed many in the Slave quarters. I want it over. I have missed several balls and parties these past four months. I grow tired of listening in my solitude to revellers and theatregoers traipsing down Bree Street after a night of Glee. Mama has sent letters of regret to all invitations, with the explanation that I was sent to a remote hunting lodge for seclusion following a bout of Scarlet Fever. She has promised me the most Elegant sixteenth birthday party the Cape has seen. I have a scant three months to plan the Festivities. In her letter received last night Mama said a ship docked last week, bearing the most delicious silks, and she has acquired lengths

Samira! To escape that Pestilence of a woman I have locked myself away in my bedroom, my only escape in this tiny house. She has seated herself outside my door, the wailing that she set upon hours past showing no sign of abating. for my frock. Imagine the surprise when I appear at my party in a frock designed according to the latest Parisian fashion, and not the faintest blemish of a fever blister! Mama writes that I am old enough to be introduced to suitable suitors and prospects at my party. She finds it hard to keep the vineyard going since Papa’s passing. The Slaves have been restive of late and hard to control. She wants a Son-in-Law to assist. Will Mama allow me freedom of choice? ’Tis no trifling matter to

Rehana Roussouw is a commissioning editor at Business Day and the author of What Will People Say? edited by Jacana

be wed and lay down with a Husband. For Ashraf and me, a lifetime of childish games turned into easy adult play. I fear Mama will choose a beefy Dutchman with blue eyes and blotched red skin peeling off his nose, and marry me off post-haste. She is truly miffed. Dearest Diary I cannot continue. The ache eats away at my insides. Soon this will be over. Soon, my Life will start anew. Yours ever, Charlotte

shorts

WHAT’S IN A NAME? Bree Street got its name for its width; the word is an English derivative of the Dutch word “bree”, meaning wide. It was built as the broadest street in Cape Town so that oxwagons, laden with fresh produce destined for Green Market Square, had somewhere to turn around.

Today, 227 Bree Street is known as Orphanage Cocktail Emporium in honour of the original orphanage for boys which occupied the premises in the 20th century. Café Frank at 160 Bree Street is known for its hearty meals and rotisserie chicken but it’s not named after anyone named Frank. Rather, owner Debbie Wynne named it Café Frank for the values of honesty and authenticity the word “frank” implies. Lastly, how did local barber shop Barnet Fair at 98 Bree Street get its name? Barnet Fair is rhyming slang for hair.

What’s your Bree Street story?

Send us your stories about the people and spaces of Bree Street and we will publish them in the next issue or on www.capetownpartnership. co.za

MOLO AUGUST 2015

ExtRaoRdinaRy pEoplE Meet some of the remarkable women who have lived and worked on Bree Street.

WOMEn OF BREE STREET By ambre nicolson, lwandile fikeni

victoria nel, Cape heritage hotel.

heritage square was this secret, peaceful space in the middle of the city but at the time it was still quite inwardfacing; these days it’s amazing to see how it has opened up to the streets around it.

EXTRAORDINARy IMMIGRANTS

n 1817 a 22-year-old doctor by the name of James Barry arrived in the Cape as an army surgeon. he had graduated from Edinburgh University at the age of 18, and had already gained experience in Belgium, Spain and India. he was an eccentric character, accompanied everywhere by his manservant, John, and his poodle, psyche; and was known for his long red hair, the fact that he wore shoes with stacked heels, and

his habit of going for horse rides wearing full dress uniform and carrying a parasol. Barry was also known for his terrible temper. he fought more than a couple of duels, and due to his clashes with authority he was often sent home under “house arrest”. No-one, however, seemed to dispute his talent as a doctor. While in Cape Town, Doctor Barry traced the source of the town’s

impure water; advised people to bath in wine, as he believed the alcohol killed infection; and on a wintery night in July 1826, performed the first successful caesarian section in the English-speaking world – on Bree Street. The patient was Wilhelmina Johanna Munnik, the wife of a local snuff trader who owned premises on heritage Square, and the baby was named James Barry Munnik in the doctor’s honour. [As an aside: he grew up to become a successful Capetonian businessman in his own right, and later gave his name in turn to his godson and the future prime Minister of South Africa, James Barry Munnik hertzog.] But the story gets stranger: Doctor Barry continued to practise medicine around the world as a military surgeon, in places as far flung as Trinidad, Corfu and Montreal, before retiring to England in 1864 (still accompanied by manservant and poodle). When he died the following year, the maidservant who prepared his body for burial made a surprising discovery: Doctor Barry was female. It is now supposed that she was born Miranda Stuart. As a teenager she had taken on a masculine identity so that she could study medicine. Fast forward almost 200 years to 2007. heritage Square, which had fallen into a decades-long state of disrepair, had recently been restored; and another recent immigrant from Europe was about to leave her mark on Bree Street. Victoria Nel was born in Germany to Spanish and German parents, but grew up in Switzerland and studied

while in Cape Town doctor Barry … performed the first successful caesarian section in the Englishspeaking world – on Bree street. in the UK and the United States. In 2005 she moved to Cape Town with her children and her South African husband, and began searching for a project that would enable her to engage with her adopted city, beyond “the beautiful but disconnected bubble of Constantia and International School”. The moment she walked off Bree Street into heritage Square, she knew she had found what she was searching for. She and her husband started managing the Cape heritage hotel, and later became lifetime leaseholders of heritage Square. “heritage Square was this secret, peaceful space in the middle of the city, but at the time it was still quite inward-facing; these days, it’s amazing to see how it has opened up to the streets around it.” Not content with running a hotel, Victoria has also become involved with the Zip Zap Circus, the Children’s Radio Foundation, and most recently with a collaboration with hendrik Vermeulen Couture and the installation of the paul du Toit sculptures on Riebeek Square.

tHE doctoR tuRnEd landscapE aRcHitEct Gwendoline Elizabeth Fagan will tell you: “There was a fire here.” Her architectural firm, co-owned with her husband – Gabriel Fagan Architects – occupies one of the oldest buildings on Bree Street: No 156. “The place is still in its original condition,” she says when I visit her to speak about the history of Bree Street. “We bought it 30 years or so ago. It was up for demolition, because it burnt.”

Gwen, as her husband affectionately calls her, was born on 25 September 1924. She married Gabriel in 1949. She is a qualified medical doctor, and the author of books on landscaping and historical South African architecture styles. At 91 years old, she and her husband still commute to No. 156 Bree Street every single day. And he has plans for a new building under way, just around the

corner from their offices. No. 156 was a warehouse in its former life in the Cape Colony. Like a conduit to that time and place, its design is explicitly Cape Dutch, and still retains its original form: the large round windows and the steel beam that protrudes from the top of the building, which was used to hoist up the large wooden beams that hold the structure together.

“The warehouse was used to store offloaded stuff from the ships until the next round of boats took them to their destination. The whole of Cape Town was full of warehouses,” Gwen says. “And in Bree Street, there were quite a number of warehouses as well. No. 156 Bree Street was one of the last remaining warehouses on Bree.”

FEATURE

Entrepreneurial flair The menu at Orinoco, the restaurant at 22 Bree Street, reads like an honour roll of South American cuisine: empanadas from Argentina, arepas from Venezuela and fajitas from Mexico. Orinoco’s proprietor, Migdalia Bellorin, is herself Venezuelan, and grew up making arepas (maize flour rolls, filled and grilled on an open flame) with her grandmother, before moving to Mexico and later to Cape Town. When she arrived here she spoke only a few words of English, but this did not deter her from enrolling at chef school to study the cuisine of her adopted country. Later she started a catering company offering Latino food at local food markets; and then, in 2011, she travelled up the spine of the South American continent on a three-month-long tasting tour. Inspired by the variety of flavours she discovered, she retuned to Cape Town and opened Orinoco, the restaurant. Why did she choose Bree? “When I first came here there was much less here. I was scared. I was a single woman, no business partners, I didn’t know if we were going to close after six months.

But Bree Street was changing, then in 2011 already, people liked what we are doing, they even like that I refuse to change the dishes – at least you know it’s authentic, you know? And here we still are, five years later.” Almost 150 years ago, she would have been neighbour to another entrepreneurial businesswoman, but one involved in a very different kind of business. In the late 1800s Cape Town was very much a port city; and as in all port cities, a large area of the waterfront catered to the tastes of sailors, in the form of dive bars and brothels. One of the most famous establishments was a saloon located at 26 Bree Street, run by a woman known as Black Sophie. According to novelist Lauren Beukes, in her book Mavericks: Extraordinary women from South Africa’s past, Black Sophie was born in Graaf-Reinet in 1827 under the name of Sophia Johanna Werner, but “ ‘Black Sophie’ was better suited to her coffee complexion and personality, which was as abundant as her waistline.” Black Sophie had a thriving business not only in entertaining sailors, but also in convincing them (often after many generous helpings of rum) to sign up for the literally shitty work of gathering guano (bird droppings) on islands up the west coast – a service for which she received a handsome commission. Migdalia Bellorin, Orinoco.

business on bree “I think Bree Street feels very cosmopolitan because it has drawn people here to live and work from all over the world, and when it comes to Bree Street maybe this has always been the case. We found these premises one day when we walked down Bree Street and noticed these old houses. They had such personality and were the opposite of the more industrial look of other parts of town, We knew immediately we had found the spot for our second Sababa cafe. Nowadays we have a loyal group of regulars who come by for lunch and to pick up our deli meals to take home but Bree Street also seems to attract a lot of different types of people. We have been here for four years now and it is still a constant learning experience!” Nirit Saban, Sababa

Nirit Saban, Sababa.

[the name] ‘Black Sophie’ was better suited to her coffee complexion and personality, which was as abundant as her waistline.

MOLO AUGUST 2015

BREE STREET

What used to happen where you’re standing? Take a tour of Bree Street with us, and discover how this thoroughfare has changed – and stayed the same – over the last three centuries.

then &nOW nOW

HERITAGE SQUARE

an eternal

PaRKinG LOT? NOW

A place to turn your ox wagon around, and later a place for residents of the Bokaap to meet

A place to park your car

A place to buy a glass of wine or a painting

ROSE

PEPPER ST

BUITEN ST

ORPHAN ST

BUITENGRACHT ST

NOW

A place to buy a gun or a box of snuﬀ

WALE ST

this piece of open land was only named Riebeek square in the 1860s; before that it was known as Hottentot square (since it was a communal space used by residents of the Bo-Kaap). And earlier still, it was called the Boeren Plijn, because it was used by farmers as a place to outspan their ox wagons. some things don’t change: today, it is still used as a parking lot. the latest addition to the square has been the controversial Paul du toit sculpture titled ‘Into tomorrow’, which was erected after the artist’s death last year. the sculpture is of two figures standing arm in arm, like friends or soldiers leaving battle; one of the figures is taking a title-defining step “into tomorrow”.

BLOEM ST

WHITFORD ST

JORDAAN ST

then

In the 18th century Heritage square, a block of Dutch and georgian architecture, was famous for its gunsmiths and bakers, bootleggers and cigarette makers. In the 1980s it became the largest conservation project in the city, and was restored to its former glory. today it houses the Cape Heritage Hotel, simply Asia, HQ and Chefs Warehouse – and the oldes grapevine in the southern Hemispher

RIEBEEK SQUARE

BRYANT ST

NEW CHURCH ST

WinE

Text: lwandile fikeni, illustration: Mea Jordaan | infestation

LION ST

BUITENGRACHT ST

guns, snuFF,

warehouses to

227 BREE STREET, ORPHANAGE

127 AND 133 BREE STREET

then

NOW

Warehouses for the storage of goods from the port

Places to enjoy a ﬂat white and a meal

NOW QUEEN VICTORIA ST A cocktail bar

Orphanage describes itself as “an emporium of artisan cocktails, elixirs & intoxications”. In 1919, however, this site really was an orphanage for boys, started by the priest of st Pauls, who would later become Bishop sydney Warren Lavis. st Francis Children’s Home still exists today in Athlone, where it oﬀers a safe haven for 50 boys.

an unkno

BURG ST

HERO

181 BREE, CHRISTIAA BARNARD HOSPITAL

Bree is also home to reincarnated former warehouses, which have been transformed, over time, into modern spaces. Clarke’s Bar at 133 Bree street and Birds Café at 127 embody the quintessence of the life of a modern Capetonian; but in times past, these spaces would have been full of goods recently unloaded from ships in the harbour, and destined for transport to the rest of the country.

CHURCH ST

A home for boys, many of who had been orphaned by the ﬂu epidemic of 1918

WaTERinG HOLES

LONGMARKET ST

CHURCH ST

orPhans and COCKTaiLS

WALE ST

DORP ST

LEEUWEN ST

WATSON ST

BUITENSINGEL ST

BREE STREET

NOW

A hospital, but not for l

this hospital will soon b foreshore; but its name Neethling Barnard, the surgeon who performe successful human-to-h the operation occurred 3 December 1967, and l It is reported that in Bar black surgeon, Hamilto an integral role in the p the callousness of apar removed from the histo included only after our was established – a littl

FEATuRE

drinking in CHuRCH

98 BREE STREET, ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH

NOW

A theatre known as the “komediehuis” by locals, later a church

A place to drink beer

these days st stephen’s might be better known as watering hole than a church; but at various times it has been a theatre, a school, and a place of worship. the st stephen’s building was originally a theatre built in 1801 by an Englishman, sir george Yonge, who had come to the Cape as governor (and as a means to escape his creditors in England), and who was described as a great supporter of the arts, a womaniser, and a spendthrift. In 1839 the building was sold to the Dutch Reformed Church to be used by recently-freed slaves as a school, and later a church. these days, of course, it has a less solemn purpose – as a spot to enjoy a beer after work at Weinhaus + Biergarten (the former &union), which serves craft beer for aficionados.

then

CHIAPPINI ST

Q st re.

sailor haunts

TO SKySCRaPERS CORNER OF BREE AND HANS STRIJDOM DRIVE, PORTSIDE

then

NOW

Cape Town’s oldest strip of dive bars and brothels

Cape Town’s newest skyscraper

the gleaming Portside tower was completed in 2014, and is south Africa’s only 5-star green star-rated oﬃce building. But this corner of Cape town was not always so pristine. Before the foreshore was built; Bree street was known as a sailor’s haunt, filled with dive bars and brothels. Brothels have always been a feature of this city, since the first colonial days; and Bree street was the centre of the trade. In fact, Jan van Riebeek himself once wrote to the VOC’s Council of seventeen about the alarming ubiquity of places of pleasure in the city.

AN L

long…

be moving to the e comes from Christian south African cardiac ed the world’s first human heart transplant. d on the morning of lasted nine hours. arnard’s team was a on Naki, who played procedure. Due to rtheid, his name was ory books, to be post-apartheid state le late, perhaps.

HA NS

ST RI JD OM

PRESTWICH ST

RIEBEEK ST

STRAND ST

CASTLE ST

HOUT ST

SHORTMARKET ST

LOOP ST

Bree street BEaCH

LONG ST

own

AV OR E IG IN AL SH OR EL INE

EVERYTHING FROM HANS STRIJDOM DRIVE TO THE SEA

the ghost oF BREE STREET 71 BREE STREET

then

NOW

One of Cape Town’s oldest townhouses

An oﬃce block

the ghost of an old woman was said to haunt the 18th-century house at 71 Bree street, before the building was torn down to make way for oﬃce space. Legend has it that even the contractor who demolished the house in 1950 saw the figure of a “grey ADDERLE Y ST spectre” holding a child. It was supposed that this was the ghost of Martha Cilliers, whose child Henrietta had been buried in the garden.

in the 18th century heritage square was famous for its gunsmiths and bakers, bootleggers and cigarette makers.

then

NOW

The ocean

A swanky place to rest your head for a night, or eat a pizza

JETTY ST

Nowadays this part of Cape town is tourist-orientated, with the CtICC and tsogo sun in close proximity to the V&A waterfront; but before 1950, if you stood where Portside now rises, you would have been within a hundred metres of the beach and the sea. this land was only created when the foreshore was reclaimed between 1945 and 1950.

MOLO AUGUST 2015

IS FOR BREE STREET pHoto Essay images and text by lisa Burnell and supplied

i like the sense of unity on Bree street; everyone knows each other and is friendly. we have a lot of regulars here who are like friends now.

baRista Ayaxolisa Magquzu Hard Pressed Café 4 Bree Street

Is there more to Bree street than beers, bacon and beards?

bagEls R55 Rueben (pastrami, swiss cheese, sauerkraut) on a plain bagel Max Bagels 120 Bree Street www.maxbagels.com

01 02

03 bEER

R25 small pint of beer Weinhaus and Biergarten 110 Bree Street 021 422 2770 happy@biergarten.co.za

bacon try the R45 Anti-Hero sandwich or the R65 Harvey specter Burger Bacon on Bree 217 Bree Street 021 422 2798 www.bacononbree.com

bREw R20 small cappuccino latitude 33 165 Bree Street 021 424 9857 www.lat33.co.za/index.php

FEATURE

BIKES The Open Streets Bree event on 18 January 2011 turned Bree Street into a car-free zone for a day and attracted 7000 people to play, stroll and cycle along Bree Street

Boxing Pound for Pound Boxing Studio 260 Bree Street 074 691 3731 www.facebook.com/ pound4poundCT

07 Brownies R30 large, R8 small Sababa 231 Bree Street www.sababa.co.za

beards

R150 buzz fade cut Hair stylist in picture: Viggo Barnet Fair Barber 98 Bree Street 021 424 1302 www.barnetfair.co.za

Board games Free Hard Pressed Café 4 Bree Street 079 066 8888 www.hardpressed.co.za

Boom! Demolition of the Tulip Hotel on 1 March 2015 Cnr. Strand and Bree Street

11 Buddha Acupuncture & Kung Fu 133 Bree Street www.kimloong.co.za

BAILEY Resident dog at Chef’s Warehouse R95 six oysters with chorizo and wine sauce 92 Bree Street

13 Bailey is now a Bree Street institution, people come in here all the time and ask about her but she is not for sale! Jan Tomlin, Chef’s Warehouse

MOLO August 2015

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Resident history

How has Bree Street changed over time? We asked some long-time occupants – both business and residential – about how they came to Bree Street, and what made them stay. Images by Lisa Burnell and supplied

Ernie and Merle Paulse have a long and wonderful history with St Paul’s church.

01 Ernie PAulse

of St Paul’s Church

“I was born here, just off Bree Street, where my family lived. Later, we moved to Leeuven Street, and these days I live on Buitengracht, in the cottage behind the church hall, so really I’ve spent my whole life on this street, and no doubt this will be where I die too. This was a place where everyone lived, in houses like the ones that are now the cocktail bars; but then, by about 1970, the government had moved everyone away – and then also, more businesses came to Bree. Those families that got moved to Mitchell’s Plain, and to Hanover Park? Let me tell you, many of them still come to St Paul’s on a Sunday. Yes, even from so far away. St Paul’s was also where I met my wife, and where we got married; and where we christened

This was a place where everyone lived, in houses like the ones that are now the cocktail bars; but then, by about 1970, the government had moved everyone away Ernie Paulse

our own children. Let me tell you, this wife of mine – Merle – she’s a gem, a true gem. She’s been strong for me all these years. We are married more than 45 years already. We had two children; and several years ago, when my daughter died,

we started to look after her girls too. The eldest has just won a prize to stay at the hostel there by the seminary school. That’s how smart she is, truly. I remember my wife when she was young though, and let me tell you, she was an athlete. She could run like the wind. And not only that, she was also Miss St Paul’s – I remember her still to this day, with her hair just so, and this thing – what d’you call it? – a sash, draped over her. She was so beautiful. Mind you though, she had seven brothers and about the same amount of sisters – she came from a family that lived here by Bree too, and her mommy had sixteen children. Let me tell you, it’s not so easy with seven brothers-in-law, nê? But her mommy always told her, marry a good boy, marry a choirboy – and so she did!”

History of St Paul’s church “St Paul’s Church was consecrated in 1880. It had already been a site of worship for at least twenty years before that. Its history is not that well known in Cape Town, but it was the home of two of Cape Town’s most important religious leaders: Bishop Lavis, for whom the suburb of Cape Town is named, and before that Archdeacon Lightfoot, who was instrumental in creating a chapel school, and was well known for being a champion of the urban poor.” – Reverend Groep St Paul’s Church 182 Bree Street www.stpaulschurch.co.za

FEATURE

02 Casey Agoustides

of Mike’s Sports Mike Agoustides Senior in the original Mike’s Sports in Woodstock.

“Our grandfather, Aleco, came here in the 30s from Greece. At that time, Greece was facing economic collapse; and my grandfather’s family was on the brink of starvation. He had two brothers and two sisters, and his parents died when he was sixteen. A couple of years later, with no money and knowing only a handful of English words, he boarded a ship for Cape Town. In the coming years, one by one, he would manage to bring all his siblings out to South Africa – and what’s more, create a business for each of them, too. He started working in a greengrocer’s; later, he bought himself his own corner café –

and then, in 1949, he started what would later become Mike’s Sports, in Woodstock. At that time it was a general department store – a bit like Garlick’s – and in among everything it also sold sporting goods. In fact, it was named for my grandfather’s brother, Michael, who’d always had an interest in sports. Later, my grandfather married a girl from the same island that he came from, and they had five children. In his later years he returned to Greece less and less frequently; Cape Town had really become his home. Although I don’t think he ever got used to the cold water! My dad’s elder brother studied medicine – he was the anaesthetist at Chris Barnard’s

Michael and Casey Agoustides.

We came to Bree Street in 2001. At the time, this part of town was quiet, and even a little neglected; very different to now. At that time you could look at any spot on the street, and there would be a ‘To Rent’ sign plastered on the wall. Casey Agoustides

heart transplant – but my father, as the second in line, never finished high school, and instead joined the family business when he was still a teenager. He was also the first captain of Hellenic Football Club. We came to Bree Street in 2001. At the time, this part of town was

quiet, and even a little neglected; very different to now. At that time you could look at any spot on the street, and there would be a ‘To Rent’ sign plastered on the wall. Of course when we first arrived, the store was very, very quiet too, just like the rest of town – and we did think, ‘Oh my god, what have

we done?!’ But it wasn’t long before things picked up. Today we specialise in soccer – we’re a one-stop shop for the whole kit for teams; from boots and socks to strips and trophies – and we also manufacture and brand a lot of the kit for local sports teams. My brother became involved in the store first, and later I joined him; about ten years ago, now. So these days, once again it’s two brothers who are running the store – just like it was when my grandfather started it, three generations ago.” Mike’s Sports World 94 Strand Street (Corner of Bree) www.mikes-sports.comv

Ray Barrett

of dvd nouveau “How did I come to be here on Bree Street? Well, you could say I come from a video shop family because my uncle owned a film rental store in the 70s and 80s – first on reels for projectors and then those fat Phillips tapes and later Betamax -- and that’s how I came to love film. I remember one of the first films I ever saw and loved was Tarzan, the 1967 version!” “I came to Cape Town in 1994 and ten years later I joined my good friend and DVD pioneer Chris Reynolds in his new venture. He decided to open a second DVD Nouveau store here because he saw that there really was a gap in the market. At that time Bree Street was more about car fitment centres than flat whites but we thought it was a great spot, close to town, with reasonable rent. We didn’t

know it was going to become so popular, to be honest that was just blind luck, but these days we do get more passing trade as opposed to being a destination store.” “When we started off we had about 3 000 titles and these days we have 20 000 titles. We do realise that the days of DVDs are numbered but for now we provide a service for people who are looking for an alternative to mainstream film and TV. Our customers haven’t changed much, we have the loyal people who have been coming here for years but people are always interested in the same stuff. The most popular thing we ever had here was probably Downton Abbey. Asking for a recommendation is probably the worst thing to do … it’s very hard to try and read people’s tastes.

Ray Barrett, DVD Nouveau.

At that time Bree Street was more about car fitment centres than flat whites but we thought it was a great spot, close to town, with reasonable rent. RAY BARREtT

For example, the other night a guy came in for the first time and asked for something with a good story and a bit of suspension. I suggested he try Top Gear but I’m not sure he thought that was very funny.” DVD Nouveau 166 Bree Street

MOLO AUGUST 2015

YOu SAY

sTREET TALK

OVERHEaRD On BREE What would you do if you were Mayor of Cape Town? Here’s what some Bree Street bystanders had to say. Text and images by lisa Burnell

RICHARD STEPHENS

There are gunshots almost every day, where i live – i ask you, is this okay? The other night i had to stay at work after hours, and then two trains were cancelled; so by the time i got home, it was very late. My family phoned me to wait until the gunfire had stopped before coming home. The people shooting are the criminals – but i must wait till they stop shooting, just to get home? if i was mayor, i would focus all my attention on trying to fix this. ANWAR VAN ROOYEN “If I were mayor, I would look at other countries’ examples of how they look after their people through welfare measures, to ensure that if someone finds themselves in trouble they don’t end up on the street – a way to get people’s basic needs covered, better.”

GHADEEJA ISAACS

Create jobs! i would do this by starting more community-based rehabilitation initiatives – which would help security issues at the same time, by employing ex-gang members.

AlAN RORKE “If I was mayor, I wouldn’t rely so much on the system of ward councillors. I would survey citizen’s needs, and pay more attention to the voice of the citizenry. I would also try to create a city that is more accommodating, and better maintained.”

MATTHEW SCHulTZ AND JONAS VIlJOEN “We would make all Fridays public holidays, and have more blanket drives – it’s so cold for people who are living on the street.”

SARAH STEPHANIE HAGGAR (lEFT) lARKAN (RIGHT) “I would clean up all the rubbish!”

“If she was mayor, I would help her!”

ZWAMADODA MAHASHI (RIGHT) OMOEFE RICHARD

if i was mayor i would look into trying to help the people living on the streets. i would make a system where they could get off the streets and earn a living for themselves, and at the same time they could work for the government. This will provide them with an income and a sense of worth.

“I would try to decentralise the city, so that people who live elsewhere have access to job opportunities.”

NYOMEKA luMKWONA (lEFT) “If I was mayor of Cape town, I would make sure public transport is free. It costs too much to move around, and the people who are worst aﬀected are the poor people, who don’t have much money in the first place.”

CHRISTINA PHIlOTHEOu “I would try to save all the street dogs, and find them loving homes.”