John Rantyisi Maqabangoa se Aftreeding

John Rantyisi Maqabangoa was gebore op 11 November 1942 te Aberdeen as die agste oudste van 10 kinders.
Hy het sy skoolopleiding aan die Bantu-Mission School Aberdeen ontvang. Op September 1960 was hy by die Anglican Church gedoop.
Na sy skoolopleiding het hy skeerwerk gedoen en later wol geklassifiseer. Toe het hy sy werk verander en as ‘n voertuigbestuurder vir sy ouboet se winkelbesigheid begin werk. Hy het ook as a padbouer gewerk in Bloemfontein.
Op die 3 Januarie 1972 het hy met Sophia Thandeka Jacobs in Aberdeen in die huwelik getree. Hulle het 7 kinders gehad.
Op 12 Desember 1967 tydens ‘n Godiens te Thembalesizwe, was hy opgeneem in die Nuwe Apostoliese Kerk. Op 13 Maart 1977 het John die Heilige Verseeling ontvang deur Apostel A.A. Mitas.
Op 10 Augustus 1977 is John verorden in die Onder-Diakenamp en op 20 Julie 1980 in die Diakenamp. Op 8 Desenber 1982 was hy in die Priesteramp ontvang.
Saam met Priester Skosana, en later Gemeente-Evangelis Jacobs, het John gehelp om die Here se werk in Thembalesizwe te bevorder. Hy het ook sendingwerk in Klipplaat en Steytlerville gaan doen.
In 1998 het John die Herderamp ontvang om as Gemeenteleier God se kinders in Thembalesizwe te versorg.
John se, “Die kinders van God lê baie na aan my hart, en die werk van die Here is vir my ‘n vreugde en sal vir my ‘n vreugde bly.”

Artikel Deur: Joan Tinker

Andries Smit’s Traditional French Craft

Andries Smit, a cane and raw hide weaver of note, grew up in Middleburg and lives in Adendorp just outside Graaff-Reinet. He demonstrated the art of weaving chair seats with cane and raw hide (also called riempie) at the Agricultural Show in Aberdeen.
Andries was trained in this technique of curing the raw hide for weaving into chair seats by his grandmother who is from French extraction. In France they used the hide of cattle and goats. Andries is the only person using this specific technique in South Africa. It takes fourteen days to accomplish this curing. The hide is cut in the old fashioned way and all the work is environmentally friendly. Eland hide is used for long benches. Work done on a Colonial type chair takes a day to weave.
Andries has fixed customers all over South Africa and also sends the specially cured riempie to Perth and London. When sending riempies out of South Africa, special treatment is done on the hide, and is accompanied by a Veterinary Certificate. Andries sells almost 10,000 riempie lengths annually.
Andries also builds donkey carts with padded seats. He sells these carts together with all the reins and leather work for the donkeys. These donkey carts are sold all over South Africa. This art of chair seat weaving, which Andries perpetuates, is traditional to all beautiful old Cape furniture, and the riempie used is very strong and lasts up to 20 years.

Article By: Joan Tinker