Our History
Although the concept of the Rietdakkie started many years ago by selling vegetables from a wagon, parked alongside the road, it was only in 1990 that the first real structure was erected. Rian Botha, back home during student holidays, built a stall of wood planks and put a thatched roof on it – hence the name RIETDAKKIE (which is Afrikaans for ‘thatched roof’).
In 2001 the building was upgraded to a building that would look authentic, with white walls, gables and a thatched roof but in April 2019 an accident happen that destroyed the building. Luckily no one was injured! In August of 2020 we opened our doors to the Rietdakkie Farmstall and Kitchen as it is today.
THE HISTORY OF THE RIETDAKKIE FARM STALL
In the middle eighties of the previous century, the farmers in Breërivier grew vegetables amongst other products. These vegetables they would then take to the local market in Worcester where the hawkers would bid on the products. The hawkers soon realised that they were pushing the price of the vegetables much higher by bidding against each other, and then decided to cooperate: one hawker would bid and buy the vegetables, after which the other hawkers would then buy from him. This resulted in the farmers selling their products at a much lower price, which meant they in fact lost the desired income.
At that stage, Philip Botha, owner of the farm De Hoop decided he was not going to sell his vegetables for next to nothing. He rather stacked the vegetables on a wagon, which he parked alongside the road, and sold his products from there. His wife, Marianna, also joined in and baked ginger biscuits and bottled makataan preserve which she also sold from the wagon. This was the “birth” of the Rietdakkie farm stall.
In 1990, during the student holiday, Rian Botha built a stall of wood planks and put a thatched roof on it – hence the name RIETDAKKIE (which is Afrikaans for ‘thatched roof’). For more than ten years this stall was run by Marianna Botha, Martha Botha en Herculine Botha, the De Hoop farmers’ wives. In 1998 Maryke Botha also became part of the group. After numerous burglaries, the decision was made to erect a proper building. With the help of an architect friend, Phillip le Roux, plans were drawn up for a building that would look authentic, with white walls, gables and a thatched roof. This building was occupied in 2001. Yolandi Monzinger, who at that stage had been working in the farm stall for three years, was appointed as stall manager. In 2006 Rian and Maryke Botha became the sole owners of Rietdakkie.
THE ACCIDENT
11 APRIL 2019
Numerous people have asked us, “What exactly happened that day?” That specific morning a bus coming from Worcester was travelling on the road to pick up labourers from the neighbouring farm for an outing to the beach for the day. The driver was not too sure where to turn it off, and we suspect that he switch on the indicator too late. Meanwhile, a cement truck with a full load was trailing the bus. At the exact moment, the bus driver indicated his plan to turn off to the right the cement truck was busy overtaking him. We were still in bed at 06:15 when we heard the loud noise of the impact. The cement truck left the road, burst through the fish pond and capsized. The impact of the collision flung the bus driver off his seat and he ended up on the floor in front of the passenger seat. He recalls that when he raised his head to see what had happened he just saw the farm stall coming towards him at some speed! He considered trying to stop the bus before it could hit the farm stall, but eventually just fell down and covered his head. This action apparently saved his life, as four of the wooden pillars that held the veranda went through the windscreen, of which one broke the steering wheel and penetrated the back of the driver’s seat.
Capsized cement truck
Bus with wooden pillars through windscreen
The destroyed entrance of Rietdakkie
Fortunately, nobody was near the farm stall that morning; normally the farm labourers’ children would be on the stoep waiting for the school bus to pick them up. However, we had planned a visit to Cape Town and Table Mountain for the labourers and their families beforehand, hence the children all bunked school that day to be part of the outing.
Some people described this as a “perfect accident”, as nobody sustained serious injuries – and there was even only minimal damage to the content of Rietdakkie. The building itself, however, was badly damaged, as the back wall cracked right down to the foundation, resulting in the whole building has had to be demolished. In all this, we could see God’s hand of protection, and we thank Him for that.
THE ACCIDENT
11 APRIL 2019
Numerous people have asked us, “What exactly happened that day?” That specific morning a bus coming from Worcester was travelling on the road to pick up labourers from the neighbouring farm for an outing to the beach for the day. The driver was not too sure where to turn it off, and we suspect that he switch on the indicator too late. Meanwhile, a cement truck with a full load was trailing the bus. At the exact moment, the bus driver indicated his plan to turn off to the right the cement truck was busy overtaking him. We were still in bed at 06:15 when we heard the loud noise of the impact. The cement truck left the road, burst through the fish pond and capsized. The impact of the collision flung the bus driver off his seat and he ended up on the floor in front of the passenger seat. He recalls that when he raised his head to see what had happened he just saw the farm stall coming towards him at some speed! He considered trying to stop the bus before it could hit the farm stall, but eventually just fell down and covered his head. This action apparently saved his life, as four of the wooden pillars that held the veranda went through the windscreen, of which one broke the steering wheel and penetrated the back of the driver’s seat.
Fortunately, nobody was near the farm stall that morning; normally the farm labourers’ children would be on the stoep waiting for the school bus to pick them up. However, we had planned a visit to Cape Town and Table Mountain for the labourers and their families beforehand, hence the children all bunked school that day to be part of the outing.
Some people described this as a “perfect accident”, as nobody sustained serious injuries – and there was even only minimal damage to the content of Rietdakkie. The building itself, however, was badly damaged, as the back wall cracked right down to the foundation, resulting in the whole building has had to be demolished. In all this, we could see God’s hand of protection, and we thank Him for that.
Capsized cement truck
Bus with wooden pillars through windscreen
The destroyed entrance of Rietdakkie
SARAH KARELSE
HEAD OF THE KITCHEN
I was born on Therin (the neighbouring farm) on 8 Augustus 1976 – the youngest of ten children of Katriena en Piet Makamyn. My dad died when I was a mere nine years old, and my mother reared me by herself. I left school after Grade 8 and worked on Therin for a few years. My mother and her cousin pressed grapes, and I always helped them, although I never harvested grapes.
At the age of 19, I started working at the Rietdakkie farm stall. At that stage, the stall was a small wooden shack with a thatched roof, about 500 m away from the current building towards Worcester. After I had been working there for some time Maryke asked me whether I would like to help her in the house. From then on I would work in her house one week and in the farm stall the next. Near the middle of 1998, I became a full-time domestic in Rian en Maryke Botha’s house. That very same year I unexpectedly fell pregnant and was very concerned that I would lose my job. I married Ivan Karelse in 2000 – all with the aid of my employers. In 2001 my husband also became a part of the De Hoop team of labourers.
Meanwhile, we packed dried fruit, cleaned the house and reared our children. Milla Karelse was born in 1999, Ben-Ernst Botha in 2000, Frendal Karelse in 2001, Frederick Botha in 2002, Carla Botha in 2004 and en Camilla Karelse in 2007. Our children played together and grew up together.
But all my life it had been my heart’s desire to prepare food. One day I remarked to Maryke that, should they ever consider expanding the farm stall, I would like to prepare food there, as I enjoyed seeing people enjoy the food. Now it has happened unexpectedly sooner than I could ever think. I praise the Lord and thank Rian and Maryke for a dream come true.
Yolandi Monzinger
FARM STALL MANAGER
One day long ago my grandparents moved from Beaufort West to Wellington with nine of their ten children. At that stage my mother was pregnant with me; thus I call myself a Karoo-Bolander. I was born in Wellington on 27 May 1977, the second of three children.
Some years later we all went along when my grandfather moved to Hugoskraal. Two of my uncles joined the Army, and my mother and her sister worked on the farm. I started my schooling at Slanghoek Primary, then went to Rawsonville Primary and eventually matriculated at Breërivier Secondary School.
My parents never led a wealthy life and I could not realise my dream – to study to become a teacher. After Matric I held several jobs for short periods. One evening my uncle, Klaas Makamyn, the brother of Sarah Karelse, who was married to my mother’s sister, told us that they were looking for someone to work at the Rietdakkie farm stall. Although I have an introverted personality, I forced myself to apply for the vacancy and started working at Rietdakkie in 1998. At that stage, it was merely a small wooden shack with a thatched roof. I do remember that I knew stuff-all about packing grapes, peaches or sweet potatoes. The old man, ‘Oubaas’ Philip Botha, patiently showed me how to pack vegetables and fruit so it could be presentable and attractive to buyers.
In 2001 Rian built the farm stall at its current location, which looked like an old-time wattle-and-daub hut with a Cape Dutch feeling. Here I had worked there for 18 years until the bus accident on 11 April 2019.
I never knew why the Lord had placed me here. One day, while the new farm stall was being built someone asked me what I was doing, seeing that I could not work in the farm stall. When I replied that I was working in Rian and Maryke’s house, he wanted to know whether I have now become a “servant”. That made me think: Are we not any way all servants on different levels? Whether you are a policeman, a secretary or any public official, we all serve on a different level Before David could become king of Israel he had to watch over his father’s sheep – a mere shepherd. God sent his son Jesus to the Earth to be a servant, and He now sits on the throne to the right of God. And so I serve at the farm stall. Over the years the clients have become my family; their heart sore is my heart sore; their joy and happiness my joy and happiness. I have the most wonderful employers and the best work I could wish for.
Yolandi Monzinger
FARM STALL MANAGER
One day long ago my grandparents moved from Beaufort West to Wellington with nine of their ten children. At that stage my mother was pregnant with me; thus I call myself a Karoo-Bolander. I was born in Wellington on 27 May 1977, the second of three children.
Some years later we all went along when my grandfather moved to Hugoskraal. Two of my uncles joined the Army, and my mother and her sister worked on the farm. I started my schooling at Slanghoek Primary, then went to Rawsonville Primary and eventually matriculated at Breërivier Secondary School.
My parents never led a wealthy life and I could not realise my dream – to study to become a teacher. After Matric I held several jobs for short periods. One evening my uncle, Klaas Makamyn, the brother of Sarah Karelse, who was married to my mother’s sister, told us that they were looking for someone to work at the Rietdakkie farm stall. Although I have an introverted personality, I forced myself to apply for the vacancy and started working at Rietdakkie in 1998. At that stage, it was merely a small wooden shack with a thatched roof. I do remember that I knew stuff-all about packing grapes, peaches or sweet potatoes. The old man, ‘Oubaas’ Philip Botha, patiently showed me how to pack vegetables and fruit so it could be presentable and attractive to buyers.
In 2001 Rian built the farm stall at its current location, which looked like an old-time wattle-and-daub hut with a Cape Dutch feeling. Here I had worked there for 18 years until the bus accident on 11 April 2019.
I never knew why the Lord had placed me here. One day, while the new farm stall was being built someone asked me what I was doing, seeing that I could not work in the farm stall. When I replied that I was working in Rian and Maryke’s house, he wanted to know whether I have now become a “servant”. That made me think: Are we not any way all servants on different levels? Whether you are a policeman, a secretary or any public official, we all serve on a different level Before David could become king of Israel he had to watch over his father’s sheep – a mere shepherd. God sent his son Jesus to the Earth to be a servant, and He now sits on the throne to the right of God. And so I serve at the farm stall. Over the years the clients have become my family; their heart sore is my heart sore; their joy and happiness my joy and happiness. I have the most wonderful employers and the best work I could wish for.
Telephone: +27 (0) 64 985 7550
Email: info@rietdakkie.co.za
Rietdakkie Padstal & Plaaskombuis
R43 Between Worcester & Wolseley