The magnificent Willow Limo

By DESTINE NDE

Willowmore — a village of about 8 000 souls on the edge of the great Camdeboo plain in the Klein Karoo – may not be one of the best-known towns in the country, but it has a fascinating history. Founded in the 1860s, and consolidated in the midst of the mohair and ostrich feather boom, it contains – unexpectedly — a number of beautiful Victorian and Edwardian buildings.

The easiest and the most charming way to explore Willowmore is via the so-called Willow Limo – a large donkey cart, which can take up to six passengers at a time. It is operated by Jim Makwena, commonly known as Oom Jim. It is pulled by two beautiful she-donkeys, Sweetness and Suzy. They often have wreaths of flowers on their heads.

A rear view of the Willow Limo.

The tour begins on Knysna Street, in front of Nela’s Bakery and opposite Moudu’s Fashion shop, where the cart is usually parked under the shade of a big tree. From here it runs down Knysna Street for about a kilometre.

All the buildings on this street are historic. The Wesleyan Church building, now the Methodist Church, was built in 1901. The Town Hall was built in 1896, and has an interesting clock tower. To its left is Van Riebeck Square, and to its right is Saveright Supermarket, in an old building formerly occupied by Standard Bank. Steyn se Gebou was registered in 1880, and has a Cape Dutch-style gable. The Sophie’s Choice building also has a Dutch-styled gable, and was built in 1910. It is now known as Sportsman’s Pub and Grub. There is still a mohair and wool shop on this street, right next to the Belly-Deli Restaurant.

The abandoned Jewish Synagogue.

From Knysna Street, the route runs into St John Street, which houses the strangest building in Willowmore, The Old Mill. Unlike the others, it is built in the Georgian style. The ride continues all the way up to Church Street, were the Dutch Reformed Church is located. The original church was built in 1878 in a Gothic Revival style, and had a very tall clock tower. It was later demolished, and a new church was built in the 1960s.

From there the route runs through Mark Street, and turns left into Victoria Street— the seat of the imposing, abandoned Jewish Synagogue. Its foundation stone was laid on 8 April 1907.

The Town Hall.

At the T-junction on the end of Victoria Street, Sweetness and Suzy turn left into Wehmeyer Street, directly opposite what used to be the Ockert Oosthuisen Voortrekkersaal, which now houses the local SASSA offices.

Higher up in Wehmeyer Street is the Willow Historical Guest House. It was built in 1864, taken over by the Dutch Reformed Church in the late 1870s, and remained in its ownership until 1941. In 1897 it served as a dormitory for girls and women at the school, and was nicknamed “the zoo” by the students because of its sturdy iron fence.

Opposite the Willows is a home for the elderly, Gert Greeff Tehuis, previously known as the Residency, which was purchased in 1902 by the Cape provincial government as a residence for the Civil Commissioner.

A right turn into Blignaut Street leads straight to the Old Jail, which once served as the police station and prison.Bbuilt in 1896, it is a double storey stone building, with plaster quoins around its windows and doors and on its corners. It has been renovated, and is now used as a retreat, or guest house.
From the Old Jail the route runs down Blignaut Street, returns to Wehmeyer Street, and descends to the intersection, where it takes a short right to its parking place, thereby bringing the tour to an end.

The Willow Historical Guest House.

However, on this last stretch of Wehmeyer Street, there are also a few notable buildings. These include the municipal buildings, the old Post Office, where the girls and women from the school used to stay before they were moved to the second floor of the Willow Historical Guest House.

St Mathews Church is found on the right of the municipal buildings. It was built between 1876 and 1881. The SAPS administrative offices are next to it, followed by the court building. Adjacent to the court is the Scholtz/Greeff building. First registered in 1873, it has been renovated, and is owned by a friend of mine, a psychotherapist.

The author and his family in the Willow Limo.

On a nice summer’s day in December, in the late afternoon, I took my family vir a trip with ride Oom Jim and his donkeys. After greeting and pleasantries, I asked Oom Jim a few basic questions. He was quite happy to answer them.

‘Are your donkeys male or females, and what are their names?’ – ‘Females. This is Sweetness and that is Suzy’, he pointed them to me.

‘Are these the only ones you have?’ — ‘No. I have Sweetland and Patrys also, plus a few more others.’

‘Interesting! So where do you keep them?’ — ‘On Finchley Farm.’

‘How long have you been doing this?’ — ‘For almost ten years now.’

‘Do you work every day, and who are your regular customers, tourists or locals?’ — ‘No. I only come when the weather is nice, preferably in popular holidays and during all-pay (month ends). Most of my customers are visitors, but I also get some locals every now and then.’

‘So how’s business?’ — ‘It’s not bad.’

‘How much is a tour, and how long does it last? — ‘R10 per person, and R5 to take a picture of the taxi. A tour lasts about 15 minutes.’

‘Can you give us a tour?’ — ‘Sure!’ he said with a happy smile. ‘Jump in.’

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FEATURED IMAGE: Oom Jim with Sweetness and Suzy. All photographs by the author.