Gamiedoen Emeran

Gaamiedoen was born and grew up in Hudson street. He loved cricket and walking. He was a great and avid reader. He attended the St John’s Church school, situated by the St John’s Church in lower Long street near waterkant street.

My father’s grandmother was a Dutch lady – she called my father “ My seun”  - this became “Swoon”.

My father got a good education from a missionary church. He was a secretary  for so many organizations – as he was one of the few people who could write.  Gasant is like my father, he was the secretary of 8 different organizations. (Goosain)

He was a tailor, par excellence!

When he got married, his mother was still alive. His bruidskamer was at No 5 Bryant Street, Cape Town.

My father went on Hadj while still in his late teens. He had a girlfriend, Liemie Salie. When my father left for Hadj he asked his best friend Bakar Johnson to look after her, she married  the friend during my father’s absence on Hadj. (Goosain)

My father was a very good tailor. You could show him something out of a book and he could do it for you, but unfortunately he did a lot of “kannallah” work. I had to deliver for my father. Instead of paying they would give a shirt. What can we do with a shirt ? It was struggling time – we needed money to buy bread! (Achmat)

My father was the originator of the triple bunk! The submarines had double bunks not triple bunks! Hollywood owned a furniture shop, he came to collect money owed and he saw the triple bunks and lo and behold 3 months later there were triple bunks in his show room. (Goosain) 

One day I saw my father sitting at top of Pentz street looking worried. We got a plot cheap to build house for the twins but we had only a short time. So I asked my friends who were not working to help out. I had to lend money to pay them because I had to give them something. We didn’t have money for scaffolding so we used pine tree or I would help to hold them up. I was always very nice to everyone so if I asked someone to come and help me they would come. I asked my friend to help, but he had just gotten married the day before and had to go around with his wife to thank the family so I offered to drive him because we had a car. I was so involved in the building of the house, when Shihaam  got sick, she had fits from fever, I couldn’t go with to take her to hospital because the wedding was in 3 or 2 months and I was worried, trying to finish the house. (Achmat)

 My father educated us and told us many stories of the war.

1.       The role of JC Smuts (looked upon as a traitor by the Afrikaners)

2.       The role of General Dan Pienaar (he tried to get the military to arm the coloured soldiers)

3.       The role of Emam Harris ( Getting coloured males to enrol for war duties in the volunteer hall, the old/present drill hall)

4.       My aunty’s husband was killed in the war – the letter she received from the war office

5.       The treatment of the coloured soldiers after the war
( (Goosain)

    I can remember when my father made my first suit for Eid, my mother was so excited  she helped to cut my hair. (Fuad)