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P. K. van der Byl

Cape Town, 11 Nov 1923 – Caledon, 15 Nov 1999

9 facts2 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 11 Nov 1923

    Born in Cape Town

  2. 15 Nov 1999

    Dies in Caledon, aged 76

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

During his lifetime

He lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Cape Town.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1920s · P. is born in Cape Town

In the news1923

1923 Urban Areas Act Passed

The 1923 Natives (Urban Areas) Act was passed to restrict African migration into towns and lay the foundations for residential segregation.

Getting around

Zebras as failed draught animals

Mail coach operator Doel Zeederberg once experimented with using tame zebras as draught animals, but abandoned the practice because they lacked stamina and were popular prey for lions.

At the table

Coffee was the national beverage

Coffee was the national beverage, and families often drank many cups throughout the day. Visitors were frequently welcomed with a cup of coffee upon arrival.

The Spanish flu. A flu pandemic infected a third of humanity and killed some 50 million people, more than the war that had just ended.Around the world · 1918–1920

The Spanish flu. A flu pandemic infected a third of humanity and killed some 50 million people, more than the war that had just ended.

Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine · public domain

What people wore

Ceremonial dress for men and women

During ceremonial dancing performances, men wore full gear including authentic Scottish kilts, white boxer shorts, white tennis shoes, and headdresses adorned with ostrich feathers and goats' horns. Women performing traditional Pedi dress dances wore layers of coloured cloths, embroidered smocks, and leg-rattles made from plastic milk-bottle containers.

Music

Marabi music and urban street songs

In urban slum yards, Marabi music was played on pianos accompanied by pebble-filled cans to attract people to shebeens for dancing. Meanwhile, Cape Town street carnivals and Malay Choirs performed satirical comic songs called moppies, which referenced topical events.

Daily life

Traditional Cooking Methods

Cooking was frequently done over small wood fires on stone hearths or in large brick ovens, with scones sometimes baked on a gridiron over glowing embers.