05/10/2025
Today marks the third anniversary of Oupa Ben’s passing into eternity. He was the grandfather of Dehan, Leila, and Mateo on their father’s side—a truly beautiful soul whom we miss dearly.
He loved telling stories, full of emotion, about his life and experiences. Often he would repeat them, not always remembering who had heard them before, but he always told them with enthusiasm. His laughter was unforgettable—deep, roughened by years of smoking, yet so full of life and joy. Those are precious memories we hold close.
Here we are now in Kleinbrak, where he spent the last six years of his life. Dehan and I came here in January 2023, shortly after his passing, to clear the house and prepare it for permanent tenants. We didn’t manage to do much maintenance at the time, as there was simply so much to sort through—things to sell, give away, or throw out. With limited time, it was both overwhelming and emotional.
The story of this little house has continued since then, and I’d like to share a few details about its history from 2023 until now.
The three siblings inherited the house from their grandmother, Reinet, who passed away in December 2018. Oupa Ben had usufruct until his passing, after which I began helping to manage the property, as two of the siblings were still minors. The challenge has always been that the house cannot be sold, and maintaining a coastal property is costly. A home loan is also not an option, since some of the children are still minors and the older ones are not yet financially established.
After the most recent tenants broke their contract and left the house in poor condition, we decided on a new approach. Using our own time and energy to save costs, we began preparing the house for holiday accommodation. And so, Douw Douw Duine was born.
The name comes from a children’s poem taught by Ouma Reinet to her five grandchildren, my three kids and their two cousins. Renaming the house in her memory felt like the perfect tribute.
So step by step we are making progress. In the first 2 weeks have been cleaning and sorting and also started phase 1 of sanding the timber floors to establish the amount of work it will be. We also started to rewire the electric supply with the help of Nicolai which was quite a priority. In order to do that we also created an underfloor access to make the work slightly more comfortable.
We still need to make some final decisions, the main focus is to clean, paint, make sure the house is comfortable and functional and ready for December holiday rental. Prioritizing everything with our available money, time and energy is quite difficult, but everything is doable, step by step.
Join and follow this unique journey! Your support is valuable and we need all the inspiration and boosts possible, so thank you to everyone who are already doing that!
I’ve said to a few people that this is truly a walk of faith for me. There are so many important things to decide and consider, all under pressure in one way or another. For me, it’s something I cannot undertake without the support of my friends and family, my husband and my kids, but most of all, not without God, to whom I’m so grateful for His undeserving and amazing grace. I pray daily for His guidance through it all.
Hebrews 13:5 (KJV) reads, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee"
