About

Amatie’s scarf is neatly tied at her neck. She holds a cigarette in one hand, her words booming with a demanding yet kind presence. I try to picture her by stitching together my Ouma’s memories. “Amatie” is a unique ‘Cape Malay’ term referring to a paternal aunt. Amatie was a neighbour and not blood-related, but despite this, she was family, a second mother, and a mentor to my Ouma. Their connection was forged through place, heritage, and the social structure imposed by the apartheid regime.

Amatie worked as a supervising seamstress in the Demar factory in Lower Woodstock, a hub of the …