| Notes |
- Grand Father Petrus Zacharias Oberholtzer was given by Chief Malala so many hours each way by horse back. The farm Pudimöe Rooi Ground RSA for services rendered in advice for driving off trading tribes onto his land.
The farm Pudimöe was registered at Deeds office which is now Pudimöe Siding.
- Joined armed forces in Europe for WWII (1939 – 1945). Second marriage in England to Eleanor Frances (Ella) SILK who died in 1946, six weeks after their second son’s Edwin Francis Roger’s birth in Bulawayo.
- I will now attempt to put into some reasonable order the details regarding Peter Zacharias Goosen and Mavis Engelbrecht (White) mentioned on page 2.
After divorcing Stella his first wife, he entered into a relationship with the then still married Mavis who had two children, a son Jean and a daughter Yvonne. He then joined the Army for World War II (1939-1945) and was sent to the warfront in Europe where he served first in North Africa and then in Italy.
He attained the rank of Bombardier/Corporal and also became well known as a boxer winning the R.A.F vs. Cranborne Heavy Weight Title as well as the Army Light Heavy Weight Title.
During his service overseas, Mavis claimed that she had become pregnant and had borne a daughter on 24 January 1941 whom she named Norma. Peter Zacharias denied that he could be responsible.
As you will see his second marriage took place in England where he was stationed for a number of months and married Ella Silk. They had a child Ian who died as infant. Peter Zacharias remained in England for some time before returning to Rhodesia by ship and arranged for his wife Ella, now pregnant with their second child, to follow him using the normal means of transport, i.e. passenger ship.
Ella bore Peter Zacharias a son, Edwin Francis Roger on 5th November 1946 in Bulawayo. She had been accommodated by his brother Frank as he, Peter Zacharias was already busy opening a Small Worker’s Gold Mine under the ex Servicemen’s Government Mining Scheme.
Six weeks after Ella had given birth to Edwin, she died. Peter Zacharias’ brother Frank and his wife Louisa (Lulu) raised the child and after he had married my mother, Frank and Lulu begged to keep the child.
I recall very well how difficult a decision it was but they agreed that the infant had grown so used to Frank and Lulu that it would be unfair and inhumane to traumatise him in taking him away.
During that time Mavis again claimed that she had become pregnant and the son she had borne on 28 September 1943 was Peter Zacharias’. She was claiming maintenance for both the daughter and son.
I can well recall my mother saying to my dad (we regarded each other as father and son); “YOU KNOW THESE ARE NOT YOUR CHILDREN” and him replying that the Welfare had assisted Mavis and he could not win a case against them. Peter Zacharias had to pay maintenance for both daughter and son.
I was already married when the “daughter” Norma requested to meet my dad. She was a very pleasant person who made no demands of any kind and we became quite big friends, she and her husband whom she had just married actually came to stay with me whilst he served in the Rhodesian Light Infantry.
Just after this when the “son” became twenty-one, he arrived claiming to be the eldest son. Everybody rejected this. He was a Goosen but his father was definitely not Peter Zacharias. The family knew who the real father was, but to save his brother, Peter Zacharias was left to carry the burden. This son then changed his surname from his mother’s second husband, i.e. White, to Goosen.
Edwin (Eddie) Francis Roger, Peter Zacharias’ eldest son had been dethroned and my dad’s youngest son Ronald (Ronnie) Valentine was very cleverly moved out of the way.
Peter Zacharias Goosen had become an extremely wealthy man, the fabled very rich Kanyemba Mine belonged to him. Tiny Roland became a partner when he developed the Patchway Mine at Golden Valley, and it was as a result of this error by my dad that the Company Lonhro came into being. My dad later sold the Patchway to Rio Tinto.
In addition to the mines he also had a number of farms, i.e. Hillcrest at Umsweswe, Sabonabon at Eifel Flats, Venice, Grange and Esterilda on the Gokwe Road. He also owned PZ Goosen & Co. a Hardware Store in Gatooma.
There are numerous questions but we have decided not to pursue this any further. It is depressing to see ones mother’s name omitted from the records as well as all the other errors.
The last bit of information I can supply is that after my mother’s death my dad was completely lost, he gave away furniture and all the documents my mother had kept just disappeared. He eventually managed to restore some meaning to his life and married Dr. Jos Grimshaw who was the widow of a Rhodesian Government Mining Engineer.
The house that my wife and I live in was purchased with the aim that he and auntie Jos came to live there. Sadly this was not to be as she passed away at Potgietersrus whilst on route to Rhodesia after visiting us.
Trusting you find this information useful.
Frank Le Roux
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1911 - 1992 (80 years)
