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Last month saw the end of a friendship that spanned some 60 years, when two exceptional men, brilliant sons of our community, passed away here in Cape Town.
Hyme Rabinowitz and Percy Sieff were men of outstanding talent and character, each a shining light in his own specific field.
Much has been written of them and their careers, with tributes pouring in from every quarter, and heartfelt messages of sympathy to their families. But it is in the words spoken when they were laid to rest that we truly comprehend the lives and the nature of the two.
Below one reads of their lives, and an extract from the poignant farewell of Percy to his friend, read on his behalf by his own son, Grant.
And then, just two weeks later, Grant bids farewell yet again, in a loving tribute to his own father.
Now the two old friends lie side by side, lovingly and ever remembered.
Hyme Rabinowitz, internationally renowned ceramicist and potter, died at his Constantia home on 15 February at the age of 88.
Born in Namaqualand in 1920, Hyme and his twin brother Sol grew up in Port Nolloth. He attended SACS School and subsequently became a chartered accountant. But his preference was pottery, which he began doing part-time in the early ’50s, setting up his full-time workshop a few years later at Eagle’s Nest farm in Constantia.
In 1992 Hyme was awarded an honorary MA in Fine Arts from the University of Cape Town and in that same year, on his 70th birthday, he was awarded the silver medal for ‘Singular Merit and Rare Achievement’ by the University of Pretoria. Ten years later, on his 80th birthday, he received the award of ‘Master Potter’ from the SA Association of Potters at the Cultural History Museum.
At his funeral his only son, Nik, delivered a loving tribute to his father, whom he described as “a bright shining light of a man”.
“Growing up I didn’t know he was an icon,” he said, recalling the times they had spent together — including regular camping trips to the Cederberg, where Hyme had spent years documenting rock art with Percy Sieff and Ginger Townley Johnson.
“He was never ‘at the office’ or ‘in a meeting’, and when he was ‘away from his desk’ he’d most likely be sitting under a tree sipping a cup of rooibos. I had the privilege of always having my Dad around, at the other end of a walk through an enchanting forest.”
The many people who attended his funeral, Nik said, was “testament to the fact that he was one of the most beloved of men”.
Some of the messages from Hyme’s many dear friends …
“He is always present in my house — wherever we turn there’s a Hyme pot. His memory will live on in so many households.”
“A man of many parts and great spirit — humane, engaged, sensitive, alert, gentle, dignified and humble.”
“Hyme was one of the world’s special people, incredibly creative, gentle, kind and loving, with a gift for friendship, a penetrating mind, and a quick sense of humour that was never at anyone else’s expense.”
“I can say that his was a life well lived; brimmed to the full with rich experiences and joie d’ vivre. That we may all live such a good life!”
“Hyme mostly cared about two things: his pottery, and others. Hyme wasn’t that interested in Hyme…”
Hyme and his devoted wife Jeni celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary just two days before he died.
“His wonderful last day was spent surrounded by loving family and friends: the way he always lived …” Nik said. “He was so resilient, always surmounting his ailments. We felt he was eternal, we assumed that institutions like Hyme would always just be around.
“Thank you for the privilege and honour of being your son, you gave me a magical life and the best role model any child could have. You will be forever cherished and treasured as a father, husband, son-in-law, uncle, great uncle, brother, friend.
“You wished for a peaceful, quiet ending, and you received what you deserved.”
Percy Sieff, a Capetonian who made an indelible mark in South African theatre and radio, passed away on Sunday 1 March at the age of 80.
While his public image and source of fame was the theatre, in his private time Percy had a deep love of the outdoors.
For 29 years he and his wife Sylvia, whom he married in 1959, lived in a bungalow on the Ridge at Clifton.
He really enjoyed the abundance of sea life in the Atlantic and particularly a braai out on the beach at Llandudno or Sandy Bay. His son Grant speaks of … “a classic pose of Percy — outdoors clad in a pair of shorts, in front of his typewriter producing radio scripts … not to mention Percy emerging from the icy Atlantic with a few fresh crayfish!”
In the ’50s Percy discovered the magic of the Cederberg — the caves at Boointjies Kloof, the rock paintings, the swimming-holes. And from this interest a great research trio emerged, with Hyme Rabinowitz and Ginger Townley Johnson. In fact, Percy published a now historical book on Cederberg Rock Art.
But for the general public, throughout South Africa, Percy’s true metier — what made him a ‘household name’ — was the stage and radio and television. He was nominated for and won many critics’ awards, including for stage productions such as A Hatful of Rain Mark Twain and Uncle Vanya. And there were memorable partnerships, with director Pieter Kleinschmidt and with Bryan Astbury and Yvonne Bryceland at the Space, including Percy’s acting with Yvonne in the premier production of the important theatre piece, Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act, the first play to be staged at the Space.
Percy enjoyed a deep commitment to the Space, performing in many a production, including Long Days Journey into Night, Occupations and the comedy, Luv with Maggie Soboil.
In radio too there were great partnerships. Many will remember Percy’s hosting of the very popular Check Your Mate with Judy Henderson.
As Grant tells it, “Percy’s work schedule often meant working late and sleeping in. In true Percy style, there was a daily lemon and honey drink waiting at his bedside to wake up to and soothe those golden vocal chords.”
During the 1990s Percy and Sylvia settled permanently in Australia and it was there that he took his acting career to new heights, starring as Shylock in the Merchant of Venice at the Sydney Opera House, amongst several other theatrical triumphs.
His popular one-man shows on Jewish Humour, Herman Charles Bosman and Mark Twain proved to be as great successes there, as they had been back home.
About a year ago, sadly, Percy was stricken with cancer, but ‘trooper’ as he was, that did not deter him, in his last months, from involving himself in a documentary to celebrate the contribution of the Space Theatre since its establishment in 1972.
While he and Sylvia returned to South Africa regularly, their latest visit was to celebrate their 50th anniversary with their family — their son Grant and his wife Beth and children, and daughter Niki and her husband and son.
It was shortly after this — and exactly two weeks after the death of his great friend Hyme Rabinowitz — that Percy passed away peacefully in Cape Town.
