Cape Town - When slaves were brought to the Cape, they were given new names by their owners, often after the months of the year. That’s why many Capetonians have surnames such as April or Augustus.
Brand activation company Geometry Global sought out elders in each of these families and interviewed them about their family heritage. Geometry produced a “Slave Calendar”, which features 12 Capetonians whose surnames – one for each of the calendar months – hark back to this practice. It was recently awarded a gold Loerie and will be exhibited at the Iziko Slave Lodge Museum.
In the lead-up to Heritage Day, the Cape Argus will be featuring each of the 12 interviewees. Here’s the eighth instalment in the series:
Meet Ms Augustus
Cecilia Augustus suddenly feels connected to a family of Augustuses in South Africa who can trace their roots back to a common source.
She had no idea her surname was a link to the past, that it hails back to slaves who were brought to the Cape centuries ago in the month of August. “I didn’t know. This is the first time I’m hearing about it,” she said. “It’s good to know I was somewhere there.
“I am also an Augustus so I am certainly part of that. I’ve come a long road.”
Her family has lived in many parts of the Cape, around agriculturally rich areas. Her grandmother was from St Helena Bay, while her grandfather originally came from Namaqualand. Further back than that is lost: Augustus never met her great- great-grandfather, because he was dead as far back as she can remember.
Her grandparents moved to Grabouw and then to Stellenbosch, eventually landing up in Cape Town.
“My family is from here, from the beginning to the end, so nobody can take me out of the Cape. I’m part of the Cape,” Augustus said, standing at the gate of her home.
Her grandparents were an unusual couple. Their love flew in the face of racist laws and expectations of the time.
“My grandpa was very light-skinned. He had green eyes and silky hair, and my grandmother was coloured. She was dark, and she also had smooth hair,” Augustus said. “They were a mixed couple.”
She still visits the farmlands often, because that is where her family comes from.
Also read:
“We go to Grabouw often, to the farm. Sometimes people say I’m from the farm,” Augustus said laughing. “We don’t really have family here now, so we go to Grabouw.”
The discovery of her surname’s slave roots made Augustus think there must be others in the Cape who are connected to her in ways that she never realised.
“This was quite a discovery,” she said. “I am very proud of my surname. You must be part of my family if your surname is Augustus. Somehow we must be connected.”
Cape Argus