Gasiena Mohammad was born in 1951 to Safia and Yusuf (Boeta Shortie) Mohammad at 51 Princess Street, Claremont. Yusuf was originally from Wynberg and Safia lived in Claremont. Safia’s mother Klara originated from Paarl and her family moved to Protea (Kirstenbosch), she married Papa Niels. Safia’s children from her first marriage was Easton, her son was Clifford Easton. She had two daughters with Yusuf, Raaida and Gasiena. Safia would sew for politicians like Jan Pickard, especially costumes for concerts they would be attending. Safia also did sewing and alterations for the Klopse, for people like Pop from Second Avenue.

In Princess Street was the NG Church and some of the neighbours was Dr Jordaan, Mr Firfirey, Mr Jacobus who belonged to the salvation army and the Hendrickse who made toffee apples and tamaletjies. In Lansdowne Road there were shops such as Brenners, Mr Swirl, Mrs Chong. 

Gasiena remembers buying peanut butter or butter, scooped out of a can onto lunch paper. There was the Janet Bourhill Institute where you could fetch milo. After school, Gasiena would do errands so she could have money to go to the Orphium bioscope. 

In the park there would be various activities, cricket, netball, and dominoes. The park in Third Ave had a high fence and the park was locked at 17:00 and the park guard would leave on his bicycle. Soon after, the children would jump the fence and start playing again but if the adult caught them they would be in trouble. On Sunday there was Sunday school in the park, the Muslim children would sit on the other side of the fence and sing along and would also receive a sweet at the end of class. Outings with the church was an adventure, they would go to Hout Bay and the children could roll on the sand dunes. They would have games and prizes. On occasion, they would also go to Pniel and swop old clothes for fruit on the farms. The churches would not exclude the Muslim children.

The author, Hadley Chase caused excitement in the park, they would read his books and swop with each other, caught up in the suspense. The fruit in the yards was wonderful, hanneport grapes and mulberries which made your hands purple. Gasiena and her friends would run through the sewerage pipes which would lead them to the Claremont gardens but the first stop was Keurboom park where there was pine cones and fruit trees e.g. plums

Claremont also had lots of musical talent, who performed with the Klopse.The Klopse walked down 2nd Ave, and Salie Boyce’s father was in charge of erecting the stands. All the instruments like tambourines were handmade. There were many teams but there was love between them and no conflict. There was section called the Langry, there was skollies who lived there but they kept others out of their fights and conflicts, not like today in Manenberg.

There were very talented sports players in Claremont but they could go no further than Claremont due to apartheid, great teams like Temperance. Gasiena’s uncles, John and Henry Niels, both played team cricket but was limited by apartheid. They played with Basil D’Olivera, who moved to England to play professionally.

Gasiena attended Kenilworth Methodist school, Rosmead Central and Livingstone High. At Livingstone, all the children were scared of Mr Butler, he wouldn’t hesitate to hit you. 

While attending Rosmead Central, Gasiena was picked to play in the Netball team. Gasiena had never been out Cape Town and she had the opportunity to go to PE with the netball team. PE was like going overseas, they mostly went to Kommetjie, Kalk Bay and Simonstown with her father’s lorry. Both Gasiena and her brother won player of the year in one year, the presentation was at William Herbert. Gasiena played against white teams, their team was just as talented but the white netball teams was better because they had more practise. Gasiena played netball for Excelsiors and her sister for Canadians. There was a day when Gasiena was chosen as team captain and her team played against her sister’s team which was awkward. Gasiena also played against her future sister in law, Poenie Wolhurther Mustapha, many who worked for Ensign played netball. Gasiena’s team members where small so they would hit the opposition below the knees.

Gasiena left school at age 14yrs and went job hunting. She didn’t have bus fare so she would walk with friends along the Main Road. She ended up at factory in Salt River. The gentleman told her she was fourteen and too young to be employed and Gasiena cheekily told him she would be back tomorrow on her fifteenth birthday. When she returned the next day he employed her, it was his birthday too. He lived in Bishops Court and he said he was her neighbour and would come to check on her at home, the neighbours thought at first he was the police.

Gasiena’s family moved into York Street from Princess Street, next to the Reids, the Swains where next to the Dudleys. When forced removals started her father bought a plot of land in Second Ave, Sherwood Park for R800. Gasiena was given the task to pay the lawyer “half kroon” each week in Cape Town Central.  It took years to complete the building of the house in Sherwood Park. Gasiena’s sister, Raaida married Sedick Hope who lived in May Street in Claremont. Gasiena’s parents and her sister move to Sherwood Park, by then Gasiena had married Amien Mustapha, and they remained living in Claremont with their children, Shaheed, Asiyah, Sorayah, Amina and Nadia was born in Sherwood park.

When Kenilworth Centre was built in 1975, Gasiena and Amien was still living in Claremont. Amien carved their oldest daughter’s, Ashiya Mustapha Fakier’s initials in the cement of Kenilworth Centre. 

There was a white man who moved into York Road, John Moore. When he moved in he was still single, he befriended Gasiena and Amien. He played with the children and would come over to eat with them. But then he got married and his new wife moved in, she was racist and didn’t like him interacting with them. 

There were white University students who moved in, they had no curtains and would tape newspapers on the windows and have a stove in the middle of the lounge. They invited the neighbours over. There were also white bikers from JHB who moved in and they didn’t interfere with the neighbours. The trouble started when the older white people moved in, they were racist. They would complain that the neighbours are noisy and call the cops. 

The road was narrow and the white guy who moved in, he would block the whole road with his car, a Plymouth which resulted in arguments with the neighbours, and a fight with Amien. Amien later put six inch nails under the tyres of the Plymouth.

Gasiena and Amien moved into 18 York Street when Amien’s brother, Yusuf (Boetie) moved out. The owner evicted them stating falsely that the rent wasn’t paid. They then moved into the another house in York Road, next to the Reid’s. They lived there until 1976, they were almost the last to leave their road. They went to live with Gasiena’s parents in Second Avenue, Sherwood Park. 

All the neighbours are scattered, there are some in Eastridge, Manenberg, Hanover Park, Sherwood Park and Parktown. Good people’s children got so lost, in these new areas, the parents didn’t know what they were up against.

Gasiena has reconnected socially with Dawn Jacobus, who lived in Leraar Street, Jamila who lived in 3rd Ave, Firdous and Des.