Rudolf and Annie Ziehl’s life in East London

From the death notice of Rudolf and Annie’s fifth child, Philip Arthur Ziehl, who died at 4 years old in 1902 from Croup, we learn that the family lived in Park Street, East London and that Rudolf was a watchmaker. [1.] This confirms what I suspected. Family tradition says he was a jeweller, but I remember going into “Pop’s” [2.] office on Alpha Farm when I was a child, and seeing German books and Bibles as well as wooden boxes with very small drawers on the top shelves in his office. On one occasion we were shown what was in those little drawers. There were tiny, rusty parts of the workings of clocks. These had belonged to Pop’s father, our great grandfather Rudolf, which he must have brought with him, to Rhodesia, from East London.

The following picture shows two of Rudolf and Annie's children, Reuben and Louis, playing in Franz Moeller’s Orchestral Class, in East London, in 1903.

1. Philip Arthur Ziehls Death Notice. ( https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939Z-P19C-7W?i=300&cc=1779109 : accessed 28 Oct 2018)

2. Leonard Ziehl (Lenny) was called Pop by his grandchildren.

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What happened to the Ziehls in Rusape?

Lenny and Susan were very much involved in the building up of the community in Rusape, as Lenny’s parents had been. Lenny built Duly’s Garage in Rusape, and a few houses to the left of it on the main Salisbury, Umtali Road. He was instrumental in the building of the Makoni Country Club in the town, and the Cinema amongst other things.  

Three of Lenny and Susan’s children married and continued to farm in Rusape. Their eldest daughter Sylvia married Kevin Curran on Alfa Farm in 1950. Kev worked for Lenny for a few years, and lived on the farm until he bought his own farm Carolina, about twenty miles north-west of Rusape. Kev and Syl had four children Raynadene, Linda, Dawn and Kevin.

Gerald, Lenny and Susan’s eldest son, married Gillian Parker in about 1956. They also had four children, Vanessa, Ingrid, Geraldine and Robin. After working for his father for a few years Gerald bought Crofton Farm next door to his parents.

Lorna, Lenny and Susan’ youngest daughter, married Johan (Kaay) Koch. They lived in South West Africa for a while then settled in Johannesburg, South Africa. They had three children, Josephine, Philip and Edward.

Kenneth, Lenny and Susan’s youngest son, married Rosemary Baines in 1957. Ken bought Recondite Farm from his father after his grandfather passed away. The couple had four children, Julie, Deborah, Nicolette and Kenyon.

In 1965, the Rhodesian Government declared Unilateral Independence from Britain UDI. This action threw the country into a state of war against Britain and the African Liberation organizations. In 1966, the United Nations imposed economic sanctions upon Rhodesia. For the next 12 years, the white minority government fought to maintain their hold on the country while the people fought for survival in a bush war.

Everybody was affected by the war;  there were curfews from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. with no traffic allowed on the roads after 6 p.m. except with an armed escort. Security tightened in businesses, homes and on farms. People lived behind barbed wire and security fences. All men were expected to serve in the armed forces. Carrying guns became a way of life. Nikki Ziehl, in speaking of those days said, “we lived in fear.” [1]

In 1978, the Prime Minister, Ian Smith, conceded to a multiracial democracy, which eventually led to Zimbabwean independence, in April 1980. In the process of forming a new state, Rhodesia had a provisional government. Ken Ziehl, who at that time was a Major in the Rhodesian Army, as well as being a farmer, was given the task of taking down the Rhodesian Flag and raising the new Zimbabwe Rhodesian flag, at a ceremony in Rusape in June 1979. For the history of this time click here.

Ken Ziehl (middle) lowering the Rhodesian flag for the last time and raising the Zimbabwe Rhodesian flag, June 1979.

After the war, peace returned and a semblance of normality resumed in Zimbabwe. As wounds healed, there was new hope for the future. The fourth generation of Ziehls, for the most part, had left Rusape to study or to find work in the city (Salisbury / Harare). Many of them married elsewhere or moved to South Africa during the war years. Of that generation, only Kenyon Ziehl, Robin Ziehl and Mark Freer (son-in-law of Syl Ziehl) and their families continued to farm in Rusape.

At Christmas time, however, many members of the extended Ziehl family would return to their parent's farms in Rusape, bringing with them new additions to their families. It was always a festive time, for the cousins to meet and catch up.

Ziehl gathering on Boxing Day 1997 at the Lesapi Dam, Rusape.

However, all was not well in Zimbabwe. Because of the land reform policies of President Robert Mugabe, the white farmer’s lands began to be expropriated. Farmers had to make the decision to either sell their farms to the Zimbabwean Government, for the cost of improvements and not for the value of the land, or risk having their farms taken away without compensation.

In 2001, Ken Ziehl chose to sell Recondite to the government, and move to Stone Acres farm nearer Rusape. His brother Gerald Ziehl (who had since their father retired, moved on to Alpha farm) remained on Alpha Farm, while brother-in-law, Kev Curran, continued to farm on Carolina Farm. Kenyon Ziehl was on Harrisonville farm and Robin Ziehl on Alpha Farm. For the next few years they battled in court to keep their farms, but, by 2010, they were all forced to leave with no compensation. Many farmers in Zimbabwe were given 24 hours to get off their farms and were only able to take their household goods with them. Farm equipment was considered the property of the land. Kenyon Ziehl was one of those who could take only what was in his house.

Today, the fourth and fifth generation of this Ziehl family are scattered over four continents. Gill Ziehl (of the third generation) is the only one who remains in Rusape. Those who still live in Zimbabwe continue to gather at Christmas time with whoever is visiting from across the world. In my next blogs, I hope to include some of the families memories of their life in Rusape.  

1. Nikki Ziehl, recording of her memories of the war days in Rhodesia. In possession of Deborah Mocke, Provo, Utah, USA.

The People.

Rudolf and Annie Ziehl were of German descent. Both their parents emigrated from Germany and settled in East London, South Africa, in 1857 and 1858. When Rudolf and Annie left South Africa to farm in Rusape, Rhodesia, they took with them a mix of their German/South African heritage, which influenced future generations.  

Four of Rudolf and Annie’s seven children lived to adulthood and married in Rhodesia. However, only the youngest son, Leonard (Lenny) Carl Ziehl, continued to live in Rusape. His parent’s farm, Recondite, was divided to make two farms. Leonard and his family lived on the portion called Alpha Farm, while his parents continued to live on what was left of Recondite Farm. It is mainly Leonard’s family and his descendants who are the subject of this blog.

Lenny and Susan Ziehl with children Lorna, Sylvia, Kenneth and Gerald, about 1945.

Lenny and Susan Ziehl with adult children, spouses and grandchildren on Alpha Farm in 1957.

 

Some of Lenny and Susan Ziehl’s grandchildren, their spouses,

and great-grandchildren, on Harrisonville Farm in 1995.

Many of Lenny and Susan’s great-grandchildren, in the above picture, now have children of their own. Today, there is only one member of the entire Ziehl family living in Rusape. Next week I will give an overview of what happened to the family.

The Place.

According to family tradition, Rudolf and Annie Ziehl had a few options as to where they could settle in Rhodesia. It was either on Avondale Farm near Salisbury, the capital city (now a suburb of Harare), or 110 miles (170 km) south-east of Salisbury, near the railway siding of Rusape. Rudolf and Annie chose to settle near Rusape.

When the family got to Rusape, conditions were primitive. There were just a few European farmers, tradesmen and railwaymen in the area, apart from local tribesmen. People had to shoot their own meat for the pot, and sort out their mail, weekly, at the railway station. The farm “Recondite”, on which Rudolf and Annie settled, was about 5 miles west of the town. They used a mule cart for transport.

A visitor to Rusape in 1905 described the town as such:

“We had time to look at Umtali, then only a sketchy village with the Parkington Hotel alone in its glory at the Railway end and the newly erected Railton, then on to Rusape through a totally uninhabited area of grass and scrub, no signs of farms and few of traders at the sidings on route. Rusape town appeared more civilized with a hotel, the accommodation being six or eight grass huts and a tin dining room and bar.  The rest of the town consisted of a collection of huts some selling goods, others produce, but the town was important from the point of view that it boasted a railway siding for use by the farmers to import and sell goods.” [1]

In her notes about her husband, Herbert Barnes Pope, who settled near Rusape in about 1901, Lydia (Ziehl) Pope, Rudolf and Annie Ziehl’s daughter, wrote:

“Having no means of transport H. B. P. for several years rode a horse named Coffee known to everyone as he liked his beer [       ]  and would not depart from Rusape without his drink. On one occasion returning home from a farmers meeting in Rusape, Coffee eager to be home came to a sudden stop along the road among the Granite Hills and [   ]  H. B. P. was thrown to the ground - not many yards away were two lions eating a dead cow - . With great presence of mind Pope managed to get away making a wide detour, leaving the lions to their feast.” [2]

In a letter dated 7 June 1922,  Rudolf’s cousins, Hans and Hannah Zimmer, from Germany, wrote to him saying, " According to your information it appears that things are not so easy going on your farm and furthermore your lives seem to be endangered. Is it not possible that you might be killed on account of the many wild animals?" [3]

I remember my father, Ken Ziehl, telling us stories about going hunting with his grandfather, Rudolf Ziehl, and setting traps for leopard. I also remember the lion skin mat on the floor of my father’s office, next to the kitchen, when we were young. It was a tatty hide, with fur missing and black holes where the eyes should have been. My mother disliked it and eventually disposed of it. I never knew who shot it, but I guess it must have been my great-grandfather, Rudolf Ziehl. We lived in his original farmhouse, but by the time I was born my parents had improved it considerably.

As I search through bits of information I have on my ancestors, for this blog, I find myself remembering things I have heard in the past, which I have not thought about for years. I hope through adding information from my own sources, and from family members, we can create a better understanding of who our ancestors were, and have a greater appreciation for the time and place in which we lived.

Rudolf and Annie Ziehl's house on Recondite Farm many years after they built it. Seen in the picture, in 1957, is Rosemary (Baines) Ziehl, wife of  Kenneth Ziehl, grandson of Rudolf and Annie Ziehl.

[1] Cynthia Ziehl, “A Hundred Years of the Ziehls,” manuscript, Harare, Zimbabwe, p 14 and 15.
[2] Lydia (Ziehl) Pope, notes about the life of her husband, Herbert Barnes Pope, an early settler in Rusape, Rhodesia. In the possession of their granddaughter Maxine (Pope) Rees, New Zealand. A copy held by Deborah (Ziehl) Mocke, Provo, Utah.
[3] Letter to Rudolf and Anni Ziehl from Hans and Hannah Zimmer in Germany, dated  7 June 1922. Copy in the possession of Deborah (Ziehl) Mocke.