Meet the people
Frikkie and Maree Lubbe Kobus Vorster
Owners of Lubbe Motors and Affi Plaas Lubbe Motors has been around for years – they say this filling station and car workshop dates back to shortly after the Creation.
“I was born in the house behind the garage,” says Maree, whose father, Frikkie, started working here years ago and later bought the place. “We are long-standing garagers; petrol runs in our veins,” he jokes.
Frikkie left to work in Johannesburg for 14 years before he and his wife returned to Trompsburg. “That’s when we started the eatery next to the garage. People thought we were nuts. We were really nervous. But the place did well and truly surprised us,” Frikkie says. It was a baptism of fire, as they knew nothing about running a restaurant.
“I only liked braaiing steak, which I do well. The rest we had to learn – and so did our employees. Now we have a great team. These women are the heart of Affi Plaas.”
Frikkie says they process all their own meat and make their own pizza dough.
December is a very busy time – people phone from Johannesburg to tell us what time they will be arriving to sit down for a meal at Affi Plaas. “It’s important to offer them an experience. We like to chat to visitors and want them to be our friends by the time they leave here.”
He says last year was tough because of the pandemic. “But we experienced the caring nature of Trompsburg’s people. One morning a farmer stopped by and pressed a packet of notes into my hand. ‘Listen, we won’t mention this again,’ he said. ‘Forget about the money. Pay your staff their salaries.’”
Retired traffic official
The initial plan was to photograph Kobus with his yellow DKW (a classic German car from the 1930s) in the late-afternoon light. But then he took me to the large shed behind his house, filled with tools and an assortment of mechanical gadgets. This is where he has spent most of his time since retiring.
“I worked in the traffic business from October 1985 to 26 June 2009, and was in Trompsburg for most of that time. I spent many a night next to the N1, ensuring drivers’ safety.” Yes, he pulled people over for speeding, and they would be angry with him. “People are always angry with an official. But then I would ask the person, what kind of work do you do? Maybe he’d say he was a truck driver. Then I would ask if he was a good driver? And he would say yes, of course he is a good driver. I would say, well, just like you, I also have a job to do. It doesn’t help to fight with me. You broke the rules, and my job is to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
People would often tell him their speedometers were not showing accurate readings. He would sometimes get in the car with them and measure the speed again. No offence was ever attributed to a faulty speedometer.
But the funniest things happened when he was accompanying drivers on licensing tests. “Once, I was in an ambulance that was driven onto the pavement. And another time a driver drove into an ice-cream van.”
Among other things, traffic officials used to be responsible for issuing a range of permits.
“Street vendors needed a permit from us before they could sell their wares at the roadside. And we also managed dances. If you wanted to organise a big dance party, you first had to get a permit.”
Then, in 1957, when heavy rain in Bloemfontein prevented a German athletics team from training, they were sent to Trompsburg. “Our cinder track was the best athletics track in the Free State,” Flip says proudly. Adding, with a little laugh: “Of course, it also doesn’t rain as much here…” about all the corruption, the millions that disappear. We have all, black and white, worked hard to build up Trompsburg. We have always worked together. The relationships between people today are truly heart-warming. But our town is deteriorating and people suffer from hunger. That makes me angry and sad.”
Flip has lived alone on his farm since his wife passed away. And although he survived a farm attack in 2007, and Johan and Cecile Fourie were murdered on their farm near the town in the spring of 2012, he is not afraid. He is farming up a storm.
Just the other night he woke up to a noise… and the next minute something awful was in his face.
“My sheepdog’s tongue. He got in because I’d left the door open. Do you know why I’m not scared? Because those guys who came here weren’t from this area. They came from Johannesburg. Black residents of >
There is a U-Save, a Foodzone, a Pep and Dries Lategan’s hardware store. And you’ll be amazed at what you can find at the OVK cooperative. The town also has two banks.
The new Albert Nzula District Hospital was in the news for having stood unused for five years after the building had been completed. It is now functioning and residents have varying views on the service and care it offers, but emergency services, occupational therapists and even psychologists are available. The town also has a GP and a physiotherapist. The nearest private hospitals are in Bloemfontein.
There is a good care centre for the elderly in town.
Trompsburg Primary School is excellent and has a hostel. Most local children attend high school in Bloemfontein.
Bloemfontein (120 km)
Trompsburg falls under the Xhariep District Municipality. As with the rest of the Free State’s local government, it’s largely dysfunctional.