Oh, Shih Tzu! What could a three-metre high mutt have to do with Mandela Day?
Well, it so happens that Madiba once had a “fur-ever” friend called Gompo — and this little known fact has spurred one of the land’s chicest shopping centres to go woof in their birthday tribute to the father of our nation.
On Tuesday afternoon, Hyde Park Corner — nestled in Joburg’s well-heeled suburb of the same name — played host to “Made for Pups and Paws”, a pre-Nelson Mandela Day celebration (his birthday was on Friday).
The occasion saw the stylish set and their four-legged companions trot about the mall’s centre court to view a huge rendering of a ridgeback. The metal and wire structure — clad in fabric and crochet blocks — was created by clever fashion and installation designer Anna-Mari Claasen.
It was all to celebrate the charitable work of 67 Blankets, Carolyn Steyn’s Madiba-inspired nonprofit organisation, which brings handmade warmth to those in need. A display of designer doggy houses were also on offer, with the proceeds going to Woodrock Animal Rescue and the Sandton SPCA.
Among the crowd was Nicole Capper, the pharmacist and Survivor SA series 7 runner-up, who arrived, elegantly clad in Xhosa-inspired Imprint monotone, with her long-eared hound.
“I know he looks like a Great Dane, but he is actually a Weimaraner,” explained the blonde TV presenter and entrepreneur as she patted three-year-old Kudu.
Miss South Africa 2023, Natasha Vermaak (formerly Joubert) and social doyenne Peta Eggierth-Symes patted pooches from Woodrock’s puppy therapy programme and tucked into doggy-inspired treats, including mini hot dogs from The Prawnery, and macarons and chocolate choux buns decorated with puppy motifs from Just Teddy.
There was also much wagging of tails when Alex Chen, from appliance company Hisense SA, presented a washing machine to Jacqui Martheze from Woodrock (because dog hair isn’t the hottest accessory).
Carolyn, wife of the late insurance billionaire Douw Steyn, reminisced about how 12 years ago, Madiba’s aide Zelda la Grange challenged her to knit 67 blankets to honour the former president’s legacy.
“And now look — knitwits [as Carolyn fondly refers to her 67 Blankets volunteers] all around the country and around the world have embraced the challenge,” she said.
Case in point being a display of 300 of 667 scarves, which ladies from the Morningside Mockingbirds Knitters circle crocheted to mark the occasion.
On the designer mini kennels, I too was in the dog box as one of the designers who helped decorate the 11 on display. My design peers included Isabel de Villiers, Anissa Mpungwe, Hangwani Nengovhela and Mzukisi Mbane (who brought along his Jack Russell terriers Levi and Zion for the outing).
Staying with things that go under the hammer, Russell Kaplan has gone from selling collectables and curiosities in Rockey Street, Yeoville back in the day, to a sweeping 2,500m² double-storey gallery-meets-department-store space in Ferndale, Randburg, which opened later on Tuesday evening.
“It is almost 23 years to the day when I did my first auction, the contents of Villa Arcadia, when the Johannesburg Jewish Orphanage moved out before the premises were sold to Hollard,” the auctioneer told a crowd of over 500 guests, who came to check out Wunderkammer, Russell Kaplan Auctioneers’ new showroom.
Handed a card on arrival — in the shape of a bidder’s paddle proclaiming “I have excellent taste” — I browsed through an Aladdin’s cave of bric-a-brac, antiques and memorabilia, which these days capture not only the eye of traditional collectors but also those of millennial and Gen Z buyers craving nostalgia.
Among the crowd I spotted Dionne Ellerine — of the property and furniture dynasty — and her husband Marc Hirschowitz, as well as marketing and promotions businesswoman Annie Malan with singer Andre Schwartz and Edward van den Berg.
Annie, a seasoned actress who first came to fame playing the title role in Fiela se Kind, revealed that she is a fan of Linn Ware, the distinctively glazed pottery from the famed Olifantsfontein workshop, and has built a sizeable part of her collection from Russell Kaplan, mostly picked up online.
The bubbly blonde has a tip for budding virtual collectors: “I have one rule. No glass of wine in your hand when bidding.”
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