O

NE of his earliest mem-

ories was escaping from

crèche as a five-year-old,

crawling under the

fence and running to a

nearby field where he’d

pluck wildflowers.

“I’d pick yellow and

white daisies, which I’d string up and

give to my mom as a necklace. That’s

where my love of nature was born.”

It’s a love so strong it became Werner

Voigt’s life work – and led to him recent-

ly being appointed to his dream job as

curator of one of the gleaming jewels in

the South African tourism bouquet:

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

in Cape Town.

Werner (43) knew he wanted to work

amid the sprawling park-like acres on

the slopes of Table Mountain ever since

he set eyes on the place during an excur-

sionasa horticulturestudentin1995.

Itwasspring,herecalls,andevery-

thing was in bloom. “I was amazed by

the flowerbeds, the streams and plants.

This is where I wanted to work.”

It was also where, four years later, he

proposed to Carmen, the young woman

he’d fallen in love with the second he

was introduced to her by her brother.

“I asked her to marry me at Dell’s Dam.

It’s a special place in Kirstenbosch – the

dam is filled with pure crystal-clear

spring water.”

Now Kirstenbosch is where he works

every day – although he says he was a bit

daunted when he landed the job.

A

N ABIDING love of nature

runs through Werner’s life

story, which is peppered

with hardship and heart-

break yet is ultimately also

one of hope and happiness.

As a boy he lived in Elsies River in Cape

Town with dad Nolan, who worked in a

plastics factory for more than 40 years,

mom Elizabeth, a housewife, his sister,

Mercia, and two of his three brothers.

“Mychildhoodyearsweretough,”he

says.“Welivedinthebackyardofan

acquaintance of my dad and when I

was seven we moved to Bellville South

where we again lived in someone else’s

backyard. I still remember the lace cur-

tain that separated the living room

from the kitchen.

“We hadn’t been there for a year before

we moved to Eerste River. My dad had

saved enough money for us to buy our

FROM THE

CAPE FLATS

TO PARADISE

As curator of Kirstenbosch, Werner Voigt has

his dream job – it’s a place that feeds his soul

and reminds him of his late mom

BY COLIN HENDRICKS

70 | 8 AUGUST 2019 http://www.drum.co.za