“The first time I laid my eyes on Bets, she was getting out of a Swaziland-registered vehicle with her parents. I turned to a few of my friends and told them, without any pause, ‘you see that girl, that is my wife’,” smiled Uncle Piet, who told The Ladysmith Herald that his friends laughed at him, but later that same day he had managed to introduce himself to Bets and her family and as they say – the rest is history.
Piet, who is from the Free State, met his soulmate in Swaziland and since then he calls Bets his ‘Swazi rose’. Piet and Bets Van Rooyen will be celebrating their 63rd wedding anniversary in September, making them the longest living married couple residing at Juana Maria Frail Aged Home.
With February being the month of love, celebrated by couples across the world, The Ladysmith Herald met with Uncle Piet and his ‘Swazi rose’ to find out what Valentine’s Day means to them after spending a lifetime with each other.
“I think that Valentine’s Day is very much a commercial thing, and why wait a whole year to make the one person you love feel special?” said Uncle Piet.
He said people, not just couples, should always tell one another how much they love and appreciate each other. “It was the bond of love that had kept me and Swazi rose together for all these years and we taught and showed that same love to our four children who are now sharing that love with our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”
Piet, 84, and Bets, 80, met at the age of 21 and 19 in Swaziland, where Piet had worked as a Spoornet clerk. “I was supposed to be in Durban, but when we reached the head office, we were told we will be working in Swaziland.”
Bets added that when she first met Piet, her soul felt complete. “It’s like I had found a missing piece of my soul within Piet.”
In those days, a couple would first have to get married in court and then later at church. “The love we had was so special that it was a double celebration, getting married twice.”
They had dated for a year and without even asking, the two inevitably got married. “I always joke with Bets, saying that I never had to ask her to get married because, since the first day we met, we knew that we would be married.”
Piet and Bets said that over the years, Piet’s work had taken them all over South Africa, but they eventually settled down and laid roots in Ladysmith. “We had our good days and, of course, bad days did follow but it did not stop us from respecting each other and working together to be together,” said Aunt Bets.
Piet said that people in relationships these days seem to feel that it is easier to give up. “Many are spoiled, if one day we wake up and decided that we don’t like each other anymore then we can get another. People give up so easily and what hurts the most is usually the children.”
Uncle Piet and ‘Swazi rose’ have four children, two sons and two daughters, with the oldest being 61. “We are incredibly blessed and have eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.”
The couple added that not a day goes by that they don’t talk and the conversations always end with love.
“I have lived as a child in the Second World War, watched the television make its first arrival in South Africa and many other historical moments, including living to see the Covid-19 pandemic, but nothing will take the highlight of my greatest memories made with my Swazi rose and children.”
The couple said that after the birth of their oldest son, they both accepted the Lord into their lives and since then they have lived their lives putting the word of God first. “A couple that praises our living God together and works towards improving their relationship with our Father, that is what keeps people together. Because the love of God and His amazing grace is and will be always with us,” said Uncle Piet.
Aunt Bets said that she has lived her life with no regrets and if she had to do it again, it will always be with Piet. When The Ladysmith Herald asked Uncle Piet what his Valentine’s message to Aunt Bets is, tears filled his eyes as he said: “I would like to thank God for my Swazi rose, who has given me the best years of her life to make our lives the best it can be and I will always love you.”
Uncle Piet, his ‘Swazi rose’ and the management and staff of The Ladysmith Herald would like to wish our advertisers and readers a happy month of love.
