Sep 20, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min · 16 segments
When Margaret Rheeder’s husband Ben suddenly fell ill, the local doctor suspected he was suffering from a particularly bad case of gastroenteritis, but after his painful death, neighbours and family…
Nicole EngelbrechtHostAlthough their ancestors had been well off enough to have a whole area in Knysna, Harkerville, named after them, by the time Margaret was born, her mother, who had married her cousin, was living in deep poverty.
Margaret was the oldest of the family that would eventually grow to 13 children, born of her mother's two marriages.
Her siblings, who by the time they were telling the story were certainly not interested in lying for their sister, also confirmed the difficult circumstances of their
childhood.
Margaret and her sisters from her mother's first marriage spent a lot of time in and out of orphanages when they were children, especially after their father died and before their mother remarried.
The girls specifically were sent to these institutions, it was noted, for training in domestic duties, such as cooking and cleaning, as really their only way out of poverty at that point in history would be to find a husband who could look after them financially.
Margaret was remembered as someone who, regardless of her home situation, always took great care about how she looked.
For most of her childhood, she only owned one dress for every growth phase she had, but she would wash it every night to ensure it was clean for the next day, and immediately mend any tears or damage that came up.
Margaret would later say that although the institution she and her siblings were sent to was strict and they had to work very hard, it was a far better life than being at home with her family.
But by the time she turned 16, she was informed that she could no longer stay at the orphanage and she would have to start making her own way in the world.
And so shortly after her 16th birthday, Margaret arrived at a home in Pole, where she'd been hired as a housekeeper.
She went to work at a boarding house in Weinberg, and then got hired as a cleaner at a hotel in Gneisner.
The man, who is only referred to in records as Sneyman, was working as a barman when he and Margaret met.
They married not long after, but Margaret claims she quickly realized she had made a terrible mistake.
Her husband was not just irresponsible
Although their ancestors had been well off enough to have a whole area in Knysna, Harkerville, named after them, by the time Margaret was born, her mother, who had married her cousin, was living in deep poverty.
Margaret was the oldest of the family that would eventually grow to 13 children, born of her mother's two marriages.
Her siblings, who by the time they were telling the story were certainly not interested in lying for their sister, also confirmed the difficult circumstances of their
childhood.
Margaret and her sisters from her mother's first marriage spent a lot of time in and out of orphanages when they were children, especially after their father died and before their mother remarried.
The girls specifically were sent to these institutions, it was noted, for training in domestic duties, such as cooking and cleaning, as really their only way out of poverty at that point in history would be to find a husband who could look after them financially.
Margaret was remembered as someone who, regardless of her home situation, always took great care about how she looked.
For most of her childhood, she only owned one dress for every growth phase she had, but she would wash it every night to ensure it was clean for the next day, and immediately mend any tears or damage that came up.
Margaret would later say that although the institution she and her siblings were sent to was strict and they had to work very hard, it was a far better life than being at home with her family.
But by the time she turned 16, she was informed that she could no longer stay at the orphanage and she would have to start making her own way in the world.
And so shortly after her 16th birthday, Margaret arrived at a home in Pole, where she'd been hired as a housekeeper.
She went to work at a boarding house in Weinberg, and then got hired as a cleaner at a hotel in Gneisner.
The man, who is only referred to in records as Sneyman, was working as a barman when he and Margaret met.
They married not long after, but Margaret claims she quickly realized she had made a terrible mistake.
Her husband was not just irresponsible
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