Family torn apart by political conflict back together after 13 years

This month’s STAR STORY is very special indeed. It comes all the way from South Africa and tells of how a family, once torn apart by political conflict, found each other 13 years later, thanks to WRM.

John Barkhuisen explains:

“I was born and bred in the then Rhodesia. When the war ended in 1980 a lot of ex-Rhodesians moved out and ended up in South Africa.

At one stage they were moving in excess of 100,000 people a month out of Rhodesia into South Africa and when Robert Mugabe began his Zimbabwean campaign, many others just left everything they owned and left.

As a result families became spread all over South Africa. Some stayed behind; some left; many were split and only got to see each other every year or even as far apart as every 5 years.

I immigrated to South Africa in 1982 and have been back to Zimbabwe only twice since.

There was a time for about five years when they would not allow me back as I had fought in the South African military.

The only information I received from remaining family in Zimbabwe would be from letters sent to family in South Africa and a few telephone conversations.

To cut a long and painful story short, I had not seen my cousin Louise and her children since 1995.

I offered to assist them in coming over to South Africa but we suddenly lost contact. Louise’s husband passed away and they moved house; I was extremely worried that things would not be easy for her and her family.

That was 13 years ago. For 13 years I had no word from her or her family but then when I joined Who-Remembers-Me.com I found her daughter Vaughnine - I was so relieved!

Vaughnine and her family were alive and well and living in Australia! I was overjoyed – there are no words to explain. My cousin, Vaughnine explained, was still in Zimbabwe.

For so long I had thought of them all living in a war-torn country under dictatorial rule that I had almost given up hope.

I’ve since learned that when Vaughnine left Zimbabwe, she did indeed look for me and must have passed within a few kilometres of where I live in South Africa.

Nonetheless I am glad to hear that she is safe and prospering very well in Australia.

Thanks for the insight you had in getting this type of site going; I know it is going to bring a lot of people back together again.”