CAPE TOWN – At Newlands Cricket ground, Moegamat “Boeta” Cassiem always had a lolly to make you jolly, and sometimes he had a wafer...
On Wednesday, Western Province Cricket paid tribute to Boeta, who had been selling ice-cream at the ground for 55 years until recently.
The decision to honour Boeta now was due to his health, said WP Cricket Cricket Association Brand and sponsorship manager David Brooke.
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“Unfortunately he is not well at the moment. He has renal failure, and his family got in touch with us to say that he’d like to come and walk onto Newlands one final time.
“But, we decided to do something a little more fitting for him and a bit more personal, so we invited his family over to Newlands. We had a function to pay tribute to him,” said Brooke.
Some former players, including the likes of Eric Simons, JP Duminy and Ashwell Prince were in attendance, and a number of stories were told about their encounters with Boeta, said Brooke.
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“We presented a plaque from Western Province Cricket, which is going to go up on the Oaks grass embankment to commemorate the occasion and to commemorate him for generations to come.”
Throughout his career at Newlands, Boeta was often the highlight for many children who spent their day at the famous cricket ground, and he was often the best selling ice cream salesman.
“I can go anywhere in Cape Town and people recognise me. Sometimes, I was the top salesman because it’s how you handle the customer.
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“I can fight with my wife at home, but when I come to Newlands, I’m totally a different person,” a jovial Boeta said during Wednesday’s event.
IOL Sport