South Africa

"Huberte always played a leading role in the receptions hosted in South Africa; the smaller, more intimate gatherings held in their home in Thibault Street as well as the bigger receptions that were mostly held in hotels. She took trouble to make foreign visitors feel at home and to introduce them to the country, its people and traditions. Her menus invariably included typically South African fare and lots of fresh vegetables, salads and fruit. Always health conscious, she did not serve rich, indigestible dishes. The best South African wines were offered. At formal dinners she took great pains over seating, trying to avoid ‘dead spots’ by not putting quiet people together. On occasion guests were provided with cards carrying information about the two people on their right and left, their names, jobs and interests. It gave her great pleasure to see a heterogeneous group of guests with widely divergent tastes and customs ‘”finding” one another and having a wonderful time together’."

"Rupert asked him to investigate the possibility of finding a master brewer in war-shattered Germany who was looking for a future abroad. Steyn set about his inquiries methodically. In 1947 he approached a number of contacts in Germany, asking them if they could put him in touch with: a Munich brewery willing to open a branch in South Africa controlled by South African shareholders; a Munich master brewer willing to emigrate to South Africa with his family and undertake the technical management of a brewery; and a master owner-brewer of a small Munich brewery who would come with his family and all the necessary machinery, to start a new factory from scratch. Despite interest from German brewers, nothing came of these tentative moves as there were problems on the South African side with the realisation of plans to establish a brewery. Steyn was requested to keep the German connection alive for some time, although with the warning that, as a brewery would have to be built up in South Africa from scratch, it would take at least two years before beer could be produced. Meanwhile Rupert concentrated on the tobacco industry."