You wouldn’t think that a Northern Cape place such as Britstown once used to breed those clompy Clydesdale horses you normally associate with damp British weather and English country markets.

Ma Griet Messelaar, as she is known, was born on 1 January 1920 in Griquatown as the daughter of Paul and Bettie Visser. She is the second eldest of six children, and is the only one still alive. Her ...