'Our way of thanking a perfect gentleman'

25 January 2016 - 02:04 By Sipho Masombuka

Retried gardener Reuben Molopyane has just had a building in the heart of Pretoria named after him. "Every time I see this building I get goose bumps," he said, pointing to a modern block of flats, Reuben's Place, owned by City Property.When 75-year-old Molopyane, known as a "perfect gentleman", walked into the lives of the wealthy property-investments family the Wapnicks as a gardener 50 years ago he stole their hearts, especially that of the company's head, Jeffrey Wapnick.Wapnick recalled how, as a youngster, Molopyane would fetch him from nursery school on a bicycle in Brooklyn, Pretoria."I used to sit on the bicycle's handlebars. The trip home was about 5km. He was always 15 minutes early."The lift lobby in the block of flats has a bicycle mural to perpetuate this memory.Wapnick said Molopyane was always a gentleman, well-dressed, polite, reliable, trustworthy and loyal."We thought it was a fitting tribute to a perfect gentleman. My only regret is that Reuben was born at a time when there was no opportunity for a man of his calibre."Molopyane, who retired in 2014, said he was honoured when told that the building, which previously housed Home Affairs offices, was being named after him."My good ways are following me," he said...

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