Your guide to Heidelberg Gauteng
#Nooitgedacht
Heritage Blue Plaque #Nr 33
NOOITGEDACHT - 32 Jacob Street
What is the story here?
This house was built in 1898. At that time all the wrought iron work and concrete embellishments were imported. The house would of been built by Mr Cornelis Floris Johannes Meyer (1856-1916) who was married to Jacomina Hendrina Johanna (1861-1927 nee Bezuidenhout). Jacomina was the sister of Frederick Bezuidenhout of “De Rust”.
THE HISTORY OF THE MEYER-KALIL ESTATE AND JOHNNY COLLINI
PIONEER SPONSORSHIPS AND THE VISSER RESIDENCY
This historic residence holds a prominent position within the early cultural and educational narrative of Heidelberg. During the reconstruction era following the South African War, the property was occupied by Mr Cornelis F.J. Meyer. Cornelis and his brothers-in-law - the prominent developers Frederik J. Bezuidenhout and Willem W.J. Bezuidenhout - along with their respective wives, stepped forward as the primary financial sponsors responsible for constructing and establishing the independent Laer Volkskool campus in 1907.
The home's residential lineage also connects directly to South Africa's celebrated literary history. Martha Visser, the deeply devout mother of the iconic local physician and Afrikaans poet Dr A.G. Visser, resided at the property for an extended period, cementing the site's close ties to the neighbouring Visser estate.
Local oral tradition frequently associated the property with broader ZAR republican history, perpetuating a persistent town rumour that the mother of President Paul Kruger lived inside the house at one time, spent her days sitting by the front window watching citizens traverse the street. Historical timelines and genealogical records completely disprove this legend, confirming that President Paul Kruger's mother had already passed away decades prior to the home's late 19th-century construction era.
THE MUSICAL CAREER OF JOE KALIL: FROM THE ZOMBIES TO JOHNNY COLLINI
In its modern era, the historic property was acquired by the Kalil family, serving as the private residence of the versatile local businessman, industrialist, and professional musician, Mr Joseph "Joe" Kalil. Joe initially operated a successful manufacturing plant producing industrial paint, and after selling the enterprise, he dedicated his time to managing the localized retail paint merchant storefront known across the district as "Hot Pot 2" situated on Smit Street.
A deeply artistic personality, Kalil introduced a highly unique architectural feature to the estate grounds, commissioning a custom, large-scale outdoor swimming pool meticulously shaped in the exact silhouette of an acoustic guitar. The property's subsequent contemporary owners found the massive layout structurally impractical for standard residential use and modified the pool to a smaller, more conventional blueprint.
During his youth, Kalil achieved widespread commercial success throughout the Southern African entertainment sector as a premier vocalist and recording artist. He began his career performing as the original lead singer for the pioneering local rock band "The Zombies." Following his departure from the lineup, the surviving band members restructured the group, subsequently rising to global fame under the revised name Four Jacks and a Jill.
Returning to his home base in Heidelberg, Kalil established his own independent backing band, booking a series of successful live gigs across Johannesburg before entering a studio to record his debut single. The group's performance reputation resulted in an immediate month-long contract show in Port Alfred, which was followed by extensive touring, including two highly successful three-month performance circuits across Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
As his professional catalog expanded, Kalil partnered with fellow musician George Hannah to compose an ambitious, original stage musical titled Rockwave. The production achieved major commercial backing and was officially staged at Sun City, where the entirety of the musical's tracks were recorded live.
To manage his expanding international profile, Kalil adopted the professional theatrical stage name "Johnny Collini," signing with the high-profile talent agent Hugo Kaletti - whose daughter was the celebrated international vocalist Eve Boswell.
Collini's songwriting talents achieved global validation when his original composition, "The City Streets," was officially selected to represent South Africa at a prestigious international song festival in Paris, France. He performed the piece live inside a packed Parisian opera house to a highly receptive, standing ovation. He also booked numerous collaborative venue shows across Lourenço Marques (now Maputo, Mozambique), regularly sharing the stage with prominent international touring acts before marrying his wife, Cathy, and permanently settling down at his Nooitgedacht smallholding estate in Heidelberg.
THE STANDARD BANK FOLLOW-UP AND TRAGIC SMIT STREET SLAYING
The musical legacy of Johnny Collini and the early recordings of The Zombies remain permanently preserved for contemporary audiences, with many of his archival vinyl tracks digitized and available for public listening on modern streaming platforms like YouTube.
The life of this celebrated Heidelberg personality came to a tragic and sudden end during a violent confrontation in front of his retail business premises. Kalil visited the local Standard Bank branch in the town center to execute a substantial cash withdrawal to fund his operating expenses. Unbeknownst to him, a team of armed criminals tracked his movements from the banking hall.
He was followed directly to his storefront at Hot Pot 2 on Smit Street, where the assailants ambushed him in broad daylight. Joe Kalil was gunned down and fatally wounded outside his shop, a tragic event that shocked the local community and brought a somber close to the modern history of the estate.
Sources: Oral history records preserved by Mr Sybrand van der Spuy; architectural surveys by Herbert Prins; the music industry biography of Johnny Collini compiled by his wife, Cathy Kalil; and the archival crime records of the Heidelberg Heritage Association (0:00).
