A piece of apartheid history hidden in Pretoria’s scrapyard pub

When we were invited to a scrapyard in Pretoria, we had no idea we would get to see a piece of South African apartheid history.

You have probably heard the saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This perfectly summarises Bernie’s Joint, a unique venue, pub and workshop in Koedoespoort, Pretoria.

It forms part of a scrapyard business owned by Christo Viljoen, who has a passion for turning scrap into gold.

Watch: Nico Deiderichs Buick Electra 225

The charming venue is tastefully decorated with old road signs, number plates and all sorts of automotive memorabilia.

There is a distinctive American theme as you approach the venue with US flags along the fence and a Pennsylvania cab on display in front of the property.

Being in the scrap business gave Viljoen access to all sorts of junk that people sell – from cars, trucks and buses to aeroplane engines.

This venue was built with car and motorcycle lovers in mind.

There are a host of classic American vehicles on display, including a Chevrolet pickup that was destined to become scrap metal. But Viljoen and his mechanic Andre Wolmarans gave it a new lease of life by restoring it.

This is the case with many of the vehicles that are in the yard. The two men take scrap and look for ways to turn it into treasure.

On Saturdays, the bar and restaurant are open to the public and attract bikers and car enthusiasts who come to enjoy the live music and refreshments on offer.

The venue has been cleverly decorated and well laid out.

There is a main seating area and many other sections to chill in. One of them is an old bus which has been gutted and furnished with some couches and ottomans to make for a chill area.

The more I looked around, the more I realised that someone had thought this place out very well. The layout and the maintenance of the venue are extremely impressive.

Most of the time when you think of the word scrapyard, you automatically assume it’s going to be a mess, like a graveyard of junk. But not Bernie’s Joint, it has got to be the cleanest junkyard I’ve seen.

Even the back of the yard where there’s the vintage stuff they don’t have the heart to scrap is surprisingly clean. There’s none of the usual dirt and vermin you’d expect.

The team does an amazing job of keeping the junk in good condition.

Viljoen says although he loves giving old vehicles a new life, it can be a very tedious journey because it’s not easy to get parts to restore these vehicles. Sometimes, it takes years to turn the junk into treasure.

Viljoen sees himself as a caretaker of this treasure and fully understands that he may not see some of these vehicles restored to their former glory. But he finds solace in the fact that he is holding onto a piece of history.

Being in the scrap business has opened a lot of doors for Viljoen and he has met many interesting characters. One of them was Daantjie van der Walt, who loved rugby so much that he played until he was 75 years old.

He was the owner of a very special Buick Electra 225, which he bought at a government auction.
The vehicle belonged to former finance minister and later the state president Nicolaas “Nico” Diederichs, who owned the car between 1970 and 1973.

Although it had more than 500,000 km on the clock, Oom Daantjie looked after this vehicle very well, only driving it to rugby matches and to church.

As the years passed, he could no longer drive the Electra 225 due to old age and gave Viljoen the first option to buy it. It’s now inside his private workshop where Wolmarans, the mechanic and manager at Bernie’s, has restored the V8 engine to its former glory.

Some of the other vehicles in Viljoen’s collection include a Corvette Stingray, a 55 Pontiac Star Chief and a very low-mileage W108 Mercedes Benz 280s that belonged to his late father.

The history gives this venue a special vibe and every vehicle, motorcycle and piece of scrap that decorates Bernie’s Joint tells a different story.

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