Cape Town - Hundreds of mourners gathered yesterday for the janaazah of celebrity chef and cookbook author Fatima Sydow, who died on Tuesday after a 3-year-long battle with cancer.
Sydow passed away peacefully at Vincent Pallotti Hospital, surrounded by her family.
Her funeral was held at her home in Pinati Estate, Lansdowne, then went to Taronga Road Mosque in Crawford, before moving to her final resting place at the Mowbray cemetery.
Traffic officers were on standby to regulate the flow of traffic as Fatima’s body, ensconced in a black and gold cloth, was transported first to the mosque and then to the cemetery.
Industry friends such as Robin Pieters, Salome Damons Johansen, Alistair Izobel, Tyrone Paulsen, Mujahid George and Nur Abrahams were among those in attendance.
Large pots of food were cooked and handed out to mourners and neighbours, as is the tradition in the Cape Malay community.
The beloved chef, who recently celebrated her 50th birthday with twin sister Gadija Sydow Noordien, was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma in December 2020. She went into remission but in July this year announced that the cancer had returned.
At the time she said: “My chemotherapy treatment has stopped working. I got the results 10 days ago. The tumours are growing again, and we have kind of run out of options.”
The twin sisters hosted their cooking show Kaap, Kerrie and Koesisters on ViaTV, but it ended in 2021 after six seasons as Fatima’s health deteriorated.
The success of their TV show paved the way for the twins’ recipe book,
Cape, Curry, and Koesister, followed by Fatima Sydow Cooks in 2021, and her final cookbook, Fatima Sydow Cape Malay Cooking – My Story, My Heritage, released earlier this year.
Speaking shortly after the janaazah, Gadija said: “Fatima arranged her whole janaazah herself, from the food, to the space for people to sit and all. We would have family meetings about how she wants it, everything playing out here today was her (plan). She organised it."
She said her beloved sister was at peace with her fate and was ready to pass on.
“The last few weeks with her were peaceful and she was very feisty and truthful. It’s rare to find people so truthful in this day.”
Close friend Madeegah Anders said: “Viewing her body was very difficult. Knowing who was lying there was just so difficult to accept. We knew it was coming but it was still a shock.
“Fatima went into hospital on Tuesday around 2pm because the pain was too severe. The cancer spread to her lungs and brain, and this affected a part of her brain that controls her personality, and she would often apologise beforehand for any personality disorders she would have but we always reassured her that it’s okay.”
In August, Sydow reached out to her followers for financial assistance via BackaBuddy, after realising that she was unable to work anymore and was facing hefty medical bills.