“Mrs van Tonder, her snow white hair and deeply lined face defying her indefatigable spirit and faith in God helps Marta to obtain a couple of extra British military blankets from the supplies tent to supplement the blankets they have brought with them. The blankets are old and thin and the two women and four children, as well as Ardrina and Dorthea, will have to share them but her success in wrangling them from the camp staff, with the help of Mrs van Tonder, feels like a small victory.

Marta quickly realises that Mrs van Tonder, or Ouma Lettie, is wily and has already learned how to manipulate the system, whenever possible, to her own advantage.

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