Long before smartphones, playlists and food delivery apps, Cape Town had its own soundtrack.
It floated across the beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton on hot summer afternoons, carried by beach traders whose quick wit was every bit as memorable as the ice creams they sold.
For generations of Capetonians, those six words were enough to send children sprinting barefoot across the sand while parents searched for loose change. It wasn’t just a sales pitch. It was theatre, poetry and part of growing up in Cape Town.
But behind every familiar chant was a person, a family and a community whose stories are now being captured in a new book.
Co-authored by former beach trader and community advocate Paul Jacobson and Vinetia Cedras, daughter of the late Vincent “Vinna” Cedras, A Lolly to Make You Jolly – In Memory of Our Forgotten People celebrates Cape Town’s beach traders and the community behind one of the city’s most recognisable summer traditions.
The book brings together memories, photographs and poetry while documenting the people, personalities and experiences behind the beach trade.
The people behind the beach trade
Speaking to CapeTowner, Jacobson and Cedras shared personal memories of the people and places at the heart of the book, offering a glimpse into the lives behind the familiar beachside calls.
For Jacobson, those memories stretch back decades.
He spent 12 years trading on Camps Bay and Clifton beaches and more than 30 years in the informal sector. One of his favourite memories involves Chester, his dog named after legendary rugby player Chester Williams.
Chester was dropped off at Camps Bay each morning and knew exactly where to find Jacobson’s Oasis Beach Café. He would spend the day roaming the beach before returning to the shade of the kiosk, where he would jump into a bath of iced-cold drinks to cool down and have some water.
“Often, we would see law enforcement asking questions of the beachgoers, enquiring as to whether the dog belonged to them,” Jacobson recalls.
But the stories in the book go beyond the humour and nostalgia.
A life beyond the jokes and chants
Jacobson writes about the significance of the lolly, describing it as a symbol of the ways coloured traders created opportunities for themselves during apartheid. Getting to the beach was not always easy. Traders had to navigate bad weather, crime and gang activity, while carrying their stock to serve beachgoers.
Yet, he says, the service remained the same. “No matter how many beachgoers there were, 10 or 10 000, the vendors gave the same exceptional service and served with unique stories and poetry.”
It was a world built around more than selling ice cream and cold drinks. Traders developed relationships with regular customers and became familiar faces of summer.
For Jacobson, some of those relationships became lifelong friendships.
He developed a close bond with Vinna Cedras and his family, and was at his friend’s side after Vinna suffered a stroke. He later hosted a memorial service for him on Clifton beach, remembering the man many knew as “the father of beach vending”.
Following in her father’s footprints
Vinetia’s contribution to the book is deeply personal.
She remembers her father as a quiet, generous man who shared his knowledge, encouraged others and was always willing to help. He was constantly on the move, buying bread for his children and members of his church, and was known for knowing his way around Cape Town.
“He was a pleasant soul who spent time sharing his knowledge and encouraging whoever crossed his path,” she says.
Writing the book also gave Vinetia an opportunity to step into the world her father knew so well.
She wanted to experience first-hand the demands of beach trading, from managing stock and workers to dealing with weather and the rush of busy days.
“To me I just wanted to walk into his footprints, first-hand experience on the demand of day to day, such as stock, workers, weather and the rush hour.”
Preserving a Cape Town story
Among the people featured in the book is Zenobia, one of the few women to establish herself in the traditionally male world of beach trading, alongside stories of other personalities who helped define the culture of Cape Town’s beaches.
For Jacobson, preserving those stories became particularly urgent after Vinna’s death.
“I had been collecting unique stories about beach trading for years,” he says. “However, it was only after the dreadful passing of my fellow trader and friend, Vincent Cedras, that it motivated me to get the book completed and on the shelves.”
For Vinetia, preserving that history is ultimately about what the next generation chooses to carry forward.
“I would like that young Capetonians will value anyone, it doesn't matter where they come from, and treasure their heritage as this is valuable when carrying a legacy.”
A Lolly to Make You Jolly – In Memory of Our Forgotten People invites readers to look beyond the familiar chant and remember the people who carried it across Cape Town’s beaches.
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