Robert Noah is a German businessman who initiated businesses in Johannesburg to alleviate black people from poverty during the apartheid era in South Africa. He is well known for being the father of the most famous South African stand up comedian ‘Trevor Noah’.
Biography Facts
Full name: Robert Noah
Gender: Male
Date of birth: 1935 -1938 (age- 83 -86)
Place of birth: German or Switzerland
Nationality: German, South African, Switzerland
Occupation: Entrepreneur, Chef
Spouse: Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah
Children: Trevor Noah
Early life of Robert Noah
Robert Noah was born probably in German or Switzerland as he is refer as Swiss-German on Wikipedia. He was born in the 1930s making him 80-something years old. He attended a local high school to acquire high school education. After that he enrolled at an accredited tertiary institution to acquire further education in a specialised field. Nothing much is known about his childhood but read below about his career and his relationship with Trevor Noah. [ ¹]
Career of Robert Noah
Robert Noah worked several years in New York City in the United States and also in Canada as Chef. After that he relocated to Johannesburg to open the first integrated restaurant which accommodated both white people and black people. He opened the restaurant using a special license with the aim to serve and employ black people. The licenses were distributed by the government out of necessity. The establishment of the restaurant was a success.
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Some white folks, on the other hand, petitioned to have Robert’s eatery closed down. The inspectors attempted to close the restaurant due to health concerns at first, but Robert, like most Swiss-Germans, was everything but filthy. They came up with a different solution by requiring him to have a separate toilet for each race of customer. It was an impossible undertaking, and Robert refused to cooperate, but the restaurant was eventually closed down.
After that he open few other restaurants and bars in South Africa. Apart from that his whole career life is totally a mystery. [ ²]
Marriage and family of Robert Noah
Despite the apartheid law which denied interracial marriages, Robert Noah somehow was married to Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah when she was just 24 and he was 46-years-old. To avoid getting into trouble with the authority, Robert and Patricia kept their relationship in secret and under carpet.
But on February 20, 1984 when their son was born most problems began and authorities were cognizant about their relationship, that a whiteman had a son with a black woman. As a result, Patricia was sent to prison and was also fined a certain amount for the crime.
Their son was taken to live with his maternal grandma. He was named Trevor Noah and today he is a great young man.
Robert Noah kept his parents’ information hidden from the public eye. On the other hand, if we’re talking about his wife’s parents, Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, Patricia’s mother’s name is Nomaliza Frances Noah. Apart from that, Robert is a devout follower of Christianity. He is of Swiss-German heritage and is of white ethnicity.
His fatherly relationship to Trevor Noah
Following apartheid, Robert relocated to Yeoville, a racially segregated neighbourhood. Because he was no longer afraid of going to prison, he could now take Noah to a neighbouring park to play with children of other races. Every Sunday afternoon, Noah and his father met at Robert’s house, which was fantastic news for Noah because he got to miss black church.
When Robert’s son comes to visit, he normally cooks his favourite meal: Rösti, a German potato pancake with gravy. Robert was a quiet man, but he was a good parent, who was always attentive, kind, and generous to his children.
When Trevor was 13 years old, Robert Noah moved to Cape Town and almost lost contact with his son. After almost seven years, Patricia persuaded Trevor to visit Cape Town, where he reconnected with his father. Trevor had doubts about his father’s affection during the time they lost contact. Thankfully, Robert gave his kid a scrapbook of everything he (Trevor) had accomplished since he (Robert) arrived to Cape Town. Trevor received assurance from his father that he was loved.
All of the cutouts from Trevor’s many appearances in local newspapers were included in the book. Others were cutouts with ads for his stand-up comedy events. Trevor Noah has no idea who Robert’s extended family is or what his life was like prior to Patricia. Noah only knows that his father worked as a chef in Canada and New York before moving to South Africa and opening a few bars and restaurants.
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