Jobert (Johan Slabbert)

Jobert is the name of the pipe workshop that Johan Slabbert ran alone in the Goodwood suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. The brand name is derived from the leading syllables of the maker's first and last name, and appears in this same form in the stamp on the shank. The maker's name appears in sources both as Johan and Johann; the more common spelling, Johan, is used here. Slabbert does not come from an apprenticeship tradition; he taught himself pipe making.

The Maker's Path

Slabbert's move into pipes is an extension of the woodworking he carried on after retiring in 1992: carving, turning, and restoring old furniture had, over the years, accustomed him to hand tools and hard woods. According to sources, the workshop's starting point is October 2000; no independent record comparable to a trade registry exists for this date. In the years that followed, connections he built online carried Slabbert beyond a local pursuit; the maker became a member of pipe clubs in Stuttgart, Buenos Aires, and Brazil.

He shared the workshop for a time with Leon du Preez, who also worked in Goodwood. It is reported that Slabbert gave up pipe making after du Preez's death and never again picked up his tools. The maker is said to have passed away in 2016; the date frequently given, 22 May 2016, rests on a single source and has not been confirmed by an independent record. His tools are known to have passed to his grandson, Wesley Slabbert; there is no information on whether production has continued in his hands.

Material and Making

The Jobert workshop's distinguishing trait is its choice of material. When Slabbert started out, briar was not easy to find in South Africa, so he turned to hardwoods native to the region. Wild olive, leadwood, mopane, buffalo thorn, and African blackwood are the main species he used. These species are reported to have proven successful for smoking and to have found favor among smokers in the area. In later years the maker was also able to source small amounts of briar, using the blocks he obtained sparingly. For the place of non-briar woods in pipe making, see the entry on alternative woods.

Stems are vulcanite; they are said to have been prepared either by hand-shaping ready rod or by refining cast blanks. Known examples are in classic shapes from the billiard family such as the Liverpool; the maker is said to have interpreted these molds through his own sense of proportion. Review pieces highlight the trueness of the drilling axes and the fact that the inside of the chamber was left uncoated.

Today

Production effectively ended when the maker set down his tools. The surviving examples are limited in number and mostly change hands among collectors; for this reason the Jobert name is remembered less as a large brand than as the trace of a particular craftsmanship. The JOBERT stamp on the shank, together with the "SOUTH AFRICA" inscription that accompanies it on most examples, is the most reliable way to trace a pipe back to this workshop. Jobert is counted among the examples of how pipe making on the African continent has been able to find its own path with woods other than briar.