Franschhoek Tatler - February 2023

The Bag That Builds

Where Are Our OUTsurance Pointsmen?

Recycling plastic isn’t nearly as simple as one might think. Not only does plastic that goes to recycling have to be clean, but it must also be separated into one of seven types – not all of which are recyclable. A pilot project currently underway in the valley could help turn conventional wisdom about plastic recycling on its head.

Motorists in Stellenbosch now have safer and streamlined daily travel, courtesy of a team of expertly trained OUTsurance Pointsmen who are now deployed at highly congested intersections. This follows a formal agreement between Stellenbosch Municipality and OUTsurance. Pointsmen stationed in the Franschhoek Valley were withdrawn almost as soon as they arrived.

At the heart of the pilot project is a technology developed by the Center for Regenerative Design & Collaboration (CRDC). The technology allows plastic to be converted into an eco-additive – RESIN8 –that is added to concrete in the manufacturing of structural and other concrete products.  Replacing up to 20% of natural aggregates with RESIN8 in concrete product manufacture has several advantages: It improves the performance characteristics of concrete products, reduces the amount of quarried material used in the concrete and removes plastic waste from the environment. Best of all, all seven types of plastic can be converted into RESIN8 and it doesn’t have to be clean to be used.

The initiative was formally launched on Friday, 20 January, when 15 pointsmen and women reported for duty in Stellenbosch Municipality. A municipal spokesperson welcomed the pointsmen to the municipal area and praised the contribution that they will make to the flow of traffic during peak traffic hours – especially when there is loadshedding.

In Franschhoek it was understood pointsmen would be deployed at the Le Roux Street entrance to Groendal and the R45/R301 intersection at Wemmershoek. This happened during the first days of the project, but the pointsmen were then promptly withdrawn without any reason being given to the public for doing so. Franschhoek residents are now rightfully asking what criteria are used to position pointsmen.

Bheki Zondo, Chief Executive Officer at Traffic Freeflow, who manages and runs the Pointsmen Project confirmed that 15 pointsmen and women have been deployed in Drakenstein Municipality on 19 January 2023 with a second team of 15 reporting for duty in Stellenbosch the next day. Their first shift will be from 07h00 until 09h00 with the second shift either from 13h00-15h00

CRDC SA has a processing plant in Cape Town from where the local leg of a global programme titled ‘The Bag That Builds’ is being rolled out. The programme is named after the distinctive green bags that are used to collect plastics for recycling.  Individuals and companies are rewarded per bag of plastic they collect, making it a simple way for anyone to earn a small income while improving the environment. A collection drive in the Langrug community has already led to the coining of the phrase ‘pick up your money’ to inspire residents to

or 16h00-18h00, depending on whether they will be directing school traffic or afternoon peakhour traffic. They will be reporting to identified intersections on a daily basis or be shuttled to areas affected by load shedding.

take part in the pilot programme.

The pilot programme will run for three months from 1 January 2023 as part of a larger cleaning and recycling effort that is coordinated by members of the Franschhoek Heritage and Ratepayers Association (FHRPA). Current initiatives include the privatelyfunded clean-up crew that cleans areas that are outside municipal jurisdiction or that need extra cleaning, the installation (and servicing) of refuse bins where they are lacking and monthly community clean-ups.

As is the case in Johannesburg and Tshwane, Traffic Freeflow will continue to provide crucial project support by liaising with stakeholders such as Stellenbosch Municipality and the traffic department to ensure the successful implementation of the traffic control initiatives.

Danie Matthee, Chief Executive Officer at OUTsurance adds that although the Pointsmen Initiative has certainly proved to be a sustainable solution in improving traffic flow, it has also greatly contributed to skills development within underprivileged communities, creating job opportunities for more than 280 matriculants from previously disadvantaged communities.

Irmela Alberts, co-chair of the FHRPA says “We’re excited by both the environmental and economic opportunities this pilot programme presents for the valley. Our challenge now is to find ways to make it sustainable, so that the pilot programme can become a permanent one. We will keep the Franschhoek Valley cleaner, send significantly less rubbish to the landfill and through the involvement of the local schools contribute to creating a mindset where people litter less”

‘We look forward to making an ever greater impact in 2023 and we hope to expand this initiative to further contribute to the success of South Africa’s road safety objectives.’

For more information or if you have any form of plastic that you want to get rid of feel free to contact Jocelyn at 073 587 6132.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Stb Municipality

Municipal Manager Geraldine Mettler with the group of Outsurance Pointsmen that are deployed in Stellenbosch Municipality.

On Thursday, 8 December 2022, the first 830 bags of plastic waste collected in the valley were sent to a cuttingedge plant in Cape Town to be turned into an innovative eco-aggregate used in concrete product manufacture.

Another Clean Audit for Stellenbosch Municipality

Stellenbosch Municipality recently announced that the Auditor General of South Africa awarded it a clean audit for the 2021/2022 financial year. The clean audit outcome reflects that the municipality maintained a healthy financial position and that all funds spent are properly accounted for. The latest audit outcome marks the 15th consecutive year of unqualified or clean audit outcomes for Stellenbosch Municipality.

Executive Mayor Adv. Gesie van Deventer said, “We have instilled a culture of good governance and accountability within our organisation –unlike what happens many other municipalities across South Africa. We are proud of the hard work that our councillors and officials are doing to ensure sound financial management practices and are committed to ensuring that every cent of municipal spending must be accounted for in a transparent manner.”

The mayor expressed her appreciation and thanks for the leadership of municipal manager, Ms Geraldine Mettler and chief financial officer (CFO), Mr Kevin Carolus.

“Sound financial management and clean governance builds a municipality that is better equipped to deliver services to all our residents. Our communities can rest assured that as a municipality, we have spent the public’s money as it should be – on the people and for the people.”

The mayor concluded by saying that “There will always be room for improvement in any system, and

Municipality Rejects Eskom Increase

Executive Mayor Adv Gesie van Deventer, on behalf of Stellenbosch Municipality, rejected “in the strongest possible terms” the NERSA-approved Eskom electricity price increase of 18.6%. She said the increase is “unaffordable and unfair.”

“Our communities are struggling to keep businesses open with stage 6 blackouts being implemented by Eskom. On most days, communities are left without electricity for 8–12 hours per day and the situation is not expected to improve in the short term. South Africans are constantly being expected to pay more for electricity while receiving less and less of it. South Africans are rightfully tired of having to foot the bill for years of corruption and mismanagement at Eskom,” the mayor continued.

“Any increase should be in line with the consumer price index (CPI). An 18.6% increase is outrageous and unjust, especially given the fact that we are in

the midst of the worst load shedding on record.”

The mayor also indicated that the municipality is on track in terms of its timelines to co-generate electricity. Initiatives include the installation of solar panels on municipal properties, the acquisition of more generators, the installation of batteries at all municipal traffic lights and the fast-tracking of private solar panel applications, amongst others. The municipality will be releasing more detailed timelines and information on its progress in the coming weeks.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Pixabay

Executive Mayor Adv. Gesie van Deventer

I invite the public to always ensure that we uphold the highest standards. I deeply appreciate the role the public continues to play in assisting us to run a clean, sound, stable and sustainable municipality.”

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Stb Municipality

New Sightings for Reserve

The proverbial Holy Grail for botanists is discovering a new plant species. Second to that would be observing a known, preferably rare, species in an area where it hasn’t been previously recorded.

These days much of this plays out on iNaturalist, a citizen science website that allows anybody to upload observations of fauna and flora for comment, identification and further study by fellow citizen scientists as well as scientists and academics.

University of Stellenbosch biodiversity student Hendré Barnard was recently involved in two such first-time observations in the Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve.

Hendré’s particular interest is in the genus Drosera – carnivorous plants commonly known as sundews. His interest was drawn to an iNaturalist observation by professional mountain guide, Santie Gouws. She posted a photo of what she believed to be Drosera capensis , which she spotted along one of the reserve’s trails on New Year’s Day. An American contributor to iNaturalist, Alex Dietrick, then suggested that it might in fact be Drosera

ramentacea, which was confirmed by Handré when he went out to verify it. That made it the first iNaturalist observation of Drosera ramentacea in the Franschhoek/Stellenbosch area.

While out in the reserve Hendré also found an orchid, Ceretandra atrata, which also hadn’t been logged in the reserve on iNaturalist.

Hendré says “As a young child, Steve Irwin and Sir David Attenborough crawled into my brain and never left, leading to a lifelong adoration for the natural world.” Besides carnivorous plants Hendré is also passionate about orchids, ants, and “just about any other reptile, insect, or arachnid on top of that.”

Hendré’s observations can be found in iNaturalist or his own website – capecarnivores.co.za.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Hendré Barnard

23 - 26 February 2023

11 Concerts, 11 Artists

Tickets available at www.quicket.co.za

www.fcmf.co.za

Hendré Barnard among a patch of sundews near Darling.

Love Island Tabloid Frenzy

The winter season of ITV2’s reality show ‘Love Island’ is currently being filmed at Ludus Magnus – part of the Two Rivers Estate – at a reported cost of £1.2 million. The location, like the show, has caused a frenzy of reports in the UK and international tabloid press.

The 2020 winter season of the show was filmed in Constantia, but according to the tabloids, the show’s producers have concluded that Constantia’s proximity to the Cape Flats now makes it too dangerous to film there! This supposedly prompted the decision to move it to Franschhoek, or Groot Drakenstein to be more exact.

According to various tabloids the producers could however not shake their security concerns entirely, now apparently worried about “kidnap gangs that target wealthy visitors”. For this reason, security teams are stationed inside the perimeter of the estate and a “hotline [was] established to both armed response and the local police, so that ‘the heavy cavalry would be on their way in seconds’ if necessary”.

The Tatler spoke with the Franschhoek SAPS

station commander, Colonel Rossouw, regarding the filming. He confirmed that as far as SAPS crime intelligence is concerned there aren’t specific security concerns regarding the filming and that the private security company employed by the producers is more than up to the task. He also pointed out that no special security arrangements were deemed necessary at the hotels where the crews are staying.

Much has been made of Ludus Magnus’ 17 bedrooms, Olympic-length swimming lanes, rugby and football pitch, running track, tree house getaway and off-the-grid status. Some tabloids also mentioned that the location overlooks Drakenstein Correctional Services which “houses murderers, including serial killers” and expressed concern

Security Initiative Bears Fruit

The private security initiative along Huguenot and Main Streets that was launched in November 2022 is showing the desired results, according to an update issued by Franschhoek Wine Valley (FWV) in early January 2023.

Since the start of the initiative there has been little to no harassing of residents and visitors by street kids and illegal car guards. General crime along Huguenot St has also been reduced. (?)

An operational meeting in late December 2022 was attended by senior representatives of Dogs & All, CSG Security and Pepler Alarms. Security stakeholders Kurt Maske, Ashley Bauer and Pat Jacobs (project coordinator) were also present. The meeting resolved to ensure that the initiative is successful and to this end agreed the some operational changes:

Due to the increased daytime temperature the guards will now wear their red reflector jackets only at night;

Day-time attire is brown pants, a dark blue golf shirt, and red cap;

The main street remains zoned into 4 patrol areas with each guard responsible for their designated area; and The patrol area now starts at the Berg Street intersection

and extends to the Uitkyk Street intersection. Guards’ activities are monitored to ensure compliance with the security protocol and, in addition to incident reports, guards have to report to the Pepler Alarms control room every hour.

In mid-January there was only funding available to continue the initiative until mid-March. The aim is to continue until the end of April. FWV is appealing to residents and businesses that haven’t contributed to please do so, as the success of the initiative is proven and free-loading is not fair to those who have contributed.

Business owners and the public are requested to please report any security concerns in the patrol area to the Pepler Alarms control room by calling 021 876 3329 or sending a WhatsApp to 079 389 5516. For more information, or to contribute, please contact Pat Jacobs on 073 535 0007.

Text: Editorial Desk

Youth Work Experience Opportunities

The Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, through its Youth and Afterschool Project office, is calling on unemployed youth to take up the opportunity to apply for a year of work in service to their communities.

Unemployed youth, who have a matric certificate and are between the ages of 18 and 25, can apply to become “YeBoneers” – youth who get the opportunity to be part of the YearBeyond programme. These youth follow in the footsteps of the 3 009 youth who enrolled in, and graduated from, the programme in 2022.

The programme is part of the national youth service initiative. It provides young people with the opportunity to develop a number of key competencies needed in the workplace, with the support of a mentor. While developing these skills, youth build their networks and provide much needed support to learners. Over the past few years, the department has seen 75% of YeBoneers progress into further work or studies at the end of their experience.

Minister Anroux Marais said: “Our department wants to support our youth by offering these opportunities for them to get solid work experience. We encourage them to apply for this exciting programme as a first step towards becoming economically active and successful adults.”

Applications for Academic Support Programme and Scouting in Schools were first to open for applications with more streams having opened in mid-January. Applications close in mid-February. Youth applying will be required to create a SA Youth Mobi profile, or update their existing profile. For more information go to www.yearbeyond.org.

Text: Editorial Desk

that it may put a damper on amorous activities.

Drakenstein Correctional Services is, of course, best known as the place where Nelson Mandela spent his last years in prison.

Reading the contestants’ profiles is a banal exercise at best that delivers gems such as that one contestant doesn’t like to be called ‘bro’, another dislikes rudeness, one’s claim to fame is that TV presenter Claudia Winkleman poured water over him and –wait for it – one is described as a Bond Girl because she played a waitress in a Bond film. It’s not clear if she had any lines…

In contrast to the tabloid frenzy, the predominant local view seems to be “so what?” Film shoots aren’t new in the Winelands, few people seem to care or

even know about Love Island and if it brings jobs and money it’s generally welcomed. Nevertheless, some users of the R45 have noted concerns about noise and light pollution – which might not have been an issue if they were indeed filming on an island as the show’s name suggests...

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: ITV

Black Elephant Vintners & Co. Chardonnay NV

A true expression of the Chardonnay grape, powerful, complex and elegant. The nose shows ripe citrus with melon and toasted almonds. The palate is rich and vibrant, with lingering flavours of lemon, peach,ginger and brioche.

Cellar door price: R275

T 0218762903 E rebels@bevintners.co.za

The Garden Cafe’s Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup light brown sugar; 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 4 eggs; 1 tablespoon vanilla; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 cups flour; 2 3/4 cups grated carrots; 1 can crushed pineapple, drained; 3/4 cup chopped walnuts; 1/2 cup raisins; 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Coat a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray. Set aside. In the bowl mix both sugars, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla together on medium speed until smooth, 1 minute. Add in

From Turkey to Franschhoek – Artfully

In the quiet hours of the morning, you will find the Franschhoek based artist, Jade Mulvaney, busy at work. She likes to conceptualize when the world is still asleep. This is how the emerging artist has been creating her new South African body of work.

the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and continue mixing for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in the flour until just combined. Add in the carrots, pineapple, walnuts, coconut, and raisins and stir until evenly incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 180 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

T 076 708 8827 W darielle@dnaevents.co.za

ANSWER THIS EASY QUESTION!

The unique circumstances the world found itself in during the pandemic were the perfect ‘self-residency’ for the artist, who at the time was living in Istanbul.

As a stranger in a foreign land and in the throes of isolation, Mulvaney took to painting, drawing inspiration from the world around her. Her first body of work titled, ‘Turkish Delights’, showcases a small window into the world she found herself submerged in. One notable piece is titled “Me and my Bull” a painting bursting with explosive pink and showing a young woman riding a bull. The bull is a tourist attraction in the centre of Kadiköy, the neighbourhood the artist lived in. Mulvaney fell in-love with the dynamic between Turkish people and cats; the city is notorious

for its ‘cat infestation’. Each street has its resident cat and is adored and doted upon by shop keepers and fellow residents. Her series of limited-edition prints titled, “Nine Lives’ is a tribute to this dynamic, bringing to life the quirky characteristics and personality of each. Recently, the artist returned to Franschhoek, having rolled up her canvases and put them under her arm. The Franschhoek gallery Manzart took notice and welcomed the artist into the gallery, selling her piece ‘Big Red’ within the first week. To view Jane’s work, visit the gallery on Franschhoek’s main road and feel free to subscribe to their newsletter website for updates.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied

FRANSCHHOEK’S SPECIALIST PAINT SHOP

We stock a full range of Midas, environmentally friendly paints (water and oil based) and Earthcote specialised, textured trowel-on and brush-on products for wall and floor surfaces (300 colours to choose from).

We also stock Thales Decontamination Solution for treating fungus and anti-fungal additives to add to all paints.

We also stock waterproofing products, Weatherprufe and Eco Rubber, Rolls of torch-on (3mm & 4mm) and various sizes of waterproofing membrane. Plascon water and oil-based paints. Hamilton’s and Academy paint brushes, rollers, trays and tray-sets, crack fillers, sand-paper, masking and buff tapes, turpentine, lacquer thinners, putty and a full range of drop sheets and rolls of plastic to cover floors and furniture. For DIY enthusiasts, we stock ladders, overalls and drop sheets.

We also stock a full range of Woodoc ‘food for wood’ in various colours and a full range of Duram products, including Duram Roof paints in various colours and Duram Showfloor Polyurethane floor paint, also in assorted colours.

We can also supply twin pack epoxy paints for specialised applications. All textures and colours are on show in our showroom. Pop in and have a coffee with us, whilst leisurely selecting your paints and colours.

For FREE technical advice, paint specifications and quotations contact Paul 082 567 6162

hamilton’s ENVIROLITE

021 876 2082

SHOWROOM: Unit 80C Village Artisan, Cabrière Street, Franschhoek franschhoek@paintsmiths.co.za

6 bottles of the featured wine!

Jade Mulvaney with one of her colourful artworks

Mark Tanner

17 November 2022 was Beaujolais Nouveau Day in France. These ‘Vins de Premeur’ called Beaujolais Nouveau are made from Gamay grapes in the Bordeaux region and are fermented for just a few weeks before being released for sale on the third Thursday following the harvest. Distributors famously raced to get the ‘early’ wine to specific destinations around the globe. The release became very popular in the 1970s and 80s and was celebrated in great style.

Believe it or not we had a similar celebration in Paarl some years ago. The idea was to make a wine within 28 days of the harvest and a handful of Paarl producers were involved. The result was a fun event at the amphitheatre on Paarl Mountain. Someone of vinous stature, draped in flowing white robes, posed as Bachhus on his throne while each winemaking participant devised original ways of presenting the young vintage to the “God of wine and giver of ecstasy”.

One winemaker delivered his bottle of 28-day rosé by suspending it from a radio controlled model helicopter, dropping it in Bachhus’ lap; another, by pushing a pram with the ‘baby’ wine in swaddling clothes. Many folk attended and there was an abundance of good things to eat as well. Prawns and crayfish on the braai, burgers and sosaties galore and to wash it down what better than the new rosé wine which was unlabelled, unfiltered and cost only R5.00 a bottle!

The 28-day wine had an extremely limited shelf life and it deteriorated rapidly once opened. It had to be consumed immediately otherwise it could become a bacterial time bomb! Anyway, that is what we were told. A great time was had by all. That is sadly history now and I have no idea how it why it stopped. Maybe it was due to visitors searching for ways off the mountain afterwards?

Incidentally, the first recorded

wine advice appears in the Bible in Luke 5. 39 –

“No man also having drunk old wine straightaway desired new, for he saith: The old is better”.

We understand that old wine can be better than young wine. It needs time to mature, it needs time for the components to integrate and it needs considerable experience to recognise when it should be bottled and made available to consumers. There are short cuts! Ones that would make a wine lover cringe with embarrassment but may be required if one suddenly finds that a guest is coming for dinner and there is no time to pop down to the wine shop. In which case one takes a bottle of ‘Vin Ordinaire’ from the shelf, a wine that may never aspire to star status… Pour the contents into a large water jug and then pour that into a second jug. Repeat a few times letting the ‘waterfall’ effect result in frothy bubbles which will soon disappear. You have rapidly oxygenated the wine and hopefully softened it sufficiently to make the right impression.

I once took a case of red wine to Johannesburg in the boot of my car to deliver to a contact who was nowhere to be found, so, three days later in summer sunshine I returned home with the wine still in the boot. All that time should have ruined the wine and yet, when opened, it had matured in transit and was greatly improved!

Another trick is to add a tablespoon of brandy to a decanted bottle of red. The result will have your wine snob raising his eyes upwards as he tries to recall the name of that small vineyard in France across the river, next to the monastry. The power of suggestion reigns supreme, does it not ?

Meet Acclaimed Artists at FCMF

The second Franschhoek Chamber Music and Art Festival (FCMF) at the end of the month promises to be a proper celebration of local and international art – with handpicked masters of their craft displaying their techniques at art exhibition and an array of eleven chamber music concerts over the four-day festival.

It bodes so well for the success of this second annual FCMF that ticket sales are already double what they were last year, and some are in sight of selling out soon, says Nic Barrow, the festival chairman and co-founder with his wife, Ferda.

Eleven renowned visual artists – some locals and many with international acclaim – will display their latest work. Patrons will have the unique opportunity to interact directly with the artists and some may even have a chance to visit the studios and spaces where the local sculptors and painters create and display their work.

The guest artist for the festival (taking place 23 – 26 February) is Jan Vermeiren (born in Belgium in 1949), who lives and works in South Africa and France as an oil and mural painter and printmaker (lithography and etching).

Jan’swork links two rich and vastly different cultures - his European heritage and the influence of Africa, which is now his home. This duality brings an exhilarating and remarkable dimension to his creations. His aim is also to bring the viewer into the spirit of Africa to encourage an understanding of the African identity.

“It is the second year I have designed the official poster for the FCMF. Some of my recent drawings, graphic works, and oil paintings on canvas are at this year’s exhibition. My works are inspired by insects, animals, African figures, fish and other fantasies from my imagination,” says Jan.

The highly-praised Franschhoek-based ceramist Vuyisa Potina will also display his works. This former cattle herder from Elliotdale has come a long way since he started at a young age to fashion small models of oxen from hand-dug clay. He has worked with famed ceramicists like Rodney George, Ralph Johnson and David Walters.

The work of local mytho-poetic artist Andrea Desmond-Smith combines elements of myth and fantasy with a deeply felt concern about the destruction of our planet. The themes that permeate her work are metamorphosis, resurrection and the four elements of Western Alchemy: water, earth, fire and air. Her work is in various South African and European public and private collections.

Jaco Sieberhagen is a son of Victoria West in the Karoo and now works and resides in Onrust.

“The five sculptures on display at the festival are all hand and bird inspired, with birds flying from the hand or to the hand or an owl resting on the hand – metaphors of freedom, wisdom, comfort or protection,” says Jan.

Jacqueline Crewe Brown’s work depicts the perseverance of the domestic, feminine identity through cutting and mark making on canvas, whilst the profoundly philosophical thinker Abe Opperman will reveal art with a sensitive

understanding of human nature, an appreciation of the mundane and the profound and an observation of the unobvious.

Henk Scholtz, known as the “Outsider Artist”, inspires with his garden art and creates naïve art pieces with finishes of ceramics and other textures. Henk and Andrea will alternate excursions to Artemis and the surroundings.

Johannes du Plessis is a trained and experienced artist with a history and body of work in fine art, painting and sculpture. Combining representational portrayal and purity of abstraction is characteristic of his craft. He uses a distinct figurative cubist style to express his love of form and nature. His contemporary expressionist approach appeals to the imagination and encourages communication between countries and cultures. His work on display portrays a few selected pieces over a period of indulgence.

Of the work of Andre Stead, Ashraf Jamal stated that “Stead’s graceful figures and vibrant installation artworks earned him a reputation for delivering work of exceptional quality with creative ingenuity and skill.”

Kim Tracey will display an abstract of mixed media on canvas and a fun and modern selection of ceramics. Works of local artist Anne Marie van Heerden-Hermans express her interest in the timeless natural world. She is inspired by sublime nature, filled with mystery, as found in abundance in the Western Cape.

Students from Bridge House School will also display various art pieces in different mediums. On the musical side, look out for international violist Priya Mitchell and international piano star Dirk Mommetz. Apart from the orchestral stars, you can also hear pianists Esthea Kruger, Nina Schumann, and soprano Lynelle Kenned. The festival organisers say they will annually focus on one South African composer, and this year it is David Earl. Carin Bam will perform the cor Anglais in his Quintet for cor Anglais and string quartet, which she premiered with the Amici Quartet in SA in 2014. “I am over the moon to have the opportunity to perform the newly revised version of this unique work that is sadly not often performed in his home country.”

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied

Andrea Desmond-Smith combines elements of myth and fantasy with a concern for nature.

in February

February is not my favourite gardening month. Harvest time is like exam time, with the exception that I cannot cram for this one. It is now that my lack of preparation and laziness shows up on the farm and all the neglect and ignored issues pop out. My bad planning brings a sense of nervousness, that often spills over into the organisation. Often I wing it, but the sense of relief that comes mid-autumn when another successful harvest is in is still far off. Success mostly come through hard work though, and this month there is no time for sitting around dreaming about a post-harvest vacation.

Irrigation becomes tricky now, with different crops and varieties having varying water needs as their fruits ripen. Make notes as you hand water your plants and plan better for next year, grouping plants as per their specific season. The same goes for feeding. We regularly have a combination of plants in varying stages of growth and it takes close management of the shift from nitrogenous to potassium-based fertilisers as the individual plants mature. Most of your plants will thank you for a foliar feed now, but finding a cool and overcast day to apply it might be tricky in February. Mix half strength if you do get a chance to spray. Foliar feeding is effective even on the fruit, and we’ve often rescued tomato plants showing severe bottom-end rot through a foliar drench of the leaves, and young fruit with a chelated calcium source. Potassium silicate in a weak solution provides cellular structure that protects against excessive heat and wind, and pest attacks.

Walk your garden daily, early mornings are a special time. Act immediately when you see pests, diseases or nutrient deficiencies; now is not the time for procrastination. We are limited in the type of even organic products we can use approaching harvest, and these products are often less effective against outbreaks. Prevention is always better than finding a late cure, and having healthy plants is your insurance policy against crop failure. Efficient water and fertiliser application, intuitive pruning, creating healthy living soil and the integrated use of

proven and safe pest prevention measures must be practiced from early in the season. One pest that often slips through our pest prevention cracks is the Cotton Bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera). Once the moth has laid her eggs, they quickly hatch to bury themselves into flower buds, young fruit and the stems of actively growing plants. They eat so ferociously that the dying plant parts sometimes resembles botrytis rot. We found Dipel, a Bacillus sp. also in Margaret Roberts’ caterpillar product, an effective control measure, but you need to start spraying the moment the first moths appear. Male moths can be trapped with specific pheromones if you have access to deliveries in your area. Koppert has an online shop and delivers fresh pheromones and other biologicals on a weekly basis.

Rainfall Figures

Harvest

ripe fruit regularly and clean up the mess on the ground. Good garden hygiene now will save you plenty later. Remove yellowing leaves and think light penetration and ventilation while giving your plants a slight summer trim. Stake plants heavy with fruit, the wind can still be crazy this time of year. The impatient can start winter brassicas and flowers under cover, but I will recommend waiting until March and some cooler weather for that.

Those with access to irrigation water will do well by preparing a few beds and sowing a summer cover crop as green manure. Adding sunflowers to the mix will brighten up your autumn, leftover bean seed helps provide nitrogen while radishes and turnips loosen the soil.

Enjoy the fruits of your harvest and find new ways to preserve and share your successes. Fermentation, canning, pickling and freezing are techniques that every gardener should master. It not only keeps your pantry full, but also becomes an engaging hobby that can even lead to a side income. There is plenty online on it, but as always, nothing beats a good book on the subject. Happy gardening.

Rewilding the Valley

Did you know? You live in a UNESCO Biosphere – The Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve. Not only that, all the mountainous areas in the Cape Winelands are part of a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.

While we are acutely aware of the immense beauty of our surroundings a great deal has been lost over the years to provide for our enviable lifestyle of fine wine, fine food and loads of fun. Besides clearing for agriculture and urban development the remaining ecosystems are increasingly threatened by the onslaught of invasive, water-thirsty, sometimes toxic plants such as Port Jacksons, pines, certain gums, syringas, Australian myrtles, beefwoods and Spanish broom.

What remains of our natural ecosystems needs protecting and restoring to its original state, giving breathing space for fynbos to flourish and birds, bees, amphibians and all manner of fauna to recolonize. It’s a process or approach called ‘rewilding’.

Several people and organisations are doing rewilding and can help you do the same. One such person is Stanley Engel of the WWF and the Berg River Irrigation Board.

Stanley and his dedicated teams are doing great work removing invasive plants and restoring ecosystems on farms in the area and along the riverbanks (riparian zones) of the upper and lower Berg River. Riverbanks are important ecological corridors and are particularly rich in biodiversity. Unfortunately, they also provide ideal conditions for many invasive plant species whose seeds then spread by floating down the rivers.

The WWF and BRIB have some excellent assistance options for landowners: Free Herbicide Assistance Programme. Free-ofcharge herbicide is provided to farmers clearing invasive plants on their properties. The farmer is responsible for his clearing doing as much as his budget allows. He can opt to engage Stanley to train his workers in correct pesticide application, chainsaw use etc.

The Land Care Programme. Farmers pay only R28 000 for a structured and quality-assessed alien clearing project. A reliable contractor with welltrained teams is appointed and all the harmful invasives are cleared for the farmer. A follow-up plan is then drafted and implemented. All data is captured: location map, species removed, the

herbicide used etc.

An area-specific Restoration Programme is implemented after clearing along the riverbanks, using the indigenous plants of the area propagated by an expert. This is an added option for the landowner. River Management Maintenance Plan (RMMP). Stanley and the team would like to engage with farmers along the Franschhoek River to support and assist in the maintenance of the ecosystem. In the long run farmers – and the broader society – stand to derive major benefits from being free from the constant invasion of unwanted plants. For a relatively small financial outlay, the benefits are considerable: Dramatic increase in water availability, less fire damage, more income as agricultural land is freed from invasive plants, as well as ecological benefits as fynbos/wilderness corridors are created.

Restoring fynbos can also boost winter tourism by drawing visitors to marvel at its floral display, much as with the spring flowers along the West coast. For additional information or to find out how you can contribute to rewilding, please contact Stanley at: stanley@bergriverib.co.za.

Other organizations and eco-warriors will be covered in future issues.

Text: Linda Cumming | Image: Supplied

A rewilded riverbed

Tatler Motoring

Cruiser 300: Have Your Cake and Eat It

We test the omnipotent King of Toyotas. The one with the Dakar heart.

Having had more than enough time with its biturbo diesel sister, we were most excited to finally get our hands on that Toyota Land Cruiser 300 3.5T.

The 305 kW 650 Nm 3.5-litre biturbo petrol V6 one. This engine is perhaps best known for the job it does in those Gazoo Racing Hiluxes. The bakkies that won overall the last two years. It is also funnily enough the same silky V6 engine that Lexus uses in its staple LS500 limousine.

Powered by Toyota’s Dakar winning V6

Vastly more efficient, powerful, and torquey than the outgoing Cruiser 200’s V8, this engine is used pretty much as is in those Dakar racers. It’s mated to a slick-shifting new 10-speed automatic with a low-range 4×4 set-up in the LC300.

Based on Toyota’s new ladder frame New Global Architecture, the unmistakably angular and dynamic LC 300 bears more than a passing resemblance to its great ancestors. This flashy dark

grey 3.5T ZX is the glitzier boulevard version. It has more chrome, bigger wheels, and lower profile tyres. Let just stay that the Tonka toy looks make it a bit of a conversation starter, from Stellenbosch to Sandton.

Step aboard and you may find that some LC300 bits and pieces will take some getting used to. A glut of buttons and functions, and infotainment logic with three narrow panes on a broad central screen isn’t quite as deft as some upper class European rivals. This may seem foreign to someone more versed in simpler and easier to use MBUX, or iDrive, say. Buttons thankfully back up most of the touch functions are, and one soon learns how it all operates.

Cruiser 300 is more than just comfortable

A deep, refrigerated centre cubby is a boon, the generous front cup holders handle any beverage and the conductive phone pad, and both USB and USB C ports, work a treat. There’s ample legroom in the rear. The seats are comfy, but it’s tauter and rougher in the back. You have do have ample control back there, with four zone climate, roof vents, controls and. Add two USB C ports too.

More than just comfortable, Cruiser 300 is serene on the road. Wind noise is minimal. You must push it to hear the engine. It does however roar bravely when asked. There’s a fair amount of feedback from rougher surfaces. More so perhaps than the fatter tyred off-road oriented GR,. But this car is supreme on the smooth highway.

Switch the chassis to Sport Plus and 300 does

L’ORMARINS KING’S PLATE

an impressive performance car take. The best of both. Not bad for a literal block of flats. We kept it in plush Comfort most of the time, thank you very much! We never took it off road, but we are already well enough versed in it to know that Land Cruiser 300 is nigh unstoppable on any regular off-road challenge it may face off the beaten track.

Everyone knows what Land Cruiser 300 is The gearbox is invisible. You scarcely notice the changes. Unless you listen too closely. Top end is 210 km/h and Toyota reckons this petrol version consumes 12.1 litres per 100 km while emitting 291 g/km CO2. That’s a bit optimistic. Albeit that we drove it more in the urban realm, we offset that with a fair bit of freeway work, so to fight it to beat 17 litres per 100 was a bit rich.

Of course, being the King of Toyotas in Toyotaland, the Land Cruiser 300 stops the traffic wherever you may take it. Everyone knows what it is. Powerful and efficient, hugely capable, and vastly versatile, judging by how people react to the omnipotent Land Cruiser 300 is one hell of a car.

If you can take that fuel consumption on the chin, this Dakar proven turbo petrol V6 version has

a sportscar alter ego to boot. Maybe you can have your cake and eat it, after all.

FEBRUARY NEWS

GRENADIER ON DISPLAY

Manufactured by INEOS Automotive from a facility formerly owned by Mercedes-Benz, the Grenadier is a modern, workhorse 4x4 designed, engineered and built to world-class standards and powered by a 3,0-litre diesel or petrol BMW engine. The brand’s simple model line-up provides the basis for buyers to easily select and configure their perfect Grenadier with a wide range of options and access.

South Africa’s premier mile-long Weight

For Age horse race, the L’Ormarins King’s Plate (formerly Queen’s Plate) took place at Kenilworth Race Course on January 7. It was the 162nd running of the event that was first run in honour of Queen Victoria after she gifted a silver plate and 500 sovereigns to the South African Turf Club. Held in April 1861, the inaugural contest was staged as The Queen’s Plate and the event has maintained its royal ties meticulously ever since. In keeping with the event’s traditional qualities of grace, elegance and – above all – tradition, L’Ormarins is proud to continue that legacy under the reign of King Charles III.

The Australian-bred Al Muthana caused a massive boil over at 80-to-1 when dashing along the outside rail to mug heavy odds-on favourite Charles Dickens on the line and take out the R2-million Grade 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate over the 1 600 metres course. This was

a great personal triumph for trainer Ricky Maingard who won this race decades ago with grey champion, Wolf Power. Big race rider, Bernard Fayd’herbe, so famously associated with Queen’s Plate legend Pocket Power, cleverly commandeered the outside rail whilst handling the victor with aplomb.

As usual, FMM displayed six cars from its collection at the venue, all with light blue colouring in keeping with the event’s colour code.

The day’s race card included the first-ever ladies race, the Okapi Ladies International. South Africa’s biggest stars stepped out on the course looking their best in blue and white at this most prestigious and long-standing horseracing event. Celebrities later danced the night away to the sounds of international DJ Lora as the sun set, bringing the curtain down on another highly successful L’Ormarins King’s Plate.

The Station Wagon has five seats and is configured to offer the optimum balance between payload and passenger carrying capability. The standard specification Grenadier is a blank canvas ready to be configured for the exact needs of customers. It is built for those needing a stripped back, no nonsense workhorse, but still with the comfort, refinement and standard features that today’s drivers expect.

The Grenadier on special display in Hall B at FMM is a very rugged prototype that spent the last 12 months exploring all nine South African provinces as well as Lesotho, Namibia and Botswana. This vehicle has been everywhere from Somerset West to the Sani Pass, up the Skeleton Coast from Swakopmund to Serra Cafema via Mala Mala, Middelburg and Maun, not forgetting traversing Polokwane, Pofadder

VISITING FMM

and Paarl to White River, Windhoek and the Wild Coast, which is what makes this vehicle so special to the SA market. This prototype vehicle is chassis number five off the factory line and was intended to complete just 4 000 km – but managed 27 026 km before ‘retiring’ to the Franschhoek Motor Museum.

By the end of 2022, INEOS Automotive plans to have a network of more than 200 sales and service sites for the Grenadier spanning over 50 countries, including established dealer groups, 4X4 specialists and agricultural equipment dealers. In Sub-Saharan Africa, INEOS Automotive has already announced its partners in South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, Nigeria and Botswana. During 2023, more markets across SSA will come online, including Senegal and Ghana.

FMM’s opening times are Monday to Friday 10h00 to 18h00 (last admittance 17h00), Saturday and Sunday 10h00 to 17h00 (last admittance 16h00). Visiting the museum is by appointment only and via online booking. Entry fees: R80 adults, R60 pensioners and motor club members (with membership ID), R40 children (ages 3-12). Only electronic payments are accepted. The famed FMM Pitstop Deli is open throughout the visiting hours.

For booking tickets and any other information as well as signing on for a free monthly newsletter, logon to www.fmm.co.za or phone 021 874 9000 or e-mail fmm@fmm.co.za

Bridge Boffins

Four local bridge players excelled at the Cape Festival of Bridge that took place on 16 December 2022.

Ernst Pichler, Philip Harrison, Bruce Ackerman and Haydn Parry came first in the morning session out of 14 competing teams, which included many that represented South Africa and a number of European countries. In the afternoon session against the top four teams from the morning session, the Franschhoekers came second to the no. 1-ranked SA team. Ernst Pichler played with Philip Harrison and Bruce Ackerman played with Haydn Parry.

At the same event Ernst Pichler and Philip Harrison came fifth out of a very large field of local and international participants in the pairs event. All four players have been playing competitive bridge for several decades. Ernst represented Austria as team captain for many years.

When Ernst is in Franschhoek, typically for 4 months in the year, he and Philip play at the informal bridge club at Domaine des Anges on Thursday afternoons. Haydn and Bruce also pair throughout the year at this informal club which Haydn organizes. Haydn and Bruce also play online weekly.

Asked about the attraction of the game, Bruce says: “It is endlessly fascinating as no two hands or games are the same. It requires intense concentration and can consume all of one’s

Franschhoek

Wine Valley News

RUTH McCOURT

The ‘happy new year’ greetings may have ceased but the summer celebrations aren’t going away anytime soon.

On the topic of clinking glasses… we look forward to the month of love – replete with red roses and heart-draped décor – as we share in Valentine’s Day celebrations with loved ones.

Those in need of date night ideas are spoilt for choice in our Valley of Dreams, where alfresco picnics, luxury spa treatments and candle-lit tables lure with the promise of the gourmet gold to follow, around every corner.

attention while at the table. While a good memory for cards is a significant advantage, the game can also be played less competitively in a rubber bridge (or Chicago) format as opposed to (competitive) duplicate bridge. In duplicate bridge, all pairs play the same hands and so luck (of getting good cards) is largely eliminated, and the results of the competing pairs are then tallied. Unlike say chess, bridge is a social game. One is interacting not just with one’s partner but also with other competing pairs. During the Covid lockdown, all bridge clubs closed but games continued online.”

The pairs’ next competitive outing will probably be the SA Championships that will be taking place in Cape Town in May.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied

Together For Christmas

More than 300 disadvantaged children in Groendal received a special Christmas treat on Christmas Day. It was all courtesy of Romano Hoffman and his team who organised a day of healthy fun for them. From physical activities such as dance, games, waterslides and music, to environmental awareness and food and drinks, it was a Christmas celebration with a difference that the children will not forget for a long time.

In true community spirit, Frank and his team from Le Petit Manoir sponsored the delicious lasagnas and rolls. Further donations were received from GlenWood Vineyards; Dave and Shelley Ansell; Rosita, Derik and Kathrine from Shofar Franschhoek. These made it possible to feed the children and youth and provide waterslides for them all to enjoy.

A Grade 7 learner from Wes-Eind Primary School, Luciano Louw, showed great leadership and assisted with crowd control, cleaning the park and distributing the drinks to the children and youths. Other volunteers included: Megan Hoffman, Leticia Juries, Alfonso Fagan and Aunty Anne from Shofar Franschhoek.

The event was supported by the Franschhoek-based Foundation for Sport, Development and Peace and co-organised by the Project Manager of the ‘Play Fair – Everywhere’ Pierre de Coubertin Project of the Foundation, Ms Henrietta du Preez.

Cape Town-based Aspiring Arrows Youth Empowerment assisted in managing the event. James Tshiteya from Shofar Franschhoek gave the children a motivational speech on the importance of the environment which they all implemented with a clean-up activity in the Park.

The main organiser Romano Hoffman says: “This

event is envisaged to become an annual one for children and youth and will combine healthy food and physical, values-based and educational activities. Thank you to the Franschhoek and Groendal Communities for their support and care for our children. We are looking forward to more exciting activities in 2023!”

For more info please contact: romanohoffman@ gmail.com

Festival of Lights

Visitors to the Franschhoek Wine Tram’s Festival of Lights certainly got what they were looking for – a dreamlike dose of Christmas joy! The festival took place on the nights of 19 – 22 December.

Upon arrival, guests were welcomed by the sounds of the local Sinothando Choir singing Christmas carols. At the tram terminal delicious festive food and drink were on offer. All were served with a good dose of Christmas cheer.

Once stocked up with provisions and in proper Christmas spirit, guests departed for their 20-minute ride on the double-decker tram. Along the way, they were treated to a specially-choreographed festive light display on either side of the tracks. Santa and his elves even made an appearance!

Funds raised from the event will be donated

to FRANCO and The Kusasa Project, non-profit organisations that support underprivileged children in the Franschhoek community.

Franschhoek Wine Tram owner, David Blyth, said of the event: “As the Kusasa Project team always says, ‘It’s all about the kids!’, and that was most definitely the motivation behind the event. We look forward to putting on an even better Festival of Lights this year and raising even more funds for needy children in our valley.”

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: David Muller Photography

Whether you’re yet to book a romantic dinner for the 14th, or see the whole month of February as worth celebrating (with unrivalled weather and our iconic vineyard and mountain vistas as reason enough to celebrate), be assured that you’re always close to your next bottle pop thanks to the fine local Cap Classique With over 23 local producers to choose from, bubbles are readily available throughout our village. Ideal for setting the scene for a little romance it’s also a good excuse for a shared ‘cheers!’

We’re thrilled to report another incredible festive season for all; with international visitors flocking back over December and January to experience our town in the season when it shines brightest.

From overflowing restaurants and wine estates, to a wine tram bursting at the seams, transporting our wine-loving guests to every beloved crook and

Probus Club

MARK TANNER

On 6 February we have a speaker not to be missed.

Peter Haffendon’s topic will involve security at the highest levels. In particular regarding anti-terrorist activities at London’s Heathrow airport and elsewhere. Peter was on the investigative team of the Lockerbie disaster when terrorists brought down a Pan American flight to New York over Scotland

What is Probus all about?

In South Africa, there is a rapidly growing number of Probus Clubs, which offer retirees the facility to manage successfully the transition from a high-pressure executive, professional and other vocational activity to a calmer way of life.

JUANI BEUKES

Some of the most valuable lifesaving work animal rescue organisations do doesn’t happening at shelters or in the field. It’s happening in homes. We’re talking about the important foster work done by volunteers every time they open their homes to a rescued dog or cat.

The truth is: Foster pets make great houseguests. They’re just happy to be out of their sad circumstances and in a loving, caring home environment. They don’t care if there’s a bit of dust or if there’s potato chip crumbs between the couch cushions. (In fact, they might like that quite a bit.)

Fostering a pet does not require that you have loads of free time or advanced dog training skills. Of course, felines need foster homes, too. Kittens are some of the most at-risk animals in society, so providing foster homes for them is critical to saving their lives.

Are you thinking of fostering a cat or dog? Here’s a list of reasons to foster an animal.

corner of our valley, the buzz was pervasive! It’s great to breathe deeper, walk with more pep in our step and enjoy this season even more, thanks to all we have learned on our way through to the other side of the Covid tunnel.

That’s it for now, as always you’re invited to come call this abundant valley your weekend – or permanent – home. Shop the side streets, explore the mountain paths, toast to the celebrated arts and sip on in style, with fine wine always within arm’s reach.

Keep an eye out for more events, Valentine’s date ideas and summer celebrations planned for the first quarter by checking out our website at www. franschhoek.org.za

This is achieved through these valuable features of membership:

• Opportunities to extend compatible social contacts and maintain an interest in the topical issues of the day.

• Nurturing positive attitudes to ageing through group recreation and the sharing of information on issues of concern to Senior Citizens.

• Support in grief and illness.

• Speakers at monthly luncheons who provide a fresh mental challenge and stimulation.

• We are a-political and non-sectarian

• We are mindful of the fact that costs are an important consideration. Membership fees, therefore, are kept to a minimum; while monthly luncheon costs vary.

• Probus is not a Service/Fund Raising organization. For more information please contact Mark Tanner on 082 773 9217.

1. Foster homes help rescue organisations to get to know the character of the fostered pet.

2. Fostering teaches scared and abused animals the language of love before adoption.

3. You can teach pets new skills in your home.

4. Fostering teaches animals to trust again.

5. Fostering allows organisations the time needed to find the perfect home for the dog/cat.

6. Fostering can tell you if you’re ready to adopt.

7. You help socializing the animal in a safe space.

8. Fostering is a temporary commitment with permanent rewards.

9. You’ll be saving more than one life.

SHARF is in desperate need of foster homes in and around Franschhoek – homes for single as well as social dogs and cats. The animals surrendered to us vary from dogs that need to be single pets to cute, fluffy social dogs and puppies. We also get adult cats and kittens who need foster care.

Kindly consider becoming one of our foster homes and save lives together with us.

Team SHARF

Bruce Ackerman, Haydn Parry, Philip Harrison and Ernst Pichler (FLTR) excelled at the Cape Festival of Bridge.

Text & Image: Marion Keim

A waterslide provided cool fun for the children.

Visitors to the Festival of Lights were treated to a choreographed festive light display.

Bridge House Top Achievers

Editor’s Letter

Siegfried Schäfer

Dear Readers,

With Love Island being filmed in the valley, I’ve been giving some thought to what it is about reality TV that makes people watch it. For the record, I’d rather have another toenail removed than be subjected to an episode of Love Island –irrespective of where it was filmed!

Fabiano Truda, Eight Distinctions including Further Studies English. Ninety percent and over for: English (90%), Mathematics (91%) & Physical Sciences (90%). Top 1% in English.

Joshua Grindley-Ferris, Seven Distinctions. Ninety percent and over for: Business Studies (93%). Top 1% in Business Studies.

Destin Bürgin

Six Distinctions. Ninety percent and over for: Mathematical Literacy (91%)

New Class, New Memories

Like thousands of schools across the country, the recently-renamed KUSASA Academy celebrated the arrival of their new class on Wednesday, 11 January.

Academy Principal Marie-Louise Raymond says it was “a wonderful and exciting start of the new school year. Our energetic and excited teachers, dressed in their yellow dresses, welcomed their new classes with festive balloons, music and dancing.”

The academy has 150 learners this year. Most of them attended the academy in 2022 and so are “very familiar within the walls of our school and have adapted well to new teachers and routines.”

The 4-year-old new applicants, the grade 0s, have already spent almost 10 weeks at the Academy –since the end of 2022 – which greatly reduced the number of tears when mom and dad had to leave.

Celebrations continued on Wednesday, 12 January, with a parents’ meeting and a wonderful family picnic. The children dressed up and played, while the parents and teachers got to know each other better. “We made the most of the time we had to connect to

Family picnic in the quad!

celebrate our wonderful children and the privilege of a new school year together! These memories are the ones that last, the ones we need to hang on to when the year runs away with us,” concludes Principal Raymond.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Facebook

DANIELLE SMITH

According to the Oxford English Dictionary ‘reality TV’ is “television programmes in which ordinary people are continuously filmed, designed to be entertaining rather than informative.”

A post on Everydaypsych.com posits that “It is the uncertainty about what is real and what is fake in these shows that drive interest in them.” Resolving this uncertainty depends in part on where the show falls on the reality TV continuum. At one end of the continuum are shows like news broadcasts where everything (often unfortunately) is real, or supposed to be. At the other end is something like Game of Thrones, where everything is fake/fiction. Between these two poles, there is a vast grey area that allows viewers to decide for themselves what is real and what is not.

“Even the most devout reality TV fans recognize that it’s a TV show. Obviously, there are camera people. Obviously, there is some staging to the scenes. Obviously, the stars on screen are aware of both of these things and so there is some acting going on … Because viewers have to figure out what part of the show is real and what

part is television, viewers themselves are the ones who get to ‘create’ (or determine) which experiences are authentic.”

To decide what is real and what isn’t, viewers compare themselves to what is happening on screen. If they would have reacted in the same way as the protagonist it heightens the sense of authenticity and vice versa.

This relates to another reason reality TV can be so compelling. It’s usually full of conflict and drama, making it difficult not to choose sides. “And just as a sports game becomes vastly more appealing when you want one team to win, so does reality TV become more appealing by giving you someone to root for (or root against).”

I have to say that based on some discussions that I have been unfortunate enough to overhear, I question the veracity of the statement that “reality TV fans recognize that it’s a TV show.” It just doesn’t make sense that somebody can get as worked up as I’ve seen about something they know is fake…

A study by Steven Reiss of The Ohio State University and James Wiltz of Benchmark Human Services asked respondents to rate their motives for action (power, status, curiosity, etc.) and how much they enjoy certain reality TV shows. Their biggest finding was that those who enjoy reality TV most are likely to be motivated by self-importance. (Why do I not find that surprising?) To a lesser extent, they are also likely to be: “vindicated, friendly, free of morality, secure and romantic” compared to society at large.

Whatever your view on reality TV is, one thing is certain: It’s hard to avoid.

Until next month

DEADLINES - MARCH 2023 ISSUE

Bookings - 13 February 2023 | Artwork - 15 February 2023 | Editorial - 13 February 2023

NOTICE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

INTENTION TO START PARKING MANAGEMENT ALONG THE MAIN ROAD IN FRANSCHHOEK

Notice No. 8/2023

Notice is hereby given, in terms of the Municipal Council's Resolution, Item 11.6.1 taken at the 7th Council Meeting held on 22 August 2022, of the Municipality's intention to start with parking management along the Main Road in Franschhoek.

Parking Management comprises the implementation of parking tariffs, the collection of fees and other associated tasks. Recent commercial developments in the Franschhoek Central Business District, have led to an increase in the demand for parking, necessitating the need to implement parking tariffs. The municipality therefore intends to implement parking tariffs from 1 July 2023 on approximately 146 parking bays located on the Main Road. The parking tariff amount will be determined through a separate municipal process, and these will be made known in subsequent publications. It is noted that free parking is still available at the municipal parking area located at the corner of Dirkie Uys and La Rochelle Streets.

The public is invited to provide comment / input to the municipality, on its i n t e n t i o n t o s t a r t w i t h p a r k i n g m a n a g e m e n t a l o n g t h e M a i n R o a d i n Franschhoek.

Any inputs may be forwarded to: engineering.services@stellenbosch.gov.za or submitted to the following address: Second Floor, Ecclesia Building, 71 Plein Street, Stellenbosch.

Comments / inputs must be submitted on or before 1 March 2023. Any person who is unable to read and write or has any sight disability, will be assisted by an official at the above-mentioned address, should they not be able to provide comments on their own accord.

Geraldine Mettler Municipal Manage

r

The Chamber’s Choice

Mervin September of M. J. September Painters

Mervin September’s background in the painting industry stretches over two decades and yet the experience of how a new coat of paint can transform the façade of any building is still one of his favourite things. The satisfaction of seeing his work breathe new life into a structure is why he loves being a painter.

His first exposure to brushes, turpentine and white overalls was at a young age when he joined Franschhoek Meesterbouers in the paint department. Mervin’s attention to detail and excellent work ethic was soon noticed by Willie Huggett who offered him a job and to be his mentor on how to run a painting service.

Eventually, an opportunity presented itself for Mervin to start his own business but he initially

Business Leadership

TONY FROST

At the Beginning of the Year

The new year is the time to look forward. It is a time to commit to making positive change happen. It is also a time to mend broken fences; patch up uncomfortable relationships; and determine to make the piece of the world around us the best that it can possibly be.

It is also time to put the past where it belongs: In the past. This does not mean that we should forget about any of the unhappinesses or atrocities of the past. It means that we should keep them clearly in view so that we can learn from all the difficulties, as well as the joys, we have lived through and use this wisdom to make a better job of the future. This approach is urgently needed. The world is in turmoil, it is engulfed in uncertainty, strife is around almost every corner, and people are struggling. This may sound like an unfixable scenario. Nothing could be further from the truth!

It is said that ‘charity begins at home.’ So does prosperity and well-being. No-one has become wealthy or healthy from sitting back and waiting for good fortune to strike. No. For things to change you must make the first change. It starts with the self. Not somewhere else. Or with someone else. It starts with me. It starts with my mind-set. It starts with my building positive strong and productive links with those around me. Not somewhere else. It is pie in the sky to think that if we do nothing, things will change. In short: It is up to us.

So, where to start?

We know we can do nothing about Eskom, or the war in Ukraine, or UK’s Brexit, or the ANC, or China’s Covid woes, or the classified documents saga in the US, or what they will discuss at the World Economic Forum in Davos, or the new appointments and dismissals in the South African cabinet. We know all this. We know we cannot do anything about anything we do not have direct control over. But we have a great deal of control over those things that are within reach of our personal power and sphere of influence and control. We must not underestimate the power we have to make change happen. A conflagration always starts with one small spark; a great river starts high in the mountains as a trickle. We, each of us, can be that spark, that little spring high in the mountain!

We can influence our impact on the environment by eating healthy, mainly plant-based diets that

found himself reluctant to leave the security of his mentor’s employ. He summoned the courage to consult with Willie who reassured him that he had every confidence in his ability to set off on his own.

Mervin could at last launch M. J. September Painters in 2008. His mission was to share the sense of pride that comes with a freshly painted wall with every one of his clients. Since then M. J. Painters has given many homes, offices, warehouses and even restaurants a fresh start with a fresh coat of paint by offering nothing but the best service in Franschhoek.

Mervin September can be reached at 083 339 5981 for any queries or requests.

focus on locally produced foods. We can avoid, re-use, recycle, and reduce our environmental footprint by doing so.

We can travel more by walking and cycling instead of driving, we can also make more use of public transport where its available. We should try to only fly when absolutely necessary and when there is no alternative.

We can reduce our water consumption quite easily.

We can volunteer at local schools to reduce the burden on teachers and to enrich the lives of the pupils.

We can volunteer our services to improve the skills of the unemployed and so improve their marketability.

We can hold our local councillors, members of provincial and national government to account.

We can blow the whistle on crime and corruption.

We can be law-abiding citizens.

We can love our neighbours and get to know them really well.

We can help to create safe, caring communities right where we are, just by reaching out.

We can, each of us, be shining lights for good in our circles of influence, amongst our friends, in our communities and at work.

Yes, we can be the spark the lights the big fire of positive change for good! tony@siroccostrategy.com

young minds are inspired; where individual care and attention is combined with a distinctive, progressive education and where changemakers are equipped with skills for a world beyond our imagination. Bridge House is a leading independent, co-ed day and boarding school, situated in a beautiful, safe setting in the Franschhoek Valley.

An independent (IEB) Matric examination accepted by universities worldwide

· An excellent academic track record – 100% pass rate to date

· A wide variety of traditional team and individual sports and cultural activities

· Four, spacious, modern boarding houses for students from Grade 6 to 12

· Extensive facilities on 28 hectares of land

Open Day is any day you want it to be.

Contact Gill Malcolm gilmal@bridgehouse.org.za or +27 (0) 874 8100 for a bespoke tour of the school or an online interview with the Head. www.bridgehouse.org.za

with Santie Gouws Professional Mountain Walking Guide

You were working as an engineer before you became an accredited professional mountain walking guide. What motivated this change?

In 2020 I felt that I needed a break from the immense pressure of my work as a civil engineer so I pursued a new employment opportunity related to my passion for exploring nature. I have been an avid hiker since my student days and I have experience with both international and local trails. I therefore joined and completed a course to become a professional walking guide before registering with the Department of Tourism.

What is the process of becoming an accredited mountain walking guide?

I studied through a company named Venture Forth where I learnt that a mountain guide’s training and work focuses on risk management, learning a plethora of outdoor skills and how to administer at least level three first aid. The course also included lessons on how to compile an itinerary for your group which includes information on how long the hike would take, a rudimentary map of the hike and what type of terrain to expect. You emerge from that course as a professional who can offer a service as a guide on a commercial level. Are there any hikes that you really enjoy or that offered an unforgettable experience?

I had a life-changing experience while hiking

Poetic Licence

Have you ever felt like this?

There are Days

There are days when one should be able to pluck off one’s head like a dented or worn helmet, straight from the nape and collarbone (those crackling branches!) and place it firmly down in the bed of a flowing stream. Clear, clean, chill currents coursing and spuming through the sour and stale compartments of the brain, dimmed eardrums, bleared eyesockets, filmed tongue.

And then set it back again on the base of the shoulders: well tamped down, of course, the laved skin and mouth, the marble of the eyes rinsed and ready for love; for prophecy?

John Montague from the collection ‘There Are Days’ (Wake Forest University Press, 2001) I have certainly felt this way, as most of us have at one time or another.

In fact, the recent holiday period of Christmas and New Year was a perfect example of it. Not necessarily the occasion itself, which is usually hectic in its own way, but the fact that this was the culmination of a months-long interlude of frantic family changes and adjustments – much of which (such as the birth of our delightful new granddaughter in November) was uplifting and enjoyable, but some of which was simply exhausting.

Piton de la Fournaise, the second highest volcanic mountain on Réunion Island. I was caught a in torrential downpour between two rivers for a few days with limited food and a diminishing cellphone battery. Thankfully I finally made contact with someone when my battery was on one percent who relayed my location to a chopper rescue team! In South Africa, I would say the Jonkershoek hikes are my favourites just because of the dramatic backdrop of mountains and beautiful fynbos.

What is it about fynbos that is so special to you?

Perhaps I am biased after growing up in the somewhat ecologically barren mining town of Germiston, but the breathtaking beauty of the indigenous flora we have here at the southern tip of Africa is truly unique. Fynbos constitutes an unimaginable biodiversity and a new type of flower meets you after every step. What’s more, if you come back in a week a completely new arrangement of plants will be blooming in the same spot. I am utterly in love with fynbos and it is very, very special to me.

You have been active in research and conservation on the Blushing Bride. What is the Blushing Bride and how did this flower receive this moniker?

The Blushing Bride, or Serruria florida, is a beautiful species of Protea which likely gets its name from early courtship rituals in Franschhoek.

The most popular story goes that it was tradition for young farmers to stick this flower in their lapel when they were about to propose to their partners. The flower would convey their intentions which caused their potential fiancé to flush pink with embarrassment when the lad approached. Nowadays several farmers cultivate and sell this Protea to various stores and florists across the country, which is lovely.

I wasn’t alone in this, of course – we were all worn out and reeling. By early January, my head was spinning so fast that I’d have had to catch it first before being able to “place it firmly down/ in the bed of a flowing stream’ to cool off and recover!

But, as the American-born Irish poet John Montague indicates here, even the most chaotic of times soon end, leaving us “rinsed and ready/ for love”. This set me musing, as one is wont to do at the start of a new year, about what success in life really is, what we want out of it and how we can know when we’ve achieved it. Do we sometimes spend so much time ‘chasing our tails’ that we lose sight of more important things?

And I remembered this poem by Canadian poet and novelist Margaret Atwood:

The Moment

The moment when, after many years of hard work and a long voyage, you stand in the centre of your room, house, half-acre, square mile, island, country, knowing at last how you got there, and say, I own this, is the same moment the trees unloose their soft arms from around you, the birds take back their language, the cliffs fissure and collapse, the air moves back from you like a wave and you can’t breathe.

No, they whisper. You own nothing. You were a visitor, time after time climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming. We never belonged to you. You never found us.

It was always the other way round.

Margaret Atwood from the collection ‘Eating Fire ‘(Virago, 1998)

Perhaps this kind of recognition – that we “own nothing” – if and when it comes, is what we each need in order to experience the “clear, clean, chill currents/ coursing and spuming through/ the sour and stale compartments/ of the brain”.

I wish you all refreshment, love – and prophecy?

What is the significance of the Blushing Bride to Franschhoek’s identity?

I adored the Blushing Bride since my student days so you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across them growing in the valley on a hike through Assegaaiboskloof. Unbeknownst to me, I had just found the only place on our entire planet where these proteas grow naturally in the wild. I have tried to find them during other hikes around the Western Cape but it is only here, in this valley, where they grow in nature. This flower is literally endemic to Franschhoek.

Do you use any specific strategies in the conservation of this unique flower?

During one of my visits to the Brides I noticed invasive species such as Black wattle, Stink Bean and Canary Island Pine Trees growing in abundance amidst the Proteas. I therefore consulted experts such as Dr Tony Rebelo at iNaturalist on how I can initiate a campaign to weed out these invasive plants. So I lobbied on WhatsApp, Facebook and other platforms for volunteers to hack out and saw off these alien plants. After two ‘Invasive Alien Hacks’ we have made truly excellent progress in certain areas thanks to numerous volunteers who have contributed their time.

How would you encourage anyone to get involved in the project?

Just as much as volunteers are needed to physically hack out invasive plants, the preservation of the Blushing Brides will benefit immensely from anyone who would like to contribute their skills in organisation, administration and raising funds. Lobbying for volunteers, composing project plans and applying for permits is a labour-intensive process that would be managed more effectively if driven by a team of people. At the moment it is just me that runs the project from the admin side

Book Review

Lessons, by Ian McEwan

Publ: Jonathan Cape. 483 Pages.

The cover of “Lessons” by Ian McEwan shows a young boy at the keyboard of a piano. From his body language we can deduct that he is having a piano lesson. This is the first of the many lessons that the boy and then man, Roland Baines, will learn during his long life.

His piano teacher, a predatory 28-year-old woman, provides 11-year old Roland with his first lesson in sex. This, paradoxically, leaves him with a self-incriminating sense of his own moral culpability, instead of regarding himself as a victim of abuse. This moral sensitivity will accompany him throughout his life, making him acutely aware of the larger historical injustices of the world.

The pageant of European history passes before his eyes from the 1950s to the 2020s.

Moral outrages like Chernobyl, the Cuban missile crisis, Vietnam, Iraq and Brexit are interpreted through his damaged sense of guilt and responsibility.

He asks himself “How did we go from the thrill of the Berlin Wall falling to the storming of the Capitol”?

But that is only the framework for an engrossing account of one life in a time of global change.

Partly influenced by the brutal initiation by his piano teacher, Roland Baines grows up to be a ditherer. He drifts through his “unchosen life” as he describes it, reacting to events, rather than initiating them. In spite of this, he manages to lead a sustainable life as a piano player and aspiring poet.

The story of Roland Baines moves with such a particularity, such minute observation of human behaviour that by the end of the book I felt I knew Roland better than most of my friends.

The book, like Roland’s memories, moves around from youth to childhood, from adulthood to adolescence. Suddenly, after the piano lesson, the story jumps forward to where we find the adult Roland accused of being complicit in the mysterious disappearance of his wife. Apart from instantly becoming the single father of their 7-months old baby son, he also now is the subject of an ongoing police investigation.

This little boy will eventually become one of the sustaining elements of Roland’s growth, inner strength and pathway to happiness.

A square block of a police inspector questions him quite sympathetically, but also rather skeptically. The evidence provided, in part by Roland himself, in part by the inexplicable arrival of cryptic postcards written by his wife Alissa from various parts of Europe, eventually proves his innocence but makes him even more unsure of reality.

As the investigation progresses, we learn that Alissa is an extraordinarily talented German writer. The search for Alissa provides a backstory of the preNazi Germany that her parents had experienced.

Roland is an enigmatic character, changing

during my free time.

What is the best way for anyone to make contact with you to join you on a hike or to get involved in conservation of Blushing Brides?

The best way to book a guided hike, get involved with my Blushing Bride conservation project and interact with me personally is to get in touch via WhatsApp or email. My contact details are available on my website at www. santiegouwsmountainguide.co.za.

identity and professions many times in his long life. Eventually he shakes off the self-imposed culpability of the piano lesson and finds true happiness. He deserves it. One feels he has learned a lesson.

“Lessons” echoes the historical context of modern Europe as fully as the fabled historical novels of Hilary Mantel in the Wolf Hall Trilogy.

The intimacy and observation of McEwan’s novellas like “On Chesil Beach”, “The Children Act”, and “Saturday” is not lost in this much longer book. It is a big and quite complicated read, but the effort is ultimately worth it.

HARRY OWEN

CHARLOTTE VAN ZYL

Smalls

PAINTER AND DECORATOR. Odd jobs. Experienced longstanding local man. Tidy, reliable, swift. References available. Call/ WhatsApp Irwin 071 167 9936

JOB WANTED: My name is Justina and I am looking for a three day job that takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I have six years of experience. Please contact me on 063 322 9917. For a reference, please call 084 408 2582.

CARER / BABYSITTER / HOUSESITTER: Available after business hours for any of the aforementioned. Jennipher Duthie, 071 705 6331. (I work at The Hoek Coffee Shop.)

BOOKKEEPING SERVICES WINELANDS: We provide affordable accounting, payroll and tax services to individuals, small to medium sized entities and trusts. We also offer cloud accounting and are certified partners with Sage, Xero & QuickBooks for cloud accounting and registered member of SAIT. Call Lee-Ann 076 321 5274

Need BASIC COMPUTER Services?

SECRETARIAL or BOOKKEEPING Services?

Contact Ronelle Pinard 0736461687

RE-THINKING YOUR GARDEN? For Garden Consulting call Susan at 072 932 5393

RE-FIBRE GLASS YOUR POOL in any colour you like. Call RiaPools for a quote: 072 347 5355

WESTERN CAPE HOUSE SITTERS: We have many mature, kind, responsible, animal loving, live-in house sitter members who would love to care for your home and pets. Your furry children may miss you but their environment and routines remain intact which is why we at Western Cape House Sitters will provide a perfect win-win for everyone... Peter Walsingham 082 822 4200 info@westerncapehousesitters.co.za

CHANGING TO A SALT WATER SYSTEM?

Let us advise & quote for you! Call RiaPools: 072 347 5355

POOL PUMP PROBLEMS? Noise? We quote and help you out! Call RiaPools: 072 347 5355

STUFF WANTED: All manner of clothing and household items needed for our ‘First Friday of The Month’ jumble sales. Please help us to help the animals of the valley. Please drop off at the SPCA clinic in La Provence Street, Groendal, or phone for us to collect. 021 876 4808

FRESH, ORGANIC FARM PRODUCE: Delivered weekly to Franschhoek, including vegetables and fruit in season, chicken, eggs, cheese, honey, etc. Lists of available produce received on Monday, orders placed on Tuesday for Wednesday delivery. A number of Franschhoekers are already receiving weekly deliveries. To be added to the list contact Sue Norman on 083 321 3442 or suenorman50@outlook.com.

DO YOU STILL HAVE THAT POOL LEAK? Losing water all the time? Let us quote and take care of the problem! Call RiaPools: 072 347 5355

PROFESSIONAL POOL SERVICE REQUIRED?

Community Events

SPORT

FRANSCHHOEK TENNIS CLUB: Social tennis is played at the club on Fridays, Sundays and Public Holidays from 08h30. For more information contact Ross. 078 278 4843.

PARKRUN: Saturdays at Rickety Bridge Wine Estate. Time: 08h00. Cost: Free. Register at www. parkrun.co.za (May not take place, depending on Covid regulations)

CHURCH SERVICES

METHODIST CHURCH: Sunday service

10h00. Rev Russell Norman. 021 872 3580 or 082 662 4509.

NG KERK: Sondagdienste 09h30. Geen aanddiens. Ds Peet Bester. 021 876 2431. Besoekers welkom.New Apostolic Church: Le Roux Street, Groendal. Sundays 09h00, Wednesdays 19h30. Rector: Charles Leibrandt. ST GEORGE’S ANGLICAN CHURCH: Groot Drakenstein. Sunday Services: Holy Communion and Sunday School 10h00. Revd Wilfred Meyer 084 407 1280. Office - 021 874 4008. willowdale@cybersmart.co.za

SHOFAR CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Services - 09h00 & 18h00 English services at 7 Lambrechts Street. Pastor Richard Wade. 083 225 8529. All welcome!

TRINITY CHURCH: Worship Sundays at 09h30 at L’Ermitage Chapel, with Holy Communion. Weekday service Thursday at 10h30 at Fleur de Lis. Contact Gavin – 083 799 0726.

UNITING REFORMED CHURCH: Sunday service 09h30. Dr Shaun Burrows. 021 876 2632. Visitors welcome.

Useful Numbers

Basic computer issues? I can assist. Also with anything secretarial or basic bookkeeping.

Contact Ronelle Pinard on 073 646 1687

Professional Nurse (FR ANSCHHOEK HOSPICE)

We require a professional nurse to work in the Franschhoek Valley, providing care to patients in their homes and super vision of community health workers as per Department of Health contract. ��ce is in Franschhoek

Requirements:

Ÿ Professional Nurse with valid SANC registration

Ÿ Palliative Care qualification will be an advantage

Ÿ Driver 's license

Ÿ Able to be on call two weekends a month

Ÿ Reside within 30km radius of Franschhoek We offer a flexible working environment.

Ÿ Continual staff development opportunities. The successful candidate will be required to attend the Certificate Course in palliative Nursing (HPCA) within 18 months of being appointed.

Starting date: a.s.a.p

Please send your CV, SANC registration and salar y requirement by email to Sr. Susan Swanepoel - fhkpatientcare@gmail.com

2 HECTARE FRANSCHHOEK SMALLHOLDING

Idyllic 2 hectare smallholding in the heart of the Franschhoek Valley. This remarkable property consists of 4 separate dwellings nestled amongst manicured gardens, vineyards, orchards, and a private lake, cradled by the Franschhoek Mountains. The heart of this property is the beautifully appointed main house (Lake Cottage). Secluded, intimate, and surrounded by nature this smallholding is one of a kind. Currently run as up-market accommodation the property is ideal as a permanent home, an accommodation offering, or as a flexible combination of the two. Price excludes VAT.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114

Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

R55 000 000 plus VAT

6 BEDROOM HOME – BOUTIQUE VILLAGE ESTATE

On Exclusive Sole Mandate. Exceptional secluded but central location. Significant 1857 heritage property sensitively restored to fuse period and contemporary features to create an elegant classic feel throughout. With 6 en-suite bedrooms, 5 living rooms and 5 verandahs, there is ample room for hosting and entertaining large groups in spacious luxury. Tranquil gardens, sparkling pool, ancient oak trees. Sectional Title. Price excludes VAT

Tom Clode 079 955 3114

Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194 R19 950 000 plus VAT

FRANSCHHOEK HERITAGE PROPERTY ON 2,000 M2

Historic gem sensitively updated to present charming original features with a fresh, contemporary twist. This unique four bedroom home is a rare find even by Franschhoek standards. Period features includes high ceilings and sash windows. Wonderful flow to the swimming pool area with outdoor lounge/dining terrace space for entertaining with gorgeous mountain views and charming garden outlook. Sold with furnishings.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114

Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194 R16 970 000

4 BEDROOM HOME – BOUTIQUE VILLAGE ESTATE

On Exclusive Sole Mandate. A truly special and prime location cradled by ancient oak trees. Discover this intelligently designed newly constructed four bedroom en-suite luxury home cleverly combining classic and contemporary features including oak floors, high beamed ceilings, and feature aluminium windows and doors. Open plan layout, media room/ study, pool, garden, 2 garages. Sectional Title. Price excludes VAT.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114

Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194 R11 750 000 plus VAT

EQUESTRIAN FARM

Remarkable 7.5 Hectare agricultural equestrian smallholding equidistant from Franschhoek, Paarl and Stellenbosch. Idyllic frontage to the Dwars and Berg Rivers and commanding sweeping mountain views. This is the ultimate in agricultural life style. The area surrounding this exceptional property includes two well known wine farms and hospitality/tourism related properties. Main house, cottage, stables.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114

Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

R30 000 000

3 BEDROOM HOME – BOUTIQUE VILLAGE ESTATE

On Exclusive Sole Mandate. . A truly exceptional location, both central and tranquil. Cleverly designed newly constructed four bedroom ensuite luxury home fusing classic and contemporary features. Spectacular double volume open plan living area/kitchen flowing out onto a wide patio with plunge-pool and pretty walled garden. Two garages. Ideal as a lock up and go or permanent home. Sectional Title.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114

Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194 R8 500 000 plus VAT

FRANSCHHOEK HIGH STREET OPPORTUNITY

Exclusive Sole Mandate. Prime High Street on approx 1200m2 this older style single storey property is ripe for renovation. Currently a residential property but with excellent scope to rezone to business use to match its upmarket neighbours. Spacious open plan living/dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms with a family bathroom. Period features include high ceilings and suspended wooden floors. Garden areas to the front and rear with mature trees.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114

Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194 R8 999 000 plus VAT

PRIME HIGH STREET LOCATION

Sole Mandate. Prime High Street location on a 1300m2 plot this older property has tremendous potential. Currently a four bedroom, three bathroom residential property with separate spacious tasting room and garagiste winery. Scope to rezone to business use to match its upmarket neighbours.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114

Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

R10 950 000

IDYLLIC 7 HECTARE PLOT

This 7 hectare land portion on the Dwars River has sweeping mountain views. The ultimate in agricultural life style. The area surrounding this property includes two well known hospitality wine farms. The land is planted to pear orchards but otherwise undeveloped and invites you to build your dream home. Water security is excellent. Asking price excludes VAT, no transfer duty will apply. The neighbouring boutique equestrian estate on 7.5 hectares is also currently available to purchase for an additional R30m.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114

Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194 R15 000 000