Franschhoek Tatler - July 2020

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Page 2 Medal for Museum

Page 8 Top Geographer

Page 15 Q&A: Nico Pieterse

FRANSCHHOEK’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AND ADVERTISER SINCE 1994 • JULY 2022

A (W)hole Lot of Pool

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A bird’s eye view shows the location of the new Olympic pool in relation to some of the other facilities on the Train Camp campus.

Train Camp Franschhoek reached another big milestone in June, when the excavation for their new Olympic-size swimming pool was completed.

The main excavations for the pool started on 5 May 2021 and continued – with a few rain delays – for four weeks. The contractors were prepared for the rain though and dug a trench to the nearby stream to ensure the hole didn’t fill up before it was completed! Smaller scale excavations are ongoing.

Driving past the site, or observing it from the Leiwater Reservoir, doesn’t really do justice to the magnitude of the hole. Standing near its edge and watching a backhoe and ant-like men at work in it – completely invisible from street level – gives it new perspective.

To leave room for construction, the hole is 3m bigger in each direction than the dimensions of the pool it will contain – with an Olympic-size pool being 50m long by 25m wide. Between the outer dimensions of the hole, and the area of the tennis courts that was also removed, more than 4000 cubic metres of earth, rock and rubble have been moved. The spoils from the hole are being used for landscaping and contouring purposes around the

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remainder of the site, which will include banked areas around the track and field for spectators.

The hole was an average of 2,6m deep, before rocks, concrete and bricks were crushed on-site to create a drainage layer. Compacted gravel provides the subbase for the concrete pool that will be constructed in the hole. Drainage pipes have also been installed in the trench.

Construction of the pool structure will start from the end of June, with completion expected in December 2022. Filling the 2m-deep pool will require 2,500,000 litres of borehole water, and the heating and filtration system will maintain the water temperature at between 25 and 28°C at all times.

While work is underway on the Olympic pool, the existing 25m pool hasn’t been neglected. It is undergoing a transformation that will not only see it heated, but fully enclosed to offer a year-round training venue.

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Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Train Camp

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2 | July 2022

FRANCO Career Expo Franschhoek Resource and Network Coordination Organization (FRANCO) held its first career expo day on 27 May at Groendal Secondary School. The event was an opportunity for Grade nine learners to explore several different career paths and in doing so make an informed decision on what careers they would want to pursue in the future.

The career expo was attended by approximately four hundred learners who could move in groups between different stands arranged in the school hall. Each stand was manned by professionals from several different industries who would give a short presentation to learners huddled around their table.

FRANCO had arranged for representatives from Franschhoek Hire and Service, Mont Rochelle Hotel & Vineyards, Franschhoek Hospitality Academy and several others to engage with the learners.

Afterwards, every attendee was given a goody bag containing snacks and reading materials to help them narrow down their ideal jobs at home.

As a non-profit organisation that supports education and self-reliance, FRANCO launched this initiative to encourage learners to think about their employment prospects well ahead of completing high school. While matriculants will attend an expo in June, grade nine learners represent a crucial age group when it comes to preparing youths for the

Medal for Museum

modern job market.

“Teenagers are often overwhelmed when they first confront the realities of employment and tertiary education during their final year of high school,” says organiser Nikki de Havilland. She adds, “With this expo, we want to help them gain a clear vision of their future goals and thereby choose subjects in grade ten that complement their employment ambitions.”

FRANCO is particularly grateful to the Franschhoek volunteers and the students from the University of Stellenbosch who helped to make this event possible. The organisation intends to make its high school career expo a yearly event.

Text & Image: Pieter Naudé Right: Learners from Groendal Secondary School learn about different job opportunity from experts at FRANCO’s first career expo.

The Huguenot Memorial Museum was awarded a prestigious French Senate medal during a visit by several French dignitaries on 20 May 2022.

The French delegation was led by Senator Olivier Cadic, who was accompanied by his publisher wife, Valerie. Sen. Cadic represents French citizens living outside France in the French Senate and himself lives in Kent in the UK. Amongst other roles, he is vice-president of the French Senate’s Commission on Foreign Affairs, Defence and the Armed Forces.

Accompanying the senator were Alexandre Barrière Izard (Cape Town Coordinator of the French SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and Paul Cavalier (Cooperation & Cultural Programme Attaché - Embassy of France in South Africa).

The French Senate honorary medal can only be awarded by French Senators to show appreciation of the work of individuals and institutions.

Earlier that morning, the French delegation met, at Haute Cabrière, with representatives of Franschhoek Wine Valley, local businesses with French interests and the Huguenot Memorial Museum to explore ways to strengthen cultural and economic ties between France and Franschhoek.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Paul Cavalier

Anita du Preez (Huguenot Memorial Museum Manager) receives the French Senate Medal from Senator Olivier Cadic while Ruth McCourt (CEO of Franschhoek Wine Valley) looks on.

FHS Reno Picks up Speed Villagers and past pupils have watched in dismay for years as the historic buildings and infrastructure of Franschhoek High School (FHS) has been crumbling before their eyes.

Peeling paint, loose putty and cracked walls were only the superficial signs of the decay that had set in over the past approximately thirty years – the last time the Public Works Department undertook significant maintenance work at the school.

During the past few months this situation has, thankfully, started changing. Contractors, appointed by the Public Works Department, have been undertaking a number of very long overdue tasks. Amongst others, the school’s electrical system has been upgraded, bathrooms renovated, plumbing and damaged paving repaired and drainage systems improved.

Another infrastructure upgrade the school is looking forward to is the installation of a (free) superfast internet connection, courtesy of Frogfoot and Vox Telecoms – facilitated by Train Camp. The new connection will supply the entire FHS/Train Camp campus with wireless internet connectivity.

The next phase of work will be to paint the exteriors of the academic buildings to match those being renovated by Train Camp. This work will be undertaken/funded by Train Camp.

Train Camp has already completed exterior work

on the old school hall, which will become the Olympique Gymnasium. Interior work is already far advanced too and is ahead of schedule for the anticipated August opening of the gym.

Next door, the Victorian-era La Rochelle hostel – soon to be known as Commune Olympique – is now the focus of attention. By August, this will open as the dormitory for boarders, young athletes and school-age camp goers.

The state-of-the-art canteen will become the gathering place for teachers, coaches and parents alike.

The third historic building scheduled for completion in August is the old tuck shop in the quad behind the gymnasium. This will serve as a coffee shop and social hub for gym goers.

Things are certainly beginning to look up for Franschhoek High School again.

Text: Editorial Desk

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July 2022 | 3

Tennis, Trees and Teaching Contrary to what one might expect, the Franschhoek Tennis Club was looking forward to rain in May. They weren’t looking for a break from tennis though; they wanted to plant trees and give them the best possible start – which they got, as some good showers fell just days after the trees were planted. The tree planting also provided an opportunity for some environmental education for the children on the club’s Love All Tennis Development Programme.

The club resolved some time ago to plant more shade trees and, as far as possible, to remove invasive alien species from their grounds. With this in mind they removed a number of small black wattles, port jacksons and pines. A mature Australian broom and seringa were also cut down.

To fill the empty spaces around the clubhouse the

committee settled on a combination of water pears (Syzygium guineese), wild plums (Harpephyllum caffrum) and false olives (Buddleja saligna). A generous donation from club member, Dunbar Crewe-Brown, meant that not only could more trees be planted than originally budgeted for, but larger specimens too. Ten trees were planted in the end.

A Lit Fest for the Books

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Linda Cumming

Two wild pears were among the ten trees recently planted by the Franschhoek Tennis Club.

Fhk to Host Sauvignon Contest

There can be few events on Franschhoek’s social calendar that were as sorely missed over the last two years as the Franschhoek Literary Festival. So when parking spots suddenly became as rare as hen’s teeth and the aroma of coffee engulfed the entire village on Friday, 13 May, it seemed like Franschhoek’s post-COVID-19 renaissance was finally bearing fruit.

Spread across the weekend of 13 – 15 May with ninety sessions, authors, lovers of books and everything in between could reconnect like old friends for the first time since 2019. While the burden of COVID-19 safety protocols sliced the number of available tickets in half, 2022’s festival felt every bit as social and exciting as in previous years.

“Tickets sold very well from 18 March onwards... [and] most sessions were sold out before the festival,” says Franschhoek Literary Festival (FLF) general manager and project administrator Ingeborg Pelser. She adds, “It was a real privilege to be able to create a space again where readers and writers can come together and talk about books, ideas and shared experiences” This sentiment was echoed by authors such as Jackie Phamotse and Imraan Covaadia who agreed that a connection with the community forms a crucial component of being motivated to write.

“Writing can be a very lonely craft. It is wonderful to be talking about books with people and to find out what everyone has been reading,” notes Coovadia.

Also involved in the organizing was Sheenagh Tyler, as events and logistics manager, and Megon Fitzgibbon, who oversaw author management and project

Committee member, Linda Cumming, who spearheaded the project, hit on the idea to use it as an opportunity to educate the children on the club’s tennis development programme about the importance of trees. Over two afternoons she shared the teachings of the late Kenyan environmentalist, Dr Wangari Maathai, which enthralled the children. Taking it a step further the children are also tasked with watering the trees before their tennis sessions, thus teaching them responsibility and the importance of working for a reward that may be far in the future.

administration. A notable difference in this year’s event was arranging the technology to speak with certain international authors via Zoom, as well as expanding the talks to include sport, business and children’s events.

The organisers are grateful to Porcupine Ridge, News24, Exclusive Books and Jonathan Ball publishers for their generous sponsorship as well as the session sponsors Investec, Le Quartier Français and Sterrekopje. They also wish to mention their sincerest gratitude towards Franschhoek Wine Valley, Arkeste Restaurant, Leeu Estates, Boekenhoutskloof, students of the Franschhoek Hospitality Academy, all guest houses who offered support or sponsored rooms and the fantastic volunteers who made the festival a roaring success.

When asked what she would like to see at 2023’s Literary Festival, which will take place from 19 to 21 May, Pelser said that she would like a more diverse audience to attend the festival including students from Cape Town and Stellenbosch. The FLF also received a high number of requests for recordings of the talks which they will consider doing for next year.

Text: Pieter Naude

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For the first time in the 14-year history of the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon, South Africa will be the host country of the biggest and most significant international competition dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc, making it the first country outside of Europe to host this prestigious competition. Not only that, it’s coming to Franschhoek!

This news was announced on Saturday 21 May partners: WESGRO, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2022 in the Calabrian city of Cosenza in Italy, to and Vinventions, as well as our bronze partners: an audience of 310 wine experts representing 45 Boutes South Africa, Tonnellerie Sylvain, Enartis and nationalities, at the international Concours Mondial Beveratech to bring together hand-picked specialists de Bruxelles. from around the world to taste and evaluate some of The 2023 Concours Mondial du Sauvignon will take the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc wines. place from Monday ,13 March, to Friday, 17 March 2023.

“The Concours Mondial du Sauvignon is more The competition is hosted by the cultivar association than just a competition between producers and Sauvignon Blanc South Africa in partnership with appellations. It is aimed at fostering dialogue and national, as well as international partners. creating a meeting point for industry specialists.

“Sauvignon Blanc is South Africa’s top selling In 2022, a total of 1 120 entries from 23 producer cultivar and our most exported varietal,” says countries were evaluated by over 70 judges Sauvignon Blanc SA Chairman, RJ Botha. “South representing 20 nationalities, guaranteeing the African Sauvignon Blanc is a unique asset which outstanding diversity that sets the Concours Mondial helps build and maintain a strong brand reputation du Sauvignon apart from other wine competitions. for the country. It makes perfect sense to host “We look forward to hosting these international this competition, the largest and most significant members of the wine industry, journalists, and wine international competition entirely dedicated to writers on local soil. We are excited to introduce Sauvignon Blanc, in the Cape Winelands. To be the them to our country, our people, and our unique first host ever outside of Europe and in the Southern South African hospitality,” Botha concluded.

Hemisphere is an amazing accomplishment for info@sauvignonblanc.com | 021 975 4440 our country and our wine industry.”

“We are excited toTown workTourism closely Advertisement with our platinum FWT_Cape - Visitors Guide (A5).pdf 2022/01/31 2:21 PM Text: Editorial Desk1 | Image: Supplied

4 | July 2022

Franschhoek Wine Valley Focus Colder Pleasures

La Motte Millennium 2019 Classic Merlot and Cabernet Franc is supported

by Malbec and Petit Verdot contributing intensity in colour, hints of spice, complexity and depth.

Aromatic dark berries and plum with nuances of fruit cake and toffee. Barrel-derived spice and charred oak. Smooth, but lively tannins with a lingering berry aftertaste.

Cellar door price: R149  info@la-motte.co.za  021 876 8000

La Motte Restaurant’s Bœuf Bourguignon Soup

The perks of the upcoming colder months include making space in our cupboards for coats, luxe layering and plentiful stocks of red wine. Add to that a toasty fire to cosy up to after a long day and all the excuse needed for hearty, wholesome cuisine – soups, cassoulet and bourguignon – and you’ll quickly be reminded of all the reasons why you love winter.

Less daily sunshine hours doesn’t mean there’s any less action either, as July sees us celebrating the world-renowned Bastille Day, or La Fête Nationale, as we commemorate the beginning of the French Revolution and the Storming of the Bastille dating back to 1789 in Paris.

As the Cape’s very own French outpost, be sure to don your berets and all things red, white and blue as you join us for the weekend of 16 & 17 July

6 bottles of the featured wine!

2022. You don’t need a better excuse to head out into our magnificent Winelands and soak up the French ambience, indulgent food and fine wines of Franschhoek as you wander through the vibrant main road. We look forward to welcoming you and sharing in much merriment, wine-fuelled fun and entertainment. If you need a further incentive to dress up, a reminder that there are fantastic prizes up for grabs for the best-dressed on Saturday the 16th!

There’s also been a buzz in the air with the return of our much-loved ‘mystery weekends’ this winter!

So, those in need of a wintery weekend away – sans any planning, bookings or admin, prick up those ears as the promise of surprise, ultimate relaxation and pure indulgence entice you into ticking this ‘must-try’ off the local travel bucket-list.

Ingredients 200ml sunflower oil; 100g butter; 5kg beef brisket, hot BBQ for 3 hours and cooled, cubed; 1kg smoked pork belly; salt and black pepper; 1kg pearl onions, peeled; 1kg carrots, diced; 500g turnips, diced; 50g garlic, chopped; 1T lemon zest; 1T rosemary, finely chopped; ½ cup quince jelly; 1 bottle La Motte Millennium ¼ cup parsley, chopped; 10 litre beef stock; Method Heat a large casserole and add the oil and 100g butter. Add the onions, garlic and rosemary and sauté over low heat until soft. Add the quince jelly and red wine and cook to a glaze. Add half the stock, the beef and bacon and fit the lid on the casserole, place in an oven at 170˚C for 3 hours. Add the carrots and turnips and braise until tender. Remove the lid and add the remaining stock, bring to a boil and add the parsley and stir in the cold butter as needed. Serve with fresh bread (go French-inspired with delicious farm-baked baguettes from the La Motte Farm Shop). Enjoy with a generous glass of 2019 La Motte Millennium.  tasting@la-motte.co.za  021 876 8820

ANSWER THIS EASY QUESTION!

Who is Franschhoek’s first water sommelier?

Send your answer to tatlercompetition@gmail.com. Winner will be informed by email before 23 July 2022. Prizes to be collected from Franschhoek Info Office before end July 2022 or be forfeited.

CONSIGNMENTS NOW OPEN FOR OUR AUGUST AUCTION Intake open until 15 July 2022.

Call or email us today for a valuation.

Consignment of antiques, jewellery, furniture, fine art, silver, gold coins, porcelain, carpets, wine, vintage toys, classic vehicles & collectables welcome.

The Old Tannery | Hermon Road |Wellington | 072 629 0109 | paarl@oldjwauctioneers.com Catalogues online www.oldjwauctioneers.com

July 2022 | 5

La Motte’s New Vintage Sparkler

Cellar Chat Mark Tanner

How on earth can a teabag influence the wine in your glass?

To understand this you have to acknowledge that should you wish to make a second cup with the same teabag, it would take longer than the first, and a third cup would dilute the process even further. Similarly with wine barrels, the more often they are used, the longer it takes to achieve the desired maturation benefits. Welcome to what is popularly referred to as the ‘teabag’ effect.

While resting in barrels, wine profits from various extracts from the wood. Should you pick up flavours such as vanilla, cloves or caramel, these would be from the wood, as would be tannicrelated compounds. Size also matters as the larger the barrel, the longer it takes for the wine to reach the desired level of maturity. The most commonly used size is the 225 litre ‘Bordeaux Barrique’ which holds about 300 bottles. Larger barrels will keep your product in limbo delaying cash flow. It all depends on the winemaker to decide on which and for how long. Of course, one can accelerate the ageing process by putting oak wood chips into the tanks; alternatively oak staves may be hung like a curtain in the tank. In the race to super-mature, and unconfirmed, is an innovation where wine is pumped through a filter of oak sawdust (Really?).

Our French wine friends of course regard all these methods as totally barbaric. Traditionally, French oak is regarded as the best as they come from the northern forests of Nevers and Allier, where the cool climate ensures a tight grain, which is critical, from trees often over 200 years old.

American oak barrels are often used to impart more direct and sometimes basic flavours. To the French they are quite simply, inferior! They are also cheaper. To compound any element of complexity, barrels also come from Germany, Hungary and the Soviet Union among others in the north.

We have oak trees here so why do we import?

With our Mediterranean climate our oaks grow too quickly and the result is a more coarse grain of wood which is sadly quite unsuitable. One can see, at Meerlust for example, an entrance avenue of alternate oaks and palm trees, side by

side, temperate and tropical. The palms produce no useful fruit and the oaks cannot be used for standard carpentry.

It follows that barrels only enjoy a limited life span. It is possible to disassemble a barrel and shave a couple of millimetres off the interior but, while improving and lengthening it’s life, it will never replace a new barrel.

Pairing wines to accompany food can make or break a meal. In its simplicity, one can follow that a white, flaky fillet of hake would need a light white wine to wash it down. Similarly, oxtail would go well with a full bodied red. It’s the bits in between that requires a bit of thought and when it comes to Asian cuisine we need guidance galore. Consider that in front of you are a number of dishes in small bowls, beautifully spiced, instead of a plate of meat and two veg!

What sort of wine would accommodate such culinary complexity? Or should you just weaken and go for beer? (It reminds me of the story of putting a chameleon on a Scottish tartan to see what happens.)

What about vegetarian dishes? One cannot gloss over dietary problems like my friend who is convinced that chicken is a vegetable. Restaurant vegetarian offerings are nearly always limited, with the desert course the only easy option. It can get complicated without even consulting the menu.

How about the wines themselves? Vegetarians and vegans have to concern themselves about the additions used to help clarify the wine during its production. Bentonite, a form of clay, is veg’ friendly and egg white suits some diets, but how does the diner (or drinker) learn what has been used in the process? In some countries this information is on the back label even if not required by EU or UK law, but I have yet to see it here. All I see is that it ‘Contains Sulphites’, and that pregnant operators of earth-moving equipment should think twice.

Never an easy answer is there?

Pass the bottle!

Sparkling wines with their festive bubbles and crowd-pleasing popping of corks, are elemental to most special celebrations, but a beautiful South African sparkling wine made in the traditional French way, can be about more than its fizz, something that is also true for the 2018 La Motte Cap Classique.

More than a sparkling wine to fill festive clinking glasses, this latest release from La Motte is an exceptional glass of wine to enjoy on its own and a versatile partner to food. While it is impossible to ignore the fine mousse and infinite stream of beguiling bubbles, the recently released classic sparkling wine blend of Chardonnay (91%) and Pinot Noir (9%) holds much potential. Currently crisp with the emphasis on ripe strawberry flavours even though Pinot Noir only makes up a small part of the blend, the complexities of its, now, refreshing palate promise to mellow and mature.

With a predominant percentage of Chardonnay (5% of which is from barrel matured 2017 La Motte Chardonnay), one can soon expect the development of richer sparkling wine flavours and yeasty notes reminiscent of freshly baked bread and roasted nuts.

The wine’s food matching ability promises to develop alongside its flavour profile. At the moment it is a brilliant partner to fresher styles of soft cheese such as burrata or mozzarella, grilled fish, sushi and leafy salads. La Motte Cellarmaster, Edmund Terblanche, is, however, convinced that creamy egg dishes, luxurious oysters, buttery pastries like croissant and treats such as apple tart would be the wine’s ideal partners in the not-toodistant future.

Both the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are harvested on La Motte and come from vineyards that are 25 and 8 years old respectively. The vineyards grow 200 meter above sea level in sandy Clovelly soils and are managed to maintain a perfect balance between leaf coverage and yield. While dry conditions resulted in a 15% lower yield, it also ensured healthy grapes. The grapes were harvested between 18 and 20 degrees Balling and were fermented separately.

Bunches were whole-pressed and the juice was allowed to settle before cool-fermentation. With secondary fermentation in the bottle, the wine was matured on the lees for 45 months. The style of wine is “Brut Natural”, so no sweetening was added

during the degorging that took place in March 2022.

Only 4300 bottles were released.

While this sparkling wine is bone dry, the extended maturation on the lees ensures fulness.

The bouquet is sophisticated while the fine bubbles and enticing mousse bring excitement. Regardless of season or situation, as a refreshing aperitif or charming company at the dinner table, the 2018 La Motte Cap Classique is much more than the merriment of a special occasion.

2018 La Motte MCC is available online or at the La Motte Tasting Room at R390 per bottle. The wine is also available in a 1.5 Litre Magnum packaging at R780.

Text & Image: Supplied

Soul Barrel Brewing Tops in Africa Simondium brewery Soul Barrel Brewing has taken the top spot in the 2022 African Beer Cup, Africa’s biggest beer competition. The brewery took the coveted title of Best Beer in Africa with their Live Culture Grand Cru, which beat 250 entries from 14 African countries.

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.

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“Winning Best Beer in Africa is one of the most significant accomplishments a brewery can achieve in Africa,” says Soul Barrel founder and brewer Nick Smith. “The African Beer Cup is the most competitive, intense beer competition on the continent with some of the best judges in the world. We are so proud to have won with a beer that features our very own malt and hops as well as fynbos from our garden. We believe in South African agriculture and winning best beer in Africa with a beer that’s brewed with 100% local ingredients is a testament to that.”

Live Culture Grand Cru is a barrel-aged farmhouse ale fermented with wild yeast native to the Simondium-based brewery. It was brewed with barley from Caledon alongside citrus, fynbos and hops grown in Soul Barrel’s beer garden. “We’ve always felt this is one of the best beers we’ve ever brewed,” says Nick. “This award confirms that.”

The judges described the beer as utterly spectacular and commended it’s complex, champagne-like character with flavours of lemon, peach and wildflower honey.

This was the third year of the competition and the first time that international judges were invited to join. Judges from 16 different countries evaluated the 251 entries over three days in May. The winners were announced on 14 May at a joyous awards evening held in Cape Town.

“We want to elevate the competition to be in line with other international competitions,” says African Beer Cup founder Lucy Corne. “And inviting extremely experienced, highly respected beer industry experts from around the world is crucial for our competition. It’s the first time any beer competition in Africa has welcomed such highly esteemed judges.”

The competition is judged according to the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) guidelines,

Soul Barrel brewer Devin Kendricks accepted the award for Best Beer in Africa 2022.

which focus on stylistic accuracy rather than personal preference. Beers must reach a certain score threshold in order to be considered for a medal, with a maximum of one gold, one silver and one bronze per category. The gold medallists then went head-to-head in a Best of Show round to determine the Best Beer in Africa.

Text: Ed Desk | Image: Marla Burger Photography

6 | July 2022

Top Landscaper for 2022

Gardening in July

GvH Landscapes has been operating for the past sixteen years in the Western Cape, with most of its work done along the Garden Route. During this period, it has won numerous Silver, Gold and Double Gold certificates, as well as the National Trophy for the Best Colour in the Landscape on several occasions. Owned by Richard von Hoesslin (Franschhoek) and his son Graham (Plettenberg Bay), it has expanded over time to become one of the leading landscaping firms in the country and a well-known member of the SA Landscapers Institute, SALI.

NATIE FERREIRA

As I am writing this article, I am awaiting the sunrise that will signal the end of the longest night of the year. Just like that, we are in the heart of winter with distant snowcapped mountains visually confirming what we know astrologically already.

With all the weather weirdness going around some certainties remain; and one of them is that winter in the Cape can get miserable very quickly!

If it weren’t for the indescribably beautiful days in between the cold fronts, I might have considered semigration to warmer shores a long time ago.

It is those amazing sunny days that we will focus on, and find some good work to fill them with. July is not the greatest of gardening months, but it is the time when your summer garden and pantry are built. The work spent in the greenhouse now will be well rewarded. Use the dreary days to start early seedlings, make cuttings, tend to mother plants and get your seedling trays and mixes sterilized and ready for the main season. When the sun is out, we want to get outside, and one way we get those creaky winter muscles moving is by pruning.

All deciduous fruit and vines must be pruned this month and getting this done by the second week of August should be our goal in the Western Cape.

Pruning can be a daunting task and does not come intuitively to all; if you are uncertain, YouTube, your local library or an experienced friend can give you the confidence you need. I always think about renewal, sap-flow, airflow, shape, light penetration, and general aesthetics. If you understand and then keep those concepts in mind, pruning does become very natural and easy. Keep equipment and your hands clean, disease spreads easily during pruning. A lime-sulphur spray ensures the pruning wounds and new shoots are sealed and sterile. A good mulch after pruning will keep the roots warm and provide the perfect conditions for an early and strong start to the season.

Mid-winter is a fantastic time to work on your soil’s health. I will never recommend digging over water-logged soils, but mulching with fallen leaves, compost, manure, grass clippings or any organic material you can find will leave you with beautifully enriched soil by springtime. Winter is the only time

that I recommend using material that is not fully composted. Even raw manure will break down quickly in the soil. Remember, feeding the soil means feeding the microbes. And soil microbes are more active now than in the dry summer months.

Soil health means human health and one of the best ways to bring that health to your garden and home is by making your own compost. I am still a big believer in old-fashioned piles with alternating layers of green material, brown material, animal manure as well as a thin layer of clayey soil. All this gets built up to about 1.5 meters and covered with cut grass or straw. Turning will speed up the process, but if you’re patient you will have proper compost in about 6 months anyway. Compost made in your own garden has no rivals – by using resident materials you brew up an enriched blend of minerals and nutrients seeded with locally adapted microbes and soil organisms. For most of us, this will unfortunately still require the outside input of animal manure; even more reason to at least consider the benefits of keeping a few chickens or rabbits.

Food security is on everyone’s mind at the moment; do your bit to ease the supply crunch by growing as much of your own (and your neighbour’s!) food as you can this coming spring.

The groundwork, planning and research you do now will be well rewarded later. Try not to throw anything away, and if you have to, do it responsibly.

Learn new hard skills and teach those around you what you’ve learnt.

Happy gardening

mm/year

Rainfall Figures

2011 2012 830mm 1079mm

Measured at La Cotte/Nerina Street

2016 754mm

2017 501mm

mm/month

2021 January February March April May June July August September October November December

2013 1471mm

2014 1033mm

2015 661mm

2019 828mm

2020 910mm

2018 867mm

Dam Levels

2022

MONTH

ACCUMULATIVE

MONTH

ACCUMULATIVE

9 0 48 6 163 152 115 158 14 67 73 19

9 9 57 63 226 378 493 651 665 732 805 824

2 8 58 15 76

2 `0 68 83 159

As at 13 June 2022 Steenbras Upper

83.2%

Steenbras Lower

59.9%

Wemmershoek

47.2%

Voelvlei

55.8%

Theewaterskloof

66.8%

Berg River Dam

69.7%

Total Storage

64.3%

Total Storage this date last year 75.1%

tamatie GROWING MASTER GROWERS

CANNABIS CONSULTANCY: limited availability Follow @tamatie.co.za on Facebook for updates on live and online training

www.tamatie.co.za • facebook.com/tamatie.co.za • natie@tamatie.co.za

Annually the SA Greening Industries Council, SAGIC, holds its convention at which awards are presented to its members as well as to its members’ members, such as SALI members. The 2022 convention, in early June, was held at the beautiful Cathedral Peak Champagne Sports Resort in Central Drakensberg, KZN, and was attended by 170 delegates.

GvH Landscapes has been participating since 2007 when it received its first award – a silver certificate for a garden overlooking the Lookout Beach in Plettenberg Bay. The feeling was that, as it had been successful in 2021, and with the possible submissions available for 2023 having great potential, this year, 2022, would be a less successful year.

The awards are presented on the third day of the convention in three tranches, Certificates, then the National Trophies and later the top awards at the Gala Dinner. GvH Landscapes received Silver, two Gold and Double Gold certificates. The Judge’s comment regarding the Double Gold which was presented for House Keller in Knysna was “this garden is what landscaping is all about”. At the second group of presentations GvH Landscapes walked away with three of the six National Trophies, all for House Keller, namely ‘The Best Use of Colour in the Landscape’, ‘The Best Waterwise Garden’ and ‘The Best Landscape Construction with In-House Design’.

It was, however, at the Gala Dinner with all its pomp that the biggest achievement in the company’s history was realised, something Graham had been dreaming about since founding the business. It was the announcement that GvH Landscapes had been judged, for House Keller, to

GvH Landscapes’ Richard van Hoesslin and Bridget Robertson with their awards

House Keller’s award-winning garden

receive the overall “Highest Award of Excellence for Outstanding Landscaping”, a large floating trophy Shield. This meant that GvH Landscapes was the “Top Landscaper in South Africa for 2022!”

Text: Editorial Desk | Images: GVH Landscapes / Bridget Robertson

Indoor Plants Q&A with Robyn Sher of Happy Life Plants 1. Why should gardeners opt for indoor plants in addition to or instead of garden beds outside?

Indoor gardening is particularly special because of the benefits plants share with people around them. Not only do they provide the obvious greenery, connection to nature, and a natural touch to an otherwise stark space, but indoor plants also take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

Improved air quality creates a healthier environment for the grower and stimulates productivity, creativity, and happiness.

2. Is it true that indoor gardening is messy and difficult?

No, not at all! Indoor gardening is such a rewarding process and it is only as difficult as you make it. If you knock over your beloved delicious monster and the soil sprays all over your carpet, sure – it may be a messy ordeal.

But general indoor plant parenting is easy to get the hang of with the right routine and simple care habits.

3. What makes an indoor plant trendy and what’s on the hot list now?

Generally, the rarity or the popularity of the plant makes it trendy. The watermelon peperomia and leopard calathea are two rare plants that we only have a certain amount of and won’t get again for an undefined amount of time. Variegated monsteras and philodendrons are super hot at the moment too. Delicious monsters (Monstera deliciosa ) are always popular because of their widespread use in décor and design as well as their suitability for plant parents of all levels. The Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) has Instagram accounts dedicated solely to it, making it a collector’s item and a highly sought-after houseplant that is in

demand owing to its fame on social media.

4. When selecting a new plant for the home or office, what should gardeners take into consideration?

The most important thing to consider before selecting a new plant for your indoor space is how much light the spot receives that you want to fill. The exposure to natural light will determine which plants can survive in the space. Once you have considered options that fit the lighting, you can then choose suitable plants you like the look of and which adhere to your plant care availability.

5. Are there any outdoor plants that can also be grown indoors and what is their shelf life like?

Yes, there are a few outdoor plants that can be grown indoors. The Sansevieria, snake plant/mother in law’s tongue, is an example of a very popular indoor plant that has excellent air purifying properties and also grows successfully outdoors. Other examples include the umbrella plant and delicious monster. They are easy to care for indoors but will grow quickly, maintaining their size based on the pot they are in. Many other outdoor plants, however, would not get enough direct sunlight indoors and so not all of them can be brought inside.

6. Please share your top three beauties for beginners to grow.

My top three recommendations for newbie plant parents are the Zamioculcas zamiifolia, the delicious monster, and Chinese evergreens. All three grow easily in most spaces, don’t need added humidity, and only need to be watered when the soil dries out, which is a plant parenting routine anyone can maintain. www.lifeisagarden.co.za

July 2022 | 7

Tatler Motoring MICHELE LUPINI

BMW iX an Electric Car Eureka Moment BMW tells us that its trailblazing iX paves the way toward future generation of BMWs that promise to redefine premium driving sustainability and pleasure.

This is also a car we have waited patiently to test for so many reasons. It’s controversial, to start with. All electric cars are. The fact that it arrived less than fully charged because of a scrum at a hard-pressed Cape Town charging point only added fuel to that fire.

But what about this concept car for the road?

What’s it like to drive? And live with, for a bit? Well for starters, it feels just like that. Something straight out of your driving future. But it’s here now, so let’s just get on with it!

The first (and probably last) BMW built on a specialised modular, scalable platform, BMW says iX is designed from the inside out to redefine space and luxury. Progressive and imposing, not everyone took to the iX’s reduced design language. Those who liked it, however loved it. It’s also a case of function over form. That innovatively manufactured and almost completely blanked off BMW kidney grille for instance hides many of the necessary automated driving systems, camera and radar sensors.

Expect to be stunned when you swing that door open to reveal a truly opulent showcar cockpit.

Abounding in luxurious ambience, it feels vastly spacious inside iX. Our tester’s splendid crossstitched integral head restraint pews bring a high-quality furniture aura. They invite you into a remarkable crystal, leather and wood encrusted space. You feel its i3 and i8 ancestors in there too, while the open space left by the expulsion of a central transmission tunnel brings an almost eerie sense of room. It also leaves more than enough space for storage around the innovative centre console and everywhere else.

BMW’s latest-generation crystal-clear curved touchscreen iDrive system blends into the car’s instrumentation behind that Bauhaus steering wheel. Based on BMW’s ‘future toolkit’, this latest in car tech traverses several BMW development

fields, from onboard network architecture to futuristic software and latest-generation digital services advances. All while embracing Munich’s strides toward most efficient energy management, connectivity and automated driving.

It’s all built into a carbon-caged aluminium spaceframe flaunting carbon plastic in its roof, flanks and rear quarter to offset battery electric vehicle weight gains. Advanced aerodynamics achieve an impressive 0.25 coefficient of drag. But the iX’s biggest claim to fame is its greenness. BMW procures the cobalt and lithium for the battery from controlled sources in Australia and Morocco. All iX’s aluminium, wood, olive-leaf-tanned leather, floor mats made from recovered fish nets and other core raw materials are all from exclusively certified green sources.

Even its all-wheel drive electric bi-motors avoid the use of rare materials. Integrated with all transmission and power electronics components, these Synchronous current-excited electric motors eliminate the use of magnets and are rather induced by fed-in electric energy. Precisely powered rotor excitation enables the immediate peak torque produced on pulling away, to be maintained over a broad band to consistently maintain lightning fast power delivery. Munich promises a typical BMW sporty feel from the 385 kW and 765 Nm bi-motor BMW iX xDrive50.

Comprising two electric motors, one on the front axle and another at the rear, iX boasts near-actuator wheel slip limitation; our test barge included twoaxle air suspension, Integral Active Steering and Sport brakes too. It’s all powered by a fifth-generation BMW eDrive battery pack sitting low down in the vehicle floor as an integral component of the chassis. The lithium-ion high-energy-density high-voltage battery pack yields 20% improved gravimetric energy density for a gross energy content of over 100 kWh. That endows iX with a 20 kWh per 100 km WLTP combined electric power consumption to ensure a market-leading 630 kilometres of battery electric operating range. At zero local CO2 emissions. BMW also claims 4.6 second zero to 100 km/h and iX is rated for a 200 km/h top speed.

Recharging is normally a challenge, but iX’s extreme range makes living with an electric car far easier. It is a mere formality to plug it in to your wall charger and the power it consumes costs about a fifth or less of what we’d pay to fuel a frugal X5 M50d. Who knows how much less than an X5M? So what is this BMW ‘showcar for the road’ like

to drive? Well, first off, iX brings a sensation of space and freedom inside. Love it or hate it, that room is really concept car cool. Some controls and operating systems take a bit of time to get one’s head around, but they’re all quite logical in the end. And once again, neat.

It ‘fires up’ and operates stealthily. No noise, no fuss, no bother. But boot it and, by golly, does it go! That immediate maximum torque response is brutal and it just keeps on shoving. Our test data was better than BMW’s claims and it felt like it too. Driven normally, this big electric bus is friendly to live with.

We enjoyed single pedal motoring, but that takes a bit of practice and patience to get used to. It was good to occasionally watch the range climb too.

Overall this car proved a bit of a conundrum. On the one hand, from a petrolhead point of view, charging challenges and where that electricity comes from, what will one day become of that huge battery, and all that, are always questions. But this BMW iX renders all of that back of mind in so many ways. It’s now adequate driving range being one of the prime contributors.

Just looked at as another car on another day, the BMW iX is one of the finest we have driven this year. Warts and all. And that’s a huge electric step forward for us.

ROAD TESTED: BMW iX xDrive50 Motors: 2x synchronous electric Output: 385 Kw 765 Nm combined Drive: Direct AWD Battery: 100 kWh lithium-ion TESTED: 0-100 km/h: 4.29 sec 0-160 km/h: 9.88 sec 400m: 12.5 sec @ 182 km/h 80-120 km/h: 2.64 sec 120-160 km/h: 3.88 sec CLAIMED: VMax: 200 km/h Energy Consum.: 21 kWh/100 km Warranty/Service: 2y 100K/5y 100K km LIST PRICE: R2.225M RATED: 9

Tigerish Third for Gio at Aldo Scribante Franschhoek Bullion IT racer Giordano Lupini delivered a tigerish third round SA national Compcare Polo Cup performance at Gqeberha’s Aldo Scribante’ late in May, making up several positions following a difficult qualifying to once again be the first turbo Polo Cup rookie home.

“I had great fun in two good, hard races and

probably made twelve overtakes on the day. “We have excellent race pace and we are working hard to improve our qualifying speed for next round up in Delmas early in July. “Congrats to my teammate, Jurie Swart, for winning the day and thanks to my team for a fantastic car, and to Bullion IT for the incredible support!”

JULY NEWS

A HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

A week of inclement weather including two cold fronts and the Cape’s almost unique ‘four seasons in a day’ winter conditions preceded the Father’s Day activities at FMM, but thankfully on the day the sun shone strong enough to overcome the chilly air to not spoil the fun for the more than 700 attendees. The four display halls were open as usual with some of the 80 cars on view with ‘bonnets up’. The Pitstop Deli kept busy serving refreshments and light snacks while a dedicated food stall served up delicious hamburgers and chips.

In addition to the static displays, the visiting Dads and Granddads and their families were treated to continuous five-minute demonstration runs around the quad of many of the museum’s world class collection of vehicles and motorcycles.

Among the more than 40 cars on parade were a 1911 Ford Model T, 1929 Marquette, 1936 RollsRoyce 20/25, 1947 DeSoto Suburban, 1955 Chev BelAir convertible, 1967 Ford Mustang, 1972 Buick Riviera, 1991 Alfa Romeo SZ and the rare 2000 Toyota Mega Cruiser.

Buzzing around with the cars, curator Wayne Harley rode a number of motorcycles

VISITING FMM

FMM’s opening time are Monday to Friday 10h00 to 17h00 (last admittance 16h00), Saturday and Sunday 10h00 to 16h00 (last admittance 15h00). 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

including the Captain America ‘Easy Rider’ Harley-Davidson, Ducati 900 Mike Hailwood replica, 1969 Suzuki AS50, 1960 Norton Manx replica, 1917 Triumph Model H and Velocette Valiant.

An added attraction for everyone was workshop manager Lorenzo Farella driving the 1978 Lexington March 78B-Ford Formula Atlantic, and a rare treat, firing up the exJody Scheckter 1974 Tyrrell-Cosworth 007/3 Formula 1 car, which naturally caught everyone’s attention. A far different sound to the current crop of F1 cars! Another sound to be heard was the clang-clang of the museum’s 1953 Merryweather fire engine giving visitors a fun ride around the L’Ormarins Estate.

“We had a fantastic turnout, near to filling our permitted 50% attendance capacity under the current Covid restrictions,” said Wayne after the event. “The day was really well supported with many people staying from early morning until late in the afternoon. It felt like life was getting back to normal seeing families out and about enjoying themselves amongst all the vehicles we had on show.

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

8 | July 2022

Top Geographer Destin Bürgin, a Bridge House School Grade 12 learner, achieved first place in the 2022 South African National Geography Olympiad. He will be one of four SA learners to represent South Africa in the International Geography Olympiad (iGeo) later this month.

The 18th International Geography Olympiad will be held online and hosted by France from 12 to 18 July, under the auspices of the International Geographical Union Olympiad Task Force. iGeo is an annual competition for the best 16 to 19 year-old Geography students from all over the world. Students chosen to represent their countries are the very best, chosen from thousands of students who participate enthusiastically in their own National Geography Olympiads.

The aims of the Olympiad are to: • stimulate active interest in geographical and environmental studies among young people; • contribute positively to debate about the importance of geography as a senior secondary school subject by drawing attention to the quality of geographical knowledge, skills and interests among young people;

• facilitate social contacts between young people from different countries and in doing so, contribute to the understanding between nations.

SUSAN MÖLLER

By die volgende byeenkoms van die Franschhoek Leeskring, wat op 7 Julie plaasvind, bespreek Danie du Toit Francois Smith se “Die getuienis”.

Die byeenkoms word gehou in die NG Kerksaal.

Lede en besoekers geniet vooraf n koffie koffie/tee met verrigtinge wat om 15h00 begin.

Navrae: 0729325393 Francois Smith se derde roman, “Die getuienis”, slaan ’n interessante nuwe rigting in, weg van sy twee vorige romans “Kamphoer” en “Die kleinste ramp denkbaar” waarmee hy reeds vir hom ’n beduidende plek in die Afrikaanse lettere oopgeskryf het.

“Die getuienis” vertel die verhaal van Retha en Gerbrand wat saam met hulle twee seuns by ’n Christelike bedieningsentrum êrens tussen Naboomspruit en Bela-Bela woon en werk. Retha behartig die sentrum se administrasie, spyseniering en kommunikasie op sosiale media; Gerhard bedien die Woord en lei seminare. Hulle beland per toeval daar nadat hulle lewe in Pretoria ineengestort het en hulle al hulle aardse besittings verloor het. Die woord “toeval” pas egter nie in hulle manier van dink en praat nie; wat hulle betref, is alles voorbeskik en deel van God (na wie hulle deurentyd verwys as “Vader”) se plan met hulle lewens.

Hospice News SA’s top young geographer, Destin Bürgin.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Bridge House School

‘Good Life’ in Franschhoek Often it’s the sense of community that makes Franschhoek what it is.

On Saturday evening, 11 June, community members gathered to celebrate a small but significant achievement for the South African cinematic arts and a large achievement for one Franschhoek resident.

The celebration encompassed the resident’s birthday, love of animals and love of her community.

Alex Steyl rented out the Franschhoek Theatre to celebrate the new movie “Good Life” in which she plays the role of one of the spitting-mad Greek women who make the life of a South African Greek a misery. Olive, aged 35, (played by Erica Wessels) goes to Greece to unravel the secrets of her parents’ lives and to get over the humiliation of a cheating boyfriend. A young boy of 7, the child of an Albanian refugee, befriends her. In the best possible way, theirs is a friendship that helps them both.

The entry requirement for the evening was a donation of cat or dog food for SHARF (Safe Hands Animal Rescue Franschhoek), a charity enthusiastically supported by Alex. Wine and popcorn –made instantly in an air fryer – made for a festive evening. Once everyone was seated, and theatre manager Pieter started the movie, there were warm cheers and enthusiastic clapping at each of Alex’s appearances.

The movie, ‘Good Life’, was written and directed

by Bonnie Rodini. The movie took fourteen years to make, with the bulk of the shooting taking place during the Covid pandemic. The whole movie was shot around the Cape peninsula, with the Castle of Good Hope transformed into a Greek village. Clever editing with stock footage makes the scenery very Greek, and there were gasps of empathy at the very cold water the actors had to brave while pretending it was the warm water off the coast of Greece!

According to Alex, the movie was a project of love made on a shoestring budget. Don’t expect special PAARL-FRANSCHHOEK VALLEY and effects; the movie relies on good storytelling

Franschhoek Leeskring

filming. As the credits say, no children or animals were harmed in the making of the film.

Duke Coulbanis, a close Greek neighbour of Alex’s, with a calling to the Greek Orthodox Church, quips how he had to teach Alex to swear in Greek so she could appear authentically Greek. “Alex honoured me by asking me to help her with the Greek language.

Not that they speak Greek in the movie, but Alex’s character needed to ‘swear under her breath’ at various people, and to add an air of authenticity, she wanted to know how to do so in Greek, and accompany it with any gestures that might be applicable.” Duke also holds the distinction of owning the cell phone that filmed Alex’s audition for the role at the local café, Fotini’s.

Taki’s, also Greek-owned, was the obvious choice for the movie-going friends to gather for a bite to eat after the movie was over.

‘Good Life’ is a good South African story. According to Duke Coulbanis, it is authentically Greek too, with its myriad superstitions and long-held family grudges.

The cast is all local actors and actresses, and all look quite Greek. Youngster Caleb Payne does a credible Albanian-speaking Greek with a heavy “H”.

The audience knows that the watch, the well and the boy are significant story elements. There is underlying humour: Olive is an oral hygienist whose claim to fame is whitening teeth, and she has queues of desperate Greeks wanting whiter teeth; the wheelie bin affair keeps cropping up as an ongoing amusement; the ladies in the purported aquatics group in their flowery caps link the venomous attacks against Olive. ‘Good Life’ is fun; a well-told story with all the elements to keep you entertained for its duration. Watch it on Netflix.

PROPERTY@VALDEVIE.CO.ZA Text: Barbara Spaanderman | Image: Netflix

COLLEEN DOUGLAS

Celebrating Bastille? Franschhoek Hospice will be selling the following items on the 16th and 17th July at the village market and main road: Berets, Red, Royal and Navy – R 50 each, Pancakes – R10 each and freshly-baked Croissants filled with smoke salmon/trout and cream cheese – R50 – available on the veranda of the town hall.

Please diarise the following dates: 27 August – Nik Rabinowitz presents – “Unmuted” at Leopard’s Leap – R400 per person, incudes a delicious light supper. Tickets available from the hospice office. Limited seating, 120 seats only.

15 September – Reuben Riffel Golf Day in aid of Franschhoek Hospice at Pearl Valley Golf Estate. For details call hospice office.

7 October – Uncorked – at Leopard’s Leap. An evening of fun and dancing at our fabulous Hospice Hop. R 500 pp includes a delicious meal. Limited seating, 120 seats only.

Franschhoek Hospice patients need the following please: Roll-on deodorant for males and females, soaps, dark face cloths, tooth paste and toothbrushes.

Please drop off at either Hospice House or the Hospice shop. There will be a box at both places waiting to

receive your generous donations. Thank you We are halfway through 2022 and we would like to thank our wonderful volunteers who have been making sandwiches and soup for our patients so far. You have been amazing.

There are still 6 months to go until the end of the year and many more sandwiches and soup to be made! Why not lend a hand?

Thank you to the community and businesses for your continued support.

Stay safe, warm, and healthy.

Karate Tournament Success Samurai School of Karate Franschhoek which is housed at the Franschhoek Health Club since 2010 has surfaced again. The Franschhoek karate group hosted the second BASKA development tournament on Saturday 28 May 2022.

FLTR: Franschhoek Health Club Manager Johan Viljoen, Champion and gold medalist Jayne Wunder and National Coach Sensei Chris Ensil.

FLTR: Front row: Sensei Chris Ensil, Amelie, Kayla, Melo, Ethan, Joda-Rose, Emiru and Curstley. Back row: Johan Viljoen, past karate student of Sensei Chris.

The best achievement from the Franschhoek second and third places. SA National Coach, Sensei contingent came from Jayne Wunder, who placed Chris Ensil says: “We are proud to see that our new third at the first development tournament and home-grown students are starting to bloom.” first at the second development tournament after For more information on karate in Franschhoek beating all her opponents to claim the gold medal. contact Sensei Chris on 083 505 0808. +27 (0)21 863 6105 WWW.VALDEVIEEVERGREEN.CO.ZA Other Franschhoek students also achieved first, Text: Editorial Desk | Images: Supplied

The Sugarbush 65 years and older Awarded Best International Leisure Development 2020-2021 PAARL-FRANSCHHOEK VALLEY

Houses are available for immediate occupation PROPERTY@VALDEVIE.CO.ZA

Experience peace of mind with world-class healthcare facilities WWW.VALDEVIEEVERGREEN.CO.ZA

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July 2022 | 9

Spurs Doing Franschhoek Proud The Franschhoek Spurs Football Club is doing the Valley proud. Led by the First Team, which heads its stream in the 2022 Stellenbosch Premier League, the Spurs have improved in leaps and bounds across the board over recent seasons. The First Team ended fourth in the 2021 league, only losing to the mighty Maties in the playoffs.

“The Franschhoek Spurs are on the up and up and all our age groups and teams are playing great soccer in the local leagues this year,” team patron Ian Schofield reports, following the first part of the 2022 season. “Their performance is a fine tribute to the great love and effort our late leader Donny Lamola put into making the Spurs what it is today.

We are truly proud of the whole club’s progress in Donny’s unwavering spirit.” Donny Lamola passed away in May 2020 after falling ill at a young age.

The Franschhoek Spurs First Team is supported by age group teams competing in the local Under 9, Under 11, Under 13, Under 15 and Under 17 Stellenbosch LFA Junior Leagues. The Spurs also field a Ladies Soccer team, which plays in the ’21 Cape Winelands Woman’s Regional League, which commenced late in June, and a girls Netball team playing in the Cape Winelands Netball Federation.

Funded in main by Investchem and Chemical Logistics with additional local support from Col ‘Cacchio, Ekhamazi, Fine and Country and the Farms League Group, the Franschhoek Spurs are coached by five volunteers. Two hundred active

Probus Club MARK TANNER

Our next meeting will be on the 4th July. Not confirmed at the time of writing, our speaker should be James from Exotic Animal World, formerly Butterfly World at Klapmuts. The reason for the change from butterflies to exotic animals will make for interesting listening.

Also in the pipeline is an outing, hopefully to a local winery with an unusual history, in August and our usual Christmas Lunch is already receiving attention.

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

Franschhoek Spurs Club members train every Monday to Thursday between 16h00 and 20h30.

Keen to join the Franschhoek Spurs and play for or support your local club? Contact KG at 066 578 1594 for more details.

Text: Michele Lupini | Image: Fhk Spurs The Franschhoek Spurs netball team show off their team spirit.

vocational activity to a calmer way of life.

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.

New Tradition Started The two neighbouring high schools in Franschhoek, Groendal Secondary and Franschhoek High held a first-ever sports day on Saturday, 4 June 2022. Groendal Primary also participated. The schools intend to make this an annual event.

Four sporting codes were represented at the event, namely: rugby, netball, soccer, and chess, with Groendal successful in most matches.

The main match of the day was between the two boys U.19A rugby teams. In a tightly contested game that had all the aspects of a classic derby encounter, the team of Franschhoek took all their chances and stepped out victorious in this historic match, winning 9-8.

Groendal won 5 of the day’s 8 netball matches, 4 of the 5 rugby matches as well as the chess and soccer matches.

Editor’s Letter Siegfried Schäfer

Dear Readers Two recent Bloomberg articles caught my attention. The first was about the ‘golden age of mall walkers’ and the second about a New York City proposal dubbed NYC 25x25 that “demands that 25% of its street space is converted from car use to walkable pedestrian plazas, green space, bus lanes and dedicated cycle paths by 2025.”

These articles resonated with me as Franschhoek’s main road has been compared to an open-air mall. Unlike a mall though, it is a space that is primarily designed to accommodate cars, rather than people.

An American cousin of mine’s mother was a regular mall walker. Living in Minnesota, with its harsh winters, going to the Mall of America and walking laps was a comfortable, safe way to get exercise during winter. It was also a sociable thing to do, as fellow walkers would befriend each other and build lasting relationships. After exercising, they’d even do some shopping!

For my cousin’s mother it was primarily about escaping the harsh winter weather, but malls offer walkers things that urban spaces should, yet most often don’t. Some examples include: “level surfaces, benches for places to rest, water fountains for availability of free water, and accessible restrooms.” You’ll be hard pressed to find those in any abundance in our main road, even though we’d probably agree that they are desirable things!

So what then prevents us from having these desirable things? Money, certainly is one answer, but the primacy we place on cars rather than on people and liveability is another. This is where the NYC 25x25 idea – which has also been adopted by LA – is interesting. The origin of the idea can be found in how Covid lockdowns and working from home has changed people’s

relationships with their environment. Suddenly, parking areas and roads were empty of cars and used by people for anything from outside restaurant tables to picnic spots or impromptu sports fields. With Covid receding people don’t want to give up those gains.

Danny Harris, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, a primary proponent of the NYC 25x25 idea, offers a number of reasons for reducing the public space taken up by cars.

These include the climate crisis, air pollution, the death toll from car crashes and community cohesion. He summarises the rationale for NYC 25x25 by saying “space minus cars equals quality of life”. This is an idea that Europeans – used to narrow cobbled streets, alleys and plazas – and functioning public transport, take to much easier than car-obsessed, instant-gratificationseeking Americans, or South Africans for that matter – who also pay little more than lip service to reducing the primacy of cars.

My vision of our main road certainly is one that is characterised more by the characteristics of the open-air mall, than the requirements of cars.

Broad level sidewalks, parking on the periphery of town, benches, trees, water fountains, cycling paths and – gasp! – public restrooms would al feature in my ideal world. Of course, I recognise that there are those (far too many in my view) who are stuck in the car-clogged, devoid-oflife, I-can’t-possibly-walk-100-metres mode of seeing public spaces – which roads are, or should be!

Liveability, public health and public good arguments for reducing the space devoted to cars won’t sway everybody. So how about an economic one? It is common cause that retail sales are higher in pedestrianised areas. That is one of the primary reasons for the creation of malls to begin with. So how about bringing more of the mall to our main road? We’ll be healthier, happier and wealthier!

As customary, there will be no August Tatler so it’s not ‘Until next month’, but ‘Until September’ from my side!

DEADLINES - SEPTEMBER 2022 ISSUE Bookings - 15 August 2022 | Artwork - 17 August 2022 | Editorial - 15 August 2022

Please support SHARF by joining the SHARF 100 Club Help us generate much-needed funds for sterilisation, veterinary care, food, tick & flea treatments, deworming and education. The 100 Club consists of all those people who commit to paying the fund R100 or more per month on a 12/24 month basis (with the freedom to opt out with one month's notice).

Bank Details: Safe Hands Animal Rescue Franschhoek Bank: FNB | Branch: Paarl |Branch Code: 200110 | Acc No.: 62836203076 | NPO No: NPO 235-331

FLTR: Jesuran Johnson (Groendal captain), Ms Groendal Secondary, Jemeka Fortuin, Mr Edward Abrahams (Groendal principal), Ms Marjorie Myburgh (Acting Franschhoek principal) and Triston Williams (Franschhoek captain).

REHAB

EDUCATION

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Text: Lindsay C Jefthas | Image: Emile Krotz

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10 | July 2022

The Chamber’s Choice Business profile: Ira’s Sweet & Savoury When Irene Du Preez fell in love with cooking as a young girl, she was eager to learn her grandmother Katrina’s secret ingredients and tricks. To Irene’s amazement, her grandmother’s most valuable lesson was not in her methods or in the ingredients she used, but to find joy in making delicious food.

Thanks to her grandmother, Irene came to understand her kitchen as a happy place where she could be creative and enjoy spending time with loved ones. During the first COVID-19 lockdown she saw an opportunity to draw on her grandmother’s

Five Financial Reports for Informed Decision-Making Financial reports, such as a balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, debtors reports and actual spend vs budget reports, provide an understanding of where your business stands financially at a certain point in time. They detail the business’s financial performance over a period and also raise red flags, reveal opportunities and highlight changes that need to be made to meet business goals in the future.

Especially in trying and uncertain times like these, keeping a finger on the pulse of the organisation’s financial position and regularly reviewing its financial performance provides a range of benefits.

What the right financial reports reveal The financial position of the business – past and present – provide invaluable insights for informed decisions about the future, for example, forecasting future cash flow requirements or identifying financing needs timeously.

Business financial performance can be assessed and analysed with the right reports, for example, evaluating marketing efforts or projecting inventory needs, which allow for improvements to be implemented and tracked.

Important indicators of financial health – such as liquidity ratios, efficiency ratios, profitability ratios and solvency ratios – can be calculated based on accurate and timeous reports.

How to better manage costs – costs that are unnecessary, duplicated, over budget, or rapidly increasing are often only managed, reduced or eliminated once categorised and identified in the financial reports.

Trends – financial reports provide a means to compare financial trends in the business from one reporting period to another, as well as to benchmark company trends against industry trends.

Where the opportunities are – financial reports reveal opportunities and are essential to review before making big spending decisions or considering ways to grow the business. For example, financial reports may reveal where outsourcing or automation are viable options, or where changes to employment structures, operating systems or processes are required; or where there are opportunities to grow and expand into new locations or product lines.

Tax liabilities, challenges and deductions – reviewing financial reports can help manage ongoing tax liabilities, flag potential tax challenges, and reveal possible tax deductions.

mentorship and pursue her lifelong dream of opening a catering business which eventually became Ira’s Sweet & Savoury.

Whether fluffy cupcakes with decadent icing for a small tea party or generous party platters for a fullsized wedding, Ira’s Sweet & Savoury always caters with Irene’s love for her craft. The business’s mission is to provide a high standard of catering at short notice while being flexible to the client’s dietary requirements.

So far, Ira’s Sweet & Savoury is proud to have filled

hungry tummies at several events ranging from small functions to children’s parties. With a wide variety of options and a little help from grandma Katrina’s legacy, Irene strives to help even the most exasperated event planners put together the right and tastiest catering solution.

Irene Du Preez can be reached at 063 181 5013 or dupreezirene4@gmail.com for any requests. Ira’s Sweet & Savoury can also be reached via Facebook.

Financial irregularities or risks – regularly reviewing financial reports ensures that potential areas of concern regarding irregularities, risks or even fraud are picked up timeously and can be quickly addressed.

Viability for third parties – financial institutions, creditors and potential investors will request financial reports to consider credit lines, loans or investments in the company.

The 5 financial reports to understand To enjoy these business benefits, there are five financial reports to understand – and review regularly – at least on a quarterly basis, but ideally on a monthly basis. This will provide a finger on the business’s financial pulse and enable more accurate and relevant business decisions.

1. Profit and loss (P&L) statement The profit and loss statement, also called an income statement, summarises the profit or loss over a certain period by reporting on three components: total income (or the total sales less costs of goods sold); total expenses including operating costs, taxes, utilities, insurance and interest on loans; and net profit or loss, calculated as total income less total expenses.

This report reveals whether the business made a profit or a loss during the specific period, and also allows the calculation of profit margins, operating profit margins and operating ratios. This allows profitability to be evaluated and enables investors or creditors to assess the level of risk in the business.

Companies may show a net loss at times, and the reason should be evident in the reports, for example, slow business periods or times when extraordinary expenses are covered. Where the net profit is continuously lower over more than one period or expenses regularly exceed income, these may be red flags of financial trouble.

2. Balance sheet A balance sheet provides a summary of the company’s financial position at a specific point in time by summarising total assets and total liabilities, as well as shareholders’ equity, or investments and retained earnings.

The assets, or what the business owns, can include cash and investments, equipment and property, stock and accounts receivable. Liabilities, or what the business owes, include loans, accounts payable, wages, rent, taxes and utilities.

It is used to calculate factors such as the current ratio of assets to liabilities, a measure of

a company’s liquidity or ability to pay short-term liabilities. This is a particularly crucial consideration when borrowing money from a financial institution or requesting credit from a supplier. A declining current ratio could also indicate financial problems.

3. Cash flow statement A steady cash flow is one of the most crucial success factors for business, especially smaller business, and this makes regularly reviewing the business’s cash flow statement vitally important.

Summarising the expected cash inflows and outflows over a period, the purpose of this statement is to reveal which areas of the business are generating and using the most cash; enable informed budgeting and spending decisions; as well as to allow potential cash flow problems to be identified and managed in time.

A cash flow statement will also show how readily a company can meet its debt and interest payments; and how much money was distributed to owners or investors as dividends.

4. Debtors’ reports Cash flow problems are often a result of poor management of debtors. An aged debtor’s report

Text & Image: Pieter Naudé

Irene Du Preez

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021 876 2676 | franschhoek@taxshop.co.za | www.taxshop.co.za

FOR FINANCIAL SECURITY AND PEACE OF MIND

Susan Charlesworth ATTORNEY NOTARY CONVEYANCER

Areas of practice:

Estate and succession planning | Commercial Law Administration of estates, trusts & curatorships Engineering & Construction Law Antenuptial contracts | Conveyancing The Franschhoek Cellar Offices, Main Road, Franschhoek, 7690 Tel: +27 (0)21 876 2592 Fax: +27 (0)21 863 1495 Email: susan@sgclaw.co.za Also at 342 Val De Vie, Paarl www.susancharlesworth.co.za

enables current and overdue invoices to be tracked and proactively managed to ensure payment is received on time. Lenders and investors will also look at this report to better understand a company’s creditworthiness.

5. Budget vs actual income and expense reports Comparing actual revenue/sales against the budgeted figures for a period indicates how well or otherwise the business is trading.

These reports allow a comparison of actual spending as recorded primarily in the income statement, against the amounts budgeted for the period, to assess how well spending matches financial forecasting projections and where there are areas that are over or under budget.

The percentage of costs of goods sold to sales for a period indicates how sales pricing and control over the costs of goods sold are being managed.

Speak to your accountant about accessing these reports on a regular basis and for professional assistance in understanding what the reports reveal about your business. Regularly reviewing your company’s financial reports will unlock many business benefits, provide a finger on the financial pulse of your business and enable more accurate and relevant business decisions.

Disclaimer: The information provided herein should not be used or relied on as professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your professional adviser for specific and detailed advice.

David Kramer PROFESSIONAL ADVICE ON Life Cover Disability/Income Protection Dread Disease Cover Medical Aids/Gap Cover Retirement Funding E davidk@rbs.co.za T +27 21 443 4400 C +27 83 447 0797

July 2022 | 11 PROMOTIONAL ARTICLE

Pam Golding Properties Shines Internationally As an international real estate agency Pam Golding Properties is Savills’ exclusive residential real estate partner in Africa with access to a global network of discerning buyers - many of whom choose to buy in Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands.

The town is world-renowned for its wine estates, fine cuisine and vibrant community, says Surina du Toit, Pam Golding Properties Manager: Paarl, Franschhoek, Wellington and surrounds. “Given Franschhoek’s broad appeal, it is no surprise that more than a third of all properties sold in 2021 were to overseas buyers.”

While Franschhoek is well known for its natural beauty and enviable lifestyle, it is Pam Golding Properties’ established reputation as a leading real estate agency with a global reach that has helped to attract buyers from around the world to invest in property in the area.

“Through an alliance with Savills, which has 600 offices worldwide and associates in 45 countries, Pam Golding Properties has access to resources and insight of global real estate trends,” says Du Toit. “Pam Golding Properties also lists properties on international property portals such as Savills, Zoopla and Rightmove.”

Having received over 60 International Property Awards, including Best International Real Estate Agency and Best Real Estate Agency in Africa (20202021), Pam Golding Properties has also entrenched itself as a globally recognised and respected

brand. “This is a testament to the expertise and commitment of our agents who not only share their market insight with local and overseas buyers, but who also guide them through every aspect of their transaction,” says Du Toit.

South Africa’s competitive exchange rate makes Franschhoek an ideal investment option for overseas buyers seeking a seasonal holiday home in a global destination, or families looking to emigrate to an area that offers excellent schools, and proximity to the city - Cape Town is 45 minutes away - and stunning properties. Most overseas transactions are in the R3 million to R6 million price range, says Du Toit. For the price of a townhouse outside of London, or a flat closer to the city, a UK buyer would be able to buy a R6 million home in the heart of Franschhoek or one of its luxury estates.

“When overseas visitors see what Franschhoek has to offer, our team of property specialists is able to help them acquire a home in the valley,” says Du Toit. “It’s this professionalism and expertise that distinguishes Pam Golding Properties as a leading international real estate agency and heavyweight in the global property market.”

Just imagine a school where 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.

View over the Franschhoek Valley

Business Leadership TONY FROST

Why Communication Skills Matter Maybe it is because we are bombarded by an array of ‘communications’ aimed at us that we have learned to switch off and not really listen to anything anymore. Social media and the media in general likely have a lot to do with this.

However, more than ever we should be honing our listening skills to be able to hear the messages and not just register the noise on our internal noisometers!

Perhaps, it is because all media, and especially social media, are about transmission of messages in ever-increasing intensity and volume that we have lost most of our capacity to properly tune in and listen. We simply do not have time. Messaging and the social media flow is so fast that we must respond to some of the messages immediately and many of the others are designed to create a sense of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) if we miss them. This creates massive amounts of time pressure…how do I find time to read/listen to all this stuff and then still find time to respond?

Covid has made this worse since more and more people work from home and therefore have fewer and fewer opportunities to have a break from the incessant pressure; and more pressure to resolve things via the internet which increases the chances of misunderstanding. It also means we lose the opportunity to achieve a quick solution with a face-to-face conversation. Do we still know how to converse effectively?

There are other impediments to effective communication that we need to examine. These are more of a psychological nature – the difficult 4 Ds: • Defensiveness • Disinterest • Disillusionment • Distraction They are all serious obstacles to effective communication, each on its own merits, but

Pam Golding Properties housed in a historical Cape Dutch building

together are a dead-cert communication killer.

None of us is immune to the dangers inherent in each of them.

Key to counteracting all of them is to focus intensely on listening, really listening, not just to the words, but also and pre-eminently to the message inherent in the words. In this day and age, we have forgotten how to listen like this. We listen to the headlines and then move on making all sorts of assumptions which may or may not have any bearing on the truth behind the matter. Just look what has happened to investigative journalism worldwide. The focus has shifted away from careful in-depth analysis to headlines and sensation. This is not good for world understanding and peace. Mostly we are cognitively ruminating while being spoken to, and probably listening more to the messaging in our heads than the messages coming at us from others.

Mindfulness is not something we practice consistently and thoroughly.

Mindfulness is the starting point for quality active listening. This is not as easy as it may sound. It means putting all the distractions and unnecessary emotions aside while you consciously listen to your communication partner. Anything short of this means you are likely to end in one or more of the danger zone impediments and will also probably have a skewed view of what actually transpired.

This matter of mindfulness is even more prevalent and more dangerous in meetings where numbers of participants are on their mobile phones or responding to emails on their laptops or both. There is very little chance of a complete comprehensively shared picture emerging when this is the case. And given the inadequacies of human memories, the remnants of the meeting will vary considerably amongst participants who were not fully present while in the meeting.

To sum up, proper and accurate comprehension relies on conscious, mindful listening skills. The dangers and advantages of good listening, which are at the heart of good communication, apply equally to reading and writing. Think about what you are going to say or write, read again through the eye of the beholder, be conscious and mindful and then press the send button, or open your mouth. tony@siroccstrategy.com

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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

12 | July 2022

Suicide Rates Didn’t Increase During Pandemic Many people, including mental health experts, anticipated a dramatic increase in suicide rates following the outbreak of Covid-19. But in fact, this has not been the case and most of the research published in scientific journals points to either no change or a decrease in rates of suicide following the pandemic.

This is according to a new international study on the impact of Covid-19 on rates of suicide and selfharm in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Led by Dr Duleeka Knipe from the Population Health Sciences Institute at the Bristol Medical School at the University of Bristol, the research was conducted by a group of scientists from across the globe, including Stellenbosch University (SU) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC).

The findings of their study were published recently in the journal PLOS Global Public Health.

The researchers systematically collected and synthesised evidence on the impact of the pandemic on suicide and self-harm in LMICs, as part of an ongoing systematic review that continuously identifies and collates research on suicidal behaviour through a comprehensive automated search of multiple databases in all languages. They used this extensive database to identify all studies with data about the impact of the pandemic on suicide deaths and rates of self-harm in LMICs. They also assessed the quality of the studies and the methodology used to ensure that badly designed studies with unreliable data did not contaminate their findings.

“The most robust evidence, from time-series studies, indicated either a reduction or no change in suicide and self-harm in LMICs following the pandemic,” says one of the researchers, Prof Jason Bantjes from the SAMRC and the Institute for Life Course Health Research at SU. “These findings are important and raise interesting questions about why when looking at the best available data we do not find any changes in suicide rates in LMICs following the pandemic. This is not to say the pandemic has not caused social and psychological distress and economic hardship, but it would seem from the available evidence that this has not translated into an increase in suicidal behaviour at an aggregate population level.”

According to Bantjes, this finding echoes the results of a previous study published in The Lancet Psychiatry which found that suicide rates in highincome countries also remained largely unchanged or declined in the early phase of the pandemic

compared with expected levels based on suicide trends before the pandemic.

Bantjes points out that perhaps the most startling finding of their review is the absence of reliable suicide data from Africa.

“This is not altogether unsurprising as suicide and selfharm prevention is not considered the most important public health problem in the region and consequently research on this issue has historically not been a priority as is the case in high income and western countries largely because of serious healthcare resource constraints and several pressing health challenges.

“Any impact of the pandemic on suicide rates in Africa is likely to be obscured by more visible health problems and the increases in morbidity and mortality from other diseases whose management was interrupted when already limited healthcare services were shut down to re-deploy medical staff to emergency and intensive care units to treat Covid patients.”

Bantjes says that in the absence of reliable epidemiological data on suicides in Africa, it is impossible to assess accurately the full impact of Covid-19 and to plan evidence-based suicide prevention strategies in the region.

“The lack of meaningful epidemiological suicide data from the Africa region is a longstanding serious global public health problem, but the pandemic has brought the lack of suicide research infrastructure in Africa into sharp focus. International organisations, such as the World Health Organisation and African Union need to support and invest in robust suicide research networks and evidence-based suicide prevention interventions in Africa.”

“Governments and policymakers in Africa can curb suicides in the continent by providing economic support and investing in active labour market schemes to boost employment; working with the media to ensure responsible reporting of suicides; improving access to effective mental health care services; offering support to the victims of domestic violence; and supporting NGOs that provide counselling to suicidal individuals outside of the formal health care system.”

Bantjes says their findings need to be cautiously

interpreted as they are based on data from only 12 of the 135 LMICs because accurate real-time suicide data is not available in most LMICs. “Most of the studies reviewed relied on data collected in the early months of the pandemic and generally the quality of the studies was poor. Furthermore, research in this area typically lacks comparable pre-Covid data to enable a meaningful assessment of the real impact of the pandemic on suicide rates.

“While the available suicide data give cause for optimism, we need to remain vigilant about possible increases in suicide rates in the future. Most of all, we need to continue to ensure psychological and social support to those who are most vulnerable since it remains to be seen what lasting impact the pandemic will have on rates of mental illness globally.”

Text: Editorial Desk

IN FRANSCHHOEK

@ 48 VILLAGE ARTISAN

Source: Knipe D, John A, Padmanathan P, Eyles E, Dekel D, Higgins JPT, et al (2022). Suicide and self-harm in low- and middle- income countries during the Covid-19 pandemic: A systematic review. PLOS Glob Public Health 2(6): e0000282.

021 876 4234 · 074 325 5555 chphysiotherapy@gmail.com

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E-mail: kevin@drkevincampbellsaesthetics.com Facebook: @DrKevinCampbellsAesthetics Instagram: @drcampbellsaesthetics Address: 48 Artisan Village, Cabriere St, Franschhoek, 7690 Dr. Kevin Campbell MBChB(Pret) PN 9990140000979767

Age Flawlessly with Dr Kevin Cell: +27(0)83 240 8620

www.drkevincampbellsaesthetics.com Bastille Boules Two days 16 & 17 July 2022 Behind the NG Church - Franschhoek

R600 per team of 3

From the Chair

including a welcome mimosa/glass of O.J. This year sees the Bastille Festival return to the village and our Boules Tournament over two days, Saturday 16 July and Sunday 17 July.

Thank you so much for those people who have donated funds for us. It is so much appreciated, especially during these times of massive petrol, feed, and medication increases etc.

Registration takes place from 9am on the Saturday and balls start rolling at 10am! Spectators and supporters welcome.

We are often asked why we don’t show pictures of animals in distress, on chains, cruelty, injuries etc. We do not as policy.

I could put pictures of a recent case of a village resident who shot a beautiful 6 month old dog TWICE in the head with a silencer on his gun whilst the dog was in his kennel sleeping in an enclosed yard not on his property. Our SPCA team are incensed by this crime as am I. We will pursue this case with vigilance combined with the Franschhoek Police investigation. I can describe many, many more incidents but I will NOT add visuals. We all have imagination.

We were privileged to attend 4 schools last week, Wes Eind, Wemmershoek, Groendal and Franschhoek High. In total around 1,500 children. This was part of Mental Health week in conjunction with Franschhoek Schools Well Being Organisation. Our aim is to impart the importance of inclusion of families, children and animals in the home. The health and well –being of everyone.

I should like to thank Donna Lee-Roberts for her time, printing of posters and speaking to the children with Inspector Lilly Konstabel, Hennely Daniels, Chrisentia Hoffman and myself.

Thank you also to the Village Stationers who printed copies for us.

Sick animals, sick children, sick parents, sick staff coming to your homes , Guest houses and places of business. Please be aware and speak to anyone you know to pass on that the SPCA is here to do the necessary checks and to de-worm, dip, inoculate at no cost.

Our Motto of Franschhoek SPCA Junior education is: “IT’S COOL TO BE KIND” Our Annual General Meeting is on the 7th of July at 5pm in the Council Chambers at the Municipality

Polly Meyer

Sign up now by mailing Erika at events@spcafhk.co.za

NOTICE OF AGM 7 July 2022 @ 17h00 Franschhoek Council Chambers RSVP info@spcafhk.co.za

Change is the end result of true learning!

You too can make a real difference Please donate so we can continue our invaluable work in our community.

Nedbank Franschhoek Account number - 1670019365

Branch code - 167005

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July 2022 | 13

with Nico Pieterse Water Sommelier at The Fine Water Company How would you describe the profession of a water sommelier?

A water sommelier has been trained to recognise and appreciate the quality of fine mineral water. We specialise in the knowledge of how origin, natural filtration and natural carbonation contribute towards the most valued mineral waters on the market. As the industry of fine water is still growing, educating the public and spreading awareness of this industry also comprises a fundamental part of our occupation.

What made you choose to become a water sommelier?

I owned a brewery in Stellenbosch where I noticed how minute shifts in water quality could drastically alter the outcome of our products and this sparked my love for good water. After leaving the brewery, I heard an interview with South Africa’s first water sommelier, Candice Jansen, on the radio and I was utterly fascinated. I decided to enrol for a certification course compiled by renowned sommeliers Martin Riese and Michael

Mascha.

How does a lover of fine water train to become certified as a water sommelier?

It is an intense course and I began during the COVID-19 pandemic so all my training had to take place online. A large portion of the course consisted of handing in many projects where I had to unpack the character of a particular brand of mineral water before pairing it with food and wine. Water sommeliers also put tremendous effort into studying the complex science and history behind high-quality mineral water.

Which factors influence the taste and character of fine water?

A great number of parameters such as mineral content, effervescence, viscosity, terroir and age can all shape the taste of mineral water before it is bottled. For example, the brand Pedras is gathered from natural springs in Portugal, after being filtered through layers of granite for more than a decade.

In Norway, on the other hand, they bottle water from melting icebergs in the Svalbard archipelago

Blanket Drive

It’s cold out there! Let’s all come together as a community this winter to make a difference. You can donate blankets or RI 50 to buy a blanket for someone in need.

All blankets will be distributed within Franschhoek to assist organisations working in the community. For every blanket received, Seeff will donate a second blanket.

Please contact our branch for banking details should you wish to donate via EFT. 31 Huguenot Road I Franschhoek | 7690 Contact number: 021 876 4592

Book Review

CHARLOTTE VAN ZYL

Afterlives

By Abdulrazak Gurnah Publ. Bloomsbury. 281 pages.

Bless the return of the Franschhoek Literary Festival! A great programme, fascinating talks by well-known and upcoming authors – intellectual stimulation throughout.

As an unexpected bonus, the FLF bookshop introduced me to Abdulrazak Gurnah, last year’s winner of the Noble Prize for Literature.

Only five other African writers have been awarded the Nobel Prize since its inception in 1901: Wole Soyinka (1986), Naguib Mahfouz (1988), Nadine Gordimer (1991), J.M. Coetzee (2003) and Doris Lessing (2007).

The Zanzibar-born writer was Professor of English and Colonial Studies at Kent University and now lives in Canterbury.

Gurnah’s latest novel “Afterlives” is an epic story that begins with the onset of the First World War and continues to the end of the Second. The narrative revolves principally around the lives of three Tanganyikans, Ilyas, Hamza and Afiya, but there is a supporting cast made up of the families and merchants and seafarers that constitute the culturally-rich coastal society. .

Both Ilyas and Hamza are recruited into the occupying German army, although for different reasons. Their ability to learn and speak German ensures that they survive the bloody conflict. Gurnah graphically sketches the world historical events that impact the characters’ lives. Armies

march across the tropical terrain and engage in meaningless battles. They also lay waste to villages and mission stations, killing indiscriminately But the author is equally interested in the textures of everyday life; the mundane but often deadly tasks that constitute the lives of the foot soldiers Ilyas and Hamza. Equal attention is paid to the necessary and varied household tasks that make up Afiya’s daily chores, an intimate narrative that follows the lives and loves of families living in the coastal areas.

The relationship between the three characters and their various colonial masters has huge consequences on their lives after the wars – their “afterlives”. The aftermath of a violent life in the army affects the afterlives of Ilyas and Hamza in very different ways. Hamza uses his experiences to find happiness with Afiya. They both are absorbed in the animated life of their community, moving between mosque, trade, child-rearing and woodcraft. Ilyas becomes cut off from his roots. He leaves Africa and drifts into a vagrant life in postwar Europe.

By the end of the book we feel we have encountered characters who have successfully rebuilt their lives in spite of colonialism. People who have cultivated an instinct for survival by finding a reason to live and find satisfaction in the ordinariness of life.

This remarkable, epic story is told in the quietest of voices.

The writer takes the reader along with him as he weaves the stories together of battles, guerrilla warfare and gentle love between the survivors – all set the rich multi-cultural context of traders and shopkeepers trying to make a living in a shattered East Africa. The smell of spices, the colours of woven fabrics, the social life around the local mosque create a vibrant and recognisable society.

which are more than one hundred thousand years old, and the water has a unique taste.

How does a water tasting compare with a wine tasting?

Water sommeliers have developed a bespoke glass for use in tastings which resembles a wine glass with a longer stem. For best results, fine mineral water is served below room temperature, around eighteen degrees Celsius, and plastic bottles are never used. As for the selection, I prefer to include three sparkling brands and three still brands in a tasting to create a palpable contrast between different levels of combined mineral content.

Are there many certified water sommeliers in the world?

We are currently a rare profession because of the limited number of institutions that can offer certification. Our scarcity is further compounded by the fact that most people have never heard of training to be a water sommelier and having two in South Africa is actually an unusual scenario. Our products can also be notoriously difficult to obtain due to limited or restricted production.

What are you planning for your store The Fine Water Company and when will you open your doors to the public?

The Fine Water Company will be opening at Chef’s Warehouse at Maison Estate and I intend to integrate water tastings with The Franschhoek Wine Tram. I have selected seventeen exquisite brands of mineral water for our catalogue, including Mountain Falls which is collected and bottled right here in South Africa. Furthermore, I am working with Chef’s Warehouse to choose waters that would complement the food and wine on their menu. I should be ready for the public around the first weekend of July.

Poetic Licence HARRY OWEN

The re-emergence of Franschhoek’s Literary Festival after its enforced Covid hibernation having somehow passed me by, attention turned to another with which I am much more familiar – the National Arts Festival (NAF) in Grahamstown, which marked its ‘in-person’ return at the end of June.

Established in 1974 by Guy Butler and Roy Sargeant, both Rhodes University professors, the NAF is the largest such festival in Africa.

Remarkably, it managed to continue online or in hybrid form throughout lockdown. Associated, too, with the Festival until recent years was its hugely popular and influential adjunct, Wordfest, founded by the late Chris Mann.

Back in 2014, as NAF celebrated its fortieth anniversary, I was enthralled by the appearance on stage of three superb African poets, all of whom continue to write and perform today.

Johannesburg-based Phillippa Yaa de Villiers’ powerful one-woman show Original Skin based on the story of her adoption as a child, was unquestionably powerful and deeply moving. And, of course, it was rapturously received.

Phillippa is also an engaging and award-winning poet. Here is a taste of her work, from her 2010 collection, The Everyday Wife (Modjaji Books):

Lasso Words become me.

They are the flowers in my hair, jewels at my neck and ears.

Words adorn my being.

Without them I am shorn, grey as a corpse, silent as the stinging rain, beggared by forces too big to conquer, too unnamable to tame.

Beyond the fence wild words gallop free, yet to be harnessed to my plough.

And those are the ones most beautiful to me: I want to be a cowgirl with a noose lassoing wild words and in my own field setting them loose.

I recall how the following weekend she shared a

Is there any brand or label of premium water which is truly special to you?

After drinking a truly remarkable German brand named Nevas Water I knew I found my favourite. This is a cuvée table water that comes in a corked bottle much like a sparkling wine and it is likewise enjoyed at celebrations and sometimes as a non-alcoholic substitute. It has incredibly fine and velvety bubbles and its slightly salty mineral content compliments certain kinds of seafood particularly well.

Does your passion for premium water have a connection with broader ecological concerns?

There is definitely an ecological component. Natural drinking water is becoming a rare and precious commodity in modern society and the knowledge to appreciate the quality of premium mineral water can lead to a deeper appreciation of the water we encounter in our daily lives. As any water sommelier would tell you, water is not just water.

stage with two other extraordinary performers, one South African, the other UK-based but of Ethiopian origin.

Born in the United States to exiled South African parents, Lebo Mashile returned to this country when she was sixteen. She uses her hip-hop inspired poetry and strong sense of social justice to give voice to pressing social and political concerns. Her sharp wit, engaging personality and incisive words were evident in several weekend performances of Walk the Talk at the Transnet Great Hall.

After joining both of these remarkable women in Walk the Talk, the multi-faceted, internationally acclaimed Lemn Sissay also read his poetry and showed a vivid BBC documentary of his life as The Full Package.

Many qualities unite these three wonderful artists, including their very different yet unusually formative upbringings, but for me perhaps the most telling is their shared sense of social consciousness, clearly apparent in this poem by Lemn Sissay.

If ever you have the opportunity to attend a reading by any of these wonderful poets, I urge you to take it.

Let There Be Peace Let there be peace So frowns fly away like albatross And skeletons foxtrot from cupboards: So war correspondents become travel show presenters And magpies bring back lost property Children, engagement rings, broken things.

Let there be peace So storms can go out to sea to be Angry and return to me calm: So the broken can rise and dance in the hospitals.

Let the aged Ethiopian man in the grey block of flats Peer through his window and see Addis before him Let his thrilled outstretched arms become frames For his dreams.

Let there be peace.

Let tears evaporate to form clouds, cleanse themselves And fall into reservoirs of drinking water.

Let harsh memories burst into fireworks that melt In the dark pupils of a child’s eyes And disappear like shoals of darting silver fish.

And let the waves reach the shore with a Shhhhhhhhhh shhhhhhhhhh shhhhhhhhhh Lemn Sissay blog.lemnsissay.com

A PROUD SPONSOR OF...

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14 | July 2022

Smalls JOB WANTED: My name is Elizabeth. I’m looking for a two-day job, Mondays and Fridays.

I have 7 years’ experience. For a reference call +447921689424. My contact number is 073 289 5444.

COTTAGE TO LET: One-bedroomed cottage to

deliveries. To be added to the list contact Sue

CLUBS & ASSOCIATIONS

Norman on 083 321 3442 or suenorman50@

Boland Bridge Club

outlook.com.

District Municipality(Bush & veld)

021 886 9244

Franschhoek Tennis Club

078 278 4843

Police

DO YOU STILL HAVE THAT POOL LEAK? Losing

FHK Heritage & Ratepayers Ass.

082 496 8749

Eskom

water all the time? Let us quote and take care of

Groot Drakenstein Games Club

021 874 1906

Omnipage Farm Watch

021 852 3318

the problem! Call RiaPools: 072 347 5355

- Craig Mc Naught: Captain

080 845 1014

Plaaswag

021 876 2346

N1, N2 & R300 Emergency number:

021 946 1646

PROFESSIONAL POOL SERVICE REQUIRED? Keep it local! Get a quote. Call RiaPools: 072 347 5355

- Lejean Pieterse, Hiring

082 490 0405

Lions

10111/021 876 8061 086 003 7566

021 876 3775

DENTISTS

Stb Masonic Lodge (Chris)

072 211 9991

Dr Schalk du Plessis

rent in the village. Rental R6500 incl electricity.

Franschhoek Rotary Club

082 891 4613

DOCTORS

Call Brenda on 082 557 0787.

Franschhoek Probus Club

021 876 3179

Dr Karin Eksteen

ACCOMMODATION AVAILABLE: On Secure Estate. Private Entrance, Parking Bay, Shutters, DSTV, Kitchenette, Shower, Furnished 1-Bed Cottage R 7500 Per Month Call Mark 02 934 5630 Need

BASIC

SECRETARIAL

or

COMPUTER

Services?

BOOKKEEPING

Services?

Contact Ronelle Pinard 0736461687 We are looking for a 2nd hand (working) TV for our Malawian Gardener. Will pay cash. Please phone Dawie de Villiers – 082 468 1802.

JNR. SECRETARY REQUIRED on flexi time or hourly basis. Small Solar company at La Motte.

You must have Excel experience. Phone 082 468 1802 or send C.V. to info@wynlandesolar.co.za HANDY

MAN

painting

and

renovation

business for sale. Call 072 782 7482 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 housesitter 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 JANE PARKFELT DESIGNS Ready for a new website? Or a website refresh? My website designs offer simplicity, good taste, affordability and easy navigation for small businesses, services or individuals. janeparkfeltdesigns.co.za | info@janeparkfeltdesigns.co.za | 071 161 7837 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 CHANGING TO A SALT WATER SYSTEM? Let us advise & quote for you! Call RiaPools: 072 347 5355 FRESH,

ORGANIC

FARM

PRODUCE:

Delivered weekly to Franschhoek, including

Community Events SPORT

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.

GENERAL

021 876 2120/083 309 2923

Dr Nicolas Els

021 876 2561

Dr Bernard Fisher

021 876 4622

Andrew Schmidt

021 876 4431/082 972 5755

Burger Excavations

072 3408518

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Medicare EMR

Franschhoek Health Club

021 876 3310

MUNICIPALITY

received

083 250 0943/021 876 2084

Tuesday for Wednesday delivery. A number of

BURGLAR ALARMS

Franschhoekers are already receiving weekly

Pepler Alarms

074 363 7744/021 876 4316

(Ward 1) Clr Pfeiffer (DA)

079 597 2765

Clock Repairs

028 840 1716

(Ward 2) Clr Petersen (DA)

082 404 5055

Lighting & Accessories

021 876 3640

HOUSE & GARDEN

(Ward 3) Clr Manuel (DA)

074 686 2364

Ria Pools (Franschhoek) 021 876 2612/072 347 5355

(Ward 4) Clr Adams (DA)

073 446 5411

Sue’s Gardens

083 321 3442

Municipality (Office Hours)

021 808 8700

Valley Garden Service

071 591 0342

Municipality (afternoon only)

021 808 8890

Municipality 24hr Service

021 808 8700

INTERNET ACCESS PostNet

021 876 3025

OPTOMETRIST Marelise Bester

021 872 3530

PHYSIOTHERAPY Claire Horn

021 876 4234/082 582 1029

PLUMBERS Franschhoek Plumbing

021 876 3759

PSYCHOLOGIST Danielle Smith

082 812 1476

PUBLIC SERVICES Hospice

021 876 3085

Library

021 808 8406

Post Office

021 876 2342

Welfare (ACVV)

021 876 2670

SPCA

083 745 5344

SCHOOLS Bridge House School

021 874 8100

Franschhoek High School

021 876 2079

Groendal Primary School

021 876 2448 021 876 2211

Useful Numbers

Snipelisky & Killian

084 264 0000

EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE

Franschhoek Storage

021 876 2676

Audiologist Tracy-Ann Morris

021 876 2261

021 876 3957

Tax Shop

AUDIOLOGIST

Franschhoek Pharmacy

Dalubuhle Primary School

021 876 2592/072 402 9469

on

Rensburg Electrical

Alcoholics Anonymous: WED evenings 19:00, Groendal Community Centre, Contact David +27 83 305 5159

Susan Charlesworth

placed

021 876 2304

021 876 2360

cheese, honey, etc. Lists of available produce orders

021 876 2474

Dr Hannes Van der Merwe

Wes-Eind Primary School

ATTORNEYS

Monday,

Dr Alexander Heywood

Groendal Secondary School

ACCOUNTANTS

021 876 4622

074 313 7829/021 876 3640

EXCAVATIONS

FRANSCHHOEK TENNIS CLUB: Social tennis is played at the club on Fridays, Sundays and Public Holidays from 08h00. For more information contact Ross. 078 278 4843.

021 876 3070

Franschhoek Electric

ELECTRICAL

vegetables and fruit in season, chicken, eggs, on

021 887 4446

021 876 3031

STORAGE

SERVICES: Certificate of compliance Re-wiring | Fault finding | Electrical maintenance Leak detection | Drainage | Bathroom renovations Plumbing maintenance C: 082 390 3241 / 074 259 2218 E: info@capeplumbingandelectrical.co.za W: www.capeplumbingandelectrical.co.za

THE DECOR PARTY Party decor from small celebrations to big celebrations for the young and the not so young!

Call or whatsapp Deidre on 076 911 6137

021 876 2174

TOURIST INFORMATION & SERVICES Info Office

021 876 3603

Winelands Experience

021 876 4042

Huguenot Memorial Museum

021 876 2532

Jnr. Secretary required on flexi time or hourly basis. Small Solar company at La Motte. You must have Excel experience.

Phone 082 468 1802 or send C.V. to info@wynlandesolar.co.za

VETERINARY Fhk Animal Clinic (plus surgery) Emergencies/Weekends

021 876 2504

021 863 3187/082 8089 100

EMERGENCY NUMBERS 021 876 3308

Stb Fire Dept. (Buildings)

021 808 8888

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

Contact Ronelle Pinard on 073 646 1687

Local R350; International R800 Copyright: All rights reserved, reproduction in whole or part prohibited.

Views expressed are not necessarily those of the editor. Publication of editorial or advertising matter does not imply endorsement o r warranty in respect of goods or services therin described.

VALLEY GARDENS

For a wonderful garden all year round with no hassle!

Carlos Venter

071 591 0342 | valleygardenservice@gmail.com

Jnr. Sekretaresse benodig om per uur te werk of flexityd. Ons is 'n klein Solar Mpy op La Motte. Jy moet Excel ondervinding hê.

Skakel 082 468 1802 of stuur C.V. na info@wynlandesolar.co.za

July 2022 | 15

FRANSCHHOEK

STORAGE For short and long term storage solutions. We offer lockable bays, containers and

SAFE. SECURE. AFFORDABLE.

PACKAGING TRAILER HIRE 6 Fabriek Street 0218762174 0823206523

Guaranteed Affordable Prices on Sales & Service of: SMART HD & UHD LED Tvs Home Theatre Systems • Multiroom Audio DSTV Satellite & Terrestrial Installations

DOMESTIC OR COMMERCIAL CLEANING Daily, Weekly, Monthly or Once-off and we can do WINDOW CLEANING, IRONING, CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANING

9 New Street, Paarl, 7646 T: 021 872 1346 | F: 021 872 6625 E: sales@cathmar.co.za | Web: www.cathmar.co.za

Vicky Cell: 082 975 2494 Email: vjmuscroft@iafrica.com

Sue’s Gardens Sue Norman

Ons gebruik ons gevorderde lugopmeting stelsel om ‘n kwaliteit besproeiingsontwerp en -stelsel te lewer.

Landscaping and maintenance of gardens, all sizes!

Mulching services available.

We use our advanced aerial survey equipment to supply a high quality irrigation design and system.

De Villiers Visser

UR NEW EMAIL PLEASE NOTE O@ tlook.com suenorman50 ou

Besproeiing / Irrigation

cell 083 321 3442 tel/fax: 021 876 2510

Email

OCW

RESTORATION & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

+27 (0)21 876 3640

WE MANAGE ALL RELATED HOMEOWNER SERVICES WITHIN FRANSCHHOEK, BOLAND, WINELANDS AND SURROUNDS

Unit A, Fabriek Nationale No 1, 9 Fabriek street, Franschhoek 7690 herman@franschhoekelectric.co.za www.franschhoekelectric.co.za

Restoration | Carpentry Joinery | Built-in Cupboards C: 071 990 9219 • C: 082 390 8191 ocwcarpentry@gmail.com Old Simondium Winery, R45 PO Box 5, Groot Drakenstein, 7680

074 313 7829

FLOOR MASTER STELLENBOSCH Wooden floor repairs, sanding & polishing. Since 1992.

Also solid wood & laminated flooring installations.

Call Tim for a free quotation.

Cell: 082 442 5244 Email: floormasterstell@gmail.com Tel: 021 - 887 6707 www.floormasterstellenbosch.co.za

Our service wood floor you!

16 | July 2022

FRANSCHHOEK EXQUISITE, EXTRAVAGANT, EXCLUSIVE

THE SEARCH IS OVER Franschhoek is an extraordinary village founded in the late seventeenth century by the French Huguenots who brought with them the most splendid vines all the way from Europe. Today this much-loved valley produces some of South Africa’s most superb wines. As the name suggests, it is the French Corner of the Cape Winelands in the Western Cape province.

C

M

The village has retained its French legacy and it will keep you entertained with some of South Africa’s top-ranked fine-dining restaurants and street cafés, making it the culinary capital of the Cape, as well as a main road lined with specialist shops, boutiques, art galleries and various museums. There are about thirty wine cellars, including many historic farms and well-known brands, such as La Motte, Backsberg, Babylonstoren, Bellingham, Boschendal and Haute Cabrière.

Y

CM

MY

Franschhoek is a vibrant, cosmopolitan village that attracts artists, tourists, retirees and affluent people from all over.

It is ideally situated between Paarl and Stellenbosch, and a mere 45-minute drive from Cape Town.

CY

CMY

K

C O N TA C T O U R T E A M T O F I N D Y O U R D R E A M P R O P E R T Y Moira Atkinson

Marianne vd Merwe

081 377 2592

082 921 3248

Registered with the PPRA

Registered with the PPRA

Candidate Property Practitioner

Non-Principal Property Practitioner

moira.atkinson@seeff.com

marianne1@seeff.com

Vivien Louw

Dina Boshoff

082 800 8350

071 886 4752

Registered with the PPRA

Registered with the PPRA

Non-Principal Property Practitioner Candidate Property Practitioner vivien.louw@seeff.com

dina.boshoff@seeff.com

Tania van Deemter 076 726 2873 Registered with the PPRA Non-Principal Property Practitioner tania.vandeemter@seeff.com

Sales l Rentals l Residential l Lifestyle l Commercial l Farms

31 Huguenot St, Franschhoek, 7690 021 876 4592 l www.seeff.com

July 2022 | 17

20 22

REGIONAL GOLDCLUB AWARDS

“I am proud to acknowledge the determination and achievements of our top performing agents, Doug & Jeanine, for their outstanding service and sales.”

- Surina du Toit, Branch Manager

Emerald Circle

Emerald Circle status is the ultimate accolade awarded in recognition of an exclusive group of elite, top performing agents for their unprecedented sales records.

Jeanine Allen

Doug Gurr

GoldClub 5 Year Elite | Emerald Circle Agent

GoldClub 10 Year Elite | Emerald Circle Agent

Registered with the PPRA Full Status FFC

Registered with the PPRA Full Status FFC

jeanine.allen@pamgolding.co.za

doug.gurr@pamgolding.co.za

Franschhoek Winelands

Franschhoek Winelands

082 410 6837

Exclusive Mandate Under Offer

072 610 7208

FRANSCHHOEK

R4.5 MILLION

4 Bedrooms / 2 Bathrooms / 1 Garage / 1 Parking

Affordable, private family home located in a secure complex a short stroll from the village centre, with openplan living areas, French doors opening onto the covered patio, pool and lush garden, and beautiful mountain views.

Ref: FWI1555869

Exclusive Mandate

FRANSCHHOEK

R3.5 MILLION Excl. VAT

Vacant land, approximately 524m²

Extremely rare opportunity to build your dream home in the heart of the village! This well-located residential erf also offers a fully functioning borehole and a lovely mature tree to add to the garden design.

Ref: FWI1570394

Pam Golding Properties (Pty) Ltd - Franschhoek Winelands Registered with the PPRA. Holder of a Business Property Practitioner FFC. Operating a Trust Account. W: +27 21 876 2100 | E: winelandsint@pamgolding.co.za

18 | July 2022

LOCAL

EXPERTISE

NATIONAL

PRESENCE

INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE

FRANSCHE HOEK ESTATE

FRANSCHHOEK HUGE POTENTIAL

FRANSCHE HOEK ESTATE

Must see new listing with some of Franschhoek’s finest high end finishes.

Luxuriously appointed four bedroom three bathroom contemporary home with spectacular mountain views. Feature living area with sunken lounge open plan to the designer kitchen/dining room. Outdoor entertainment patio and decked swimming pool with breath taking views. Also includes internal courtyard garden and large double garage.

Very large 8 bedroom, 8 bathroom property on 2,500 sq m plot.

Located on a tranquil tree-lined residential street this property offers many options. Previously operated as a guest house and more recently as staff accommodation the property would also suit redevelopment in accordance with its Multi-Unit Residential Zoning. Price excludes VAT..

This grand five bedroom home with separate two bedroom cottage has a stunning location nestled amongst vineyards with some of the best views in Franschhoek. Also includes two living rooms, dining room, kitchen/diner, 4 car garage, large stoep, sparkling pool, landscaped gardens and large wine cellar.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114 Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

Tom Clode 079 955 3114 Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

R12 500 000

R11 750 000 ex VAT

Tom Clode 079 955 3114 Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

R27 500 000

HERITAGE PROPERTY ON 2,000M2

DOMAINE DES ANGES

5 BEDROOM HOME ON 1 HECTARE

Historic gem sensitively updated to present charming original features with a fresh, contemporary twist. This unique four bedroom home is a rare find. Period features includes high ceilings and sash windows.

Wonderful flow to the outdoor lounge/dining terrace space for entertaining with gorgeous mountain views and charming garden outlook. Sold with furnishings.

Stunning 5 bedroom family home provides country living in the heart of Franschhoek. Combining Provencal features with sweeping views of the Franschhoek valley and mountains this much loved home has a real sense of place. Facilities on this exclusive estate include private clubhouse, gym, pool and tennis court.

The best of both worlds! Spacious family living in a countryside setting with breath-taking views a short distance from Franschhoek Village. Huge open plan double volume light filled kitchen/ breakfast/living room. Five spacious bedrooms. Formal living and dining rooms. Large swimming pool, vineyards, two bedroom cottage Price excludes VAT.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114 Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

Tom Clode 079 955 3114 Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

Tom Clode 079 955 3114 Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

R 16 970 000

R 13 500 000

R29 950 000 ex VAT

LIFESTYLE WINE ESTATE

L’AVENUE ESTATE

IMMACULATE 3-BEDROOM HOME

Part of one of the original farms settled by the Huguenots in the late 1600’s. Income producing 16 ha Lifestyle Wine Estate a 10 minute walk from Franschhoek centre. Historic four bedroom Main House. Income from 6 self-catering cottages, 100 tonne wine cellar, vineyards and olive trees. Price excludes VAT.

Charming 4 bedroom en-suite home on the highly desirable L’Avenue de Franschhoek secure estate. Ideal family living with open-plan living/dining/kitchen area. Great north facing views down the Franschhoek valley. Spacious 55 sqm mezzanine studio, covered stoep with views over pool, garden and mountains beyond. Also includes double garage.

Just a short walk to the High Street is this immaculately presented three bedroom home. Large double volume living area, spacious dining room, chef’s kitchen, three bedrooms, three bathrooms.

Stunning west facing views from covered verandah and sparkling swimming pool. Price excludes VAT.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114 Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

Tom Clode 079 955 3114 Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

Tom Clode 079 955 3114 Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194

POA

300 offices globally 40 offices nationally

R8 950 000

R9 995 000 ex VAT

Fine & Country Franschhoek 23 Huguenot St, Franschhoek, 7690 +27 (0)21 876 3322 | franschhoek@fineandcountry.com