Private Edition 47 Sotheby's by Private Edition

ISSUE 47

CONTENTS ISSUE

2020

COVE R

EDITOR’ S

LET TER

Thoughts from the editor CREATIVE DIRECTION GAELYN QUIXLEY-SMITH

THE

BRIEFING

The latest news from the world of luxury and investment PHOTOGRAPHY MARGUERITE OELOFSE

STYLING ROBYNNE KAHN

26 HAIR AND MAKE-UP: CHERYL PARKER

HEADS

ART

WORTH

TRAVELLING

FOR

Elana Brundyn curates a list of art exhibitions worth travelling for this year

30 MODEL SAMUEL/THE CIRCLE MODEL MANAGEMENT

TALKING

Could Chrysalis, a sci-fi novel about head transplantation, be a forecast of new possibilities in transplant surgery?

THE

WRITE

NOTE

Meet the SA collector with an enviable array of luxury writing instruments

EVERYTHING

OLD

NEW

AGAIN

The current collector car auction schedule is unsustainable – what next for buyers of classic cars?

PRIVATE EDITION

4 0

T H E

SPI R I T

SPE E D

Photographer Simon Davidson captures the humans and their speed machines on the salt lake of Bonneville, Utah, in the US

M AT E R I A L

GA I N S

For a new wave of local artists and designers the materials they use are as important as the issues they grapple with

LOVE

I S

A L L

A R OUN D

The scents and sounds of the Zululand bushveld surrounding Thanda Safari reveal themselves in a heady rush

6 0

T H E

L A N D

T HAT

T I M E

FORGOT

Away from the clogged dive sites and overrun coastal playgrounds of the world is the almost untouched Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat. Peter Frost reports

ISSUE 47

15 7

FROM THE EDITOR IS S U E

2020

MID THE COVID-19 pandemic, the luxury market, like so many other sectors, has lost billions. But that hasn’t stopped some of the most prominent names in the game from donating millions to help those affected. Here’s a story I love: Louis Vuitton owner LVMH says that its perfume and cosmetics factories – which normally produce fragrances for labels like Christian Dior, Givenchy and Guerlain – are producing disinfectant gel to help combat a shortage of hand sanitisers in France. The gel will be free, and the first shipments to health authorities across the nation were scheduled for the third week of March. The good stories will keep coming, I’m sure of it, as we face the pandemic together. And if there’s any benefit to self-isolation, it’s me-time – or rather, you-time – to pore over the fascinating stories in this very magazine, which has seen a redesign, thanks to the light and talented touch of creative director Gaelyn Quixley-Smith. We know you’ll approve. The reading list for this issue includes an interview with a Cape Town neurosurgeon turned author. His surgical sci-fi novel, Chrysalis, is set in the near future and describes the world’s first human head transplant. (And we asked just how sci-fi it is…) For another fascinating read, meet our collector, who has an impressive treasury of more than 400 luxury pens. We met with metallurgists, ceramicists, light designers and pattern makers for our design and décor feature, which explores collectable furniture pieces, ceramics and objets from designers, artists and artisans. My favourite story this issue? The ‘Spirit of Speed’ photo essay shot by Simon Davidson on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Enjoy the read, and stay safe.

EDITOR CATHERINE DAVIS cdavis@tppsa.co.za CREATIVE DIRECTOR GAELYN QUIXLEY-SMITH COPY EDITOR WENDY MARITZ DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER LINDA MZAMANE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER NIC MORKEL nmorkel@tppsa.co.za 021 488 5926, 082 468 6490 PRINT ADVERTISING MANAGER SAMEEGHA WOLHUTER swolhuter@tppsa.co.za 021 488 5938, 078 356 9521 ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE BERNICE BLUNDELL bernice@adplacements.co.za 073 618 1882 ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR MERYL WEITS mweits@tppsa.co.za 021 488 5951 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARK BEARE MANAGING DIRECTOR SUSAN NEWHAM-BLAKE PRODUCTION DIRECTOR JOHN MORKEL HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER JÜNKE SCHOEMAN FINANCIAL MANAGER NAEEMA ABRAHAMS

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Private Edition is published by The Publishing Partnership (Pty) Ltd, 9th Floor, Tarquin House, 81 Loop Street, Cape Town 8001. Copyright: The Publishing Partnership (Pty) Ltd 2020. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent from The Publishing Partnership or the authors. The publishers are not responsible for any unsolicited material. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The Publishing Partnership or the editor. Editorial and advertising enquiries: PO Box 15054, Vlaeberg 8018; tel 021 424 3517; email privateedition@tppsa.co.za Visit privateedition.co.za Reproduction: Hirt & Carter Printing: Novus Print ISSN: 2218-063X

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PHOTOGRAPHY MARGUERITE OELOFSE STYLING ROBYNNE KAHN HAIR AND MAKE-UP CHERYL PARKER DRESS KAT VAN DUINEN

CATHERINE DAVIS EDITOR

BIG BANG hublot.com

Ceramic case. Self-winding chronograph movement.

C EO’ S

LET TER

THE FUTURE OF WHERE WE WORK THE WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT AND THE WAY WE WORK HAVE CHANGED. AND IT’S HAD QUITE AN IMPACT ON COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE. LEW GEFFEN CHAIRMAN

OR DECADES BABY BOOMERS ruled the corporate world, and during this time the hallmark of a company’s success was its premises. And a large, imposing building at a prestigious address, where staff gathered together daily at the same time to conduct business, was the ideal. However, the changing of the guard last year precipitated a dramatic transformation in the workplace, the world of business and, thereby, commercial real estate. In 2019 the mantle of corporate rulers was officially passed to a new order – there are now not only more millennials than baby boomers, but Generation Z, the first fully digital generation, has also entered the workplace, and both demographic groups view the world (and business) very differently. Millennials adopt new technologies much more easily and quickly than their predecessors. They are more comfortable doing business remotely and virtually, and expect to be given the tools and freedom by employers to do so. And Gen Zs, who have never known life without digital technology at their fingertips, will push the envelope even further. Research reveals that 60% of this group prefer to learn through YouTube tutorials and videos, which, for example, present a host of new challenges for standard HR and training methods. We should remember that the primary role of the workplace was always to bring people together in close physical proximity, as this was the way work got done. But digital technology has negated this need. The office is now more of a central base from where to attract, retain and inspire the best talent, and it’s no longer necessary for them all to report for work at the same time every day. When you factor in the prevailing global economy, spiralling traffic congestion in major centres and our growing expectation of convenience, all indications are that the traditional 9-to-5 era is fading away, and one of flexible work and digitised assistance is being ushered in. South Africa’s economic woes aside, many economists predict that we are teetering on the edge of another global recession, and businesses are already looking at ways to reduce the costs of large office overheads by instituting flexitime and turning to co-working centres. SLOW in the City in Sandton has been operating for a number of years, but the concept behind it has really taken off and now there are many such centres, including Open in Maboneng, The Workspace, JoziHub, Impact Hub, WeWork and Regus. Not only do you save on rental, but shared business centres usually come standard with receptionists, admin equipment like printers and phones, and Wi-Fi included in the price, thereby further reducing overheads.

YAEL GEFFEN CEO

Contrary to what many traditionalists fear, ie that people will not be productive in the absence of management’s watchful eye, studies are proving that the opposite is true. According to research from The IWG Annual Global Workspace Survey, affording employees the chance to work from flexible workspaces has been shown to increase productivity, with 54% of employees saying that working remotely enables them to get more done. The new guard also has very different lifestyle needs and shopping habits. They prefer walkability to driving everywhere, and they do most of their shopping online, which is spurring further shifts in the commercial real estate sector. The director of our commercial division in Cape Town, Jack Bass, says tenants will become increasingly attracted to live/work/ play precincts like Century City in Cape Town. He says businesses looking to attract millennial and Gen Z clients and staff need to look at situating themselves in nodes with good walkability and enticing retail, dining and recreational options; where everything is on their doorstep and there is seldom a need to drive. This trend is already well established in the US, with several areas, like Irvine in California, already home to many such precincts. Bass says that the growing move to online shopping is already impacting the retail sector, especially the high-street concept, which has been declining in recent years, while the industrial sector has strengthened. Smaller industrial spaces of around 100m² are being snapped up and are mostly used for storage and warehousing. The more ecommerce continues to grow, the more traditional retail will slow down. He adds that connectivity and digital capability are no longer optional extras when renting out commercial space; in fact, they are not only critical but should also be up to speed and able to accommodate the latest technology. Meetings and training seminars are increasingly being conducted via communication technology such as Zoom and Facebook Live, and the need to travel far and wide on planes to attend meetings is almost a thing of the past. Time is money and any wastage of time translates into a waste of money, which is increasingly minimised by the new digital advances and working culture. However, I think that care has to be taken to not completely eliminate the human YAEL GEFFEN touchpoint, only drive it with CEO smarter systems.

PRIVATE EDITION

120887

Buying a new car.

Investing in a very, very old one.

The digital luxury guide

PHOTOGRAPHY GETTYIMAGES.COM

Private Edition Digital is a dedicated luxury news and lifestyle guide with reviews, opinions, videos and stories about the best, most exclusive cars, watches, art, travel, style and much more. Find us online at PrivateEdition.co.za, or like Private Edition magazine on Facebook and be the first to discover the latest developments and news from the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most covetable brands, curated by the digital team behind Private Edition. You can also subscribe to our newsletter for a roundup of the latest trends and stories every two weeks, so you never miss a moment in luxury. For the best life has to offer, PrivateEdition.co.za is an essential resource.

To be or not to be… AT THE END OF MAY EACH YEAR, AUTOMOBILE AFICIONADOS GATHER FOR THE CONCORSO VILLA D’ESTE, HELD ON THE SHORES OF LAKE COMO IN NORTHERN ITALY. THIS YEAR IT MAY BE A DIFFERENT STORY...

PHOTOGRAPHY GETTYIMAGES.COM

SELECT ELITE from the

international car-collector scene meets annually in the exclusive gardens of Villa d’Este where carefully selected classic cars are appraised. The traditional apogee of this lavish presentation comes when each of the vehicles is paraded on the terrace of the Grand Hotel overlooking the renowned and beautiful Lake Como. You are unlikely to find a comparable selection of legendary automobile jewels anywhere else in the world. This year, however, the prestigious event is unlikely to take place. At the time of going to print, the organisers announced they are monitoring new developments in connection with the coronavirus in Italy and will notify patrons if the event will go ahead, be postponed or indeed cancelled, as has been the case with most global watch and design fairs, art shows and sporting events. Read more about how online automobile auctions could be the way of the future on page 36.

ISSUE 47

ACCELERATE

DESIGN SIGNATURES

Mulsanne’s swansong

What I know about… painting on cars

THE BENTLEY MULSANNE SET A BENCHMARK IN THE LUXURY SECTOR IN 1980, AND NOW 30 CARS WILL IMMORTALISE BENTLEY’S MASTERPIECE. RICHARD WEBB WITNESSES THE LAST OFF THE LINE. My recent visit to the world-famous Bentley plant in Crewe, Cheshire, was, alas, not to oversee the construction of my own Bentley, but for a lingering look at the last of the Mulsannes – the 6.75 Edition by Mulliner. Mulsanne set a benchmark in the luxury sector when it first appeared in 1980. Its 6.75-litre engine is also the world’s longest-serving V8 of its type in continuous production. First seen in the 1959 Bentley S2, it has been thoroughly redesigned over six decades, culminating in the 6.75 Edition, the final masterpiece of British automotive engineering and craftsmanship. The Mulsanne 6.75 Edition is based on the existing 395kW, 1 100Nm Mulsanne Speed, with some cool new details: chrome badging for the exterior and engine bay, seat motifs and a 6.75 Edition Logo projected by LED puddle lamps. And the engine number plaque is signed by Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark. ‘The Mulsanne has played a pivotal role in maintaining Bentley’s position as global leader of the luxury limousine segment. [Our] longevity is a testament to our ongoing commitment to handbuilding the finest motorcars in the world. The Mulsanne 6.75 Edition is the culmination of that achievement,’ said Hallmark. The ‘regular’ Mulsanne ceases production with these 6.75 Edition cars, and the all-new Flying Spur will become Bentley’s flagship model.

CELEBRATED ARTIST DR ESTHER MAHLANGU WAS TAUGHT THE ART OF NDEBELE DESIGN AND HOUSE PAINTING BY HER MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER. SHE RECENTLY PAINTED UNIQUE ARTWORK FOR THE ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM DASH GALLERY. The elders of my community would paint the houses. When they left for a break, I would continue to paint. When they came back, they would say: ‘What have you done, child? Never do that again!” After that I started drawing on the back of the house, and slowly my drawings got better until they finally asked me to come back to the front of the house. Then I knew I was good at painting. I want to preserve my cultural heritage, and that’s why I founded an art school in Mpumalanga. Brands give me the freedom to paint what I want, so it’s always a good partnership. The owner of the Rolls-Royce Phantom asked me to use only blues, which was fine, and then I painted the design I wanted. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of ‘The Mahlangu Phantom’ will be donated to the school and will be used to support a retrospective exhibition that will tell my life story. We mostly use acrylic paint now, and sometimes still cow dung and clay soil. And I still use chicken feathers not paint brushes. The Rolls-Royce Dash gallery work was done with chicken feathers.

PRIVATE EDITION

THE

BRIEFING

OBJECT OF DESIRE

Hanging by a thread A SENSATIONAL DISPLAY OF INTRICATE ARTISTRY AND RARE COLOURED DIAMONDS MAKE THIS NECKLACE ONE OF GRAFF’S MOST MAGNIFICENT HIGH-JEWELLERY DESIGNS.

PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPLIED

Boasting more than 44 carats of blazing white and fancy yellow diamonds, each imperceptibly linked to its neighbour, this remarkable neckpiece will rest upon the décolletage quite spectacularly. Graff’s master craftsmen set each jewel by hand in an almost invisible setting to allow the brilliance of every gem to radiate from this graphic and contemporary masterpiece – a superb network of radiant diamond fire. graff.com

ISSUE 47

THE

BRIEFING

Tie story

HUGO BOSS

Silk-jacquard tie with micro patterning and pointed tip

STYLE

Live and let tie

The worn-out notion that every dress shirt has to be accompanied by a tie has left the (rather staid) building. Even bastions of suit-and-tie attire such as banking and law have given way to a casualisation in the workplace. Perhaps it’s a South African thing – ties are neither hot-weather friendly nor do they go with shorts, however cleverly styled. And, since it’s deemed acceptable to WhatsApp rather than call a colleague, have ties, like phone calls, perhaps become outdated? Not completely, says fashion editor Neil Doveton, of MrDoveton.com, who sings the praises of this handsome accessory for the right occasions. ‘As sure as throwing away the rind of an orange, there will come a time or occasion in every man’s life that demands a tie,’ he says. ‘When you want to make an impression, nothing affords a man more gravitas than a collar and tie.’ For a job interview or boardroom presentation, Doveton feels donning a tie is a reliable means of self-introduction. And for such an introduction, the tie to reach for is a silk one. ‘With its unmatchable ability to “bounce” back into shape after being repeatedly tied and untied, a silk tie is a wardrobe investment.’ If you do need a new one, Prada’s printed silk twill tie is certainly a wonderful statement. For something more subdued – that will work well for, er work – get your hands on a blue silk jacquard tie with micro patterning by Hugo Boss. If you find yourself needing fewer rather than more, go for a tie-wardrobe overhaul instead, and just keep three, says Doveton: a striped tie, a textured knit tie and a solid plain tie, preferably in black or dark navy as it’s suitable for most occasions, day or night. Now you know.

PRADA

Printed silk twill tie

LOUIS VUITTON

Hide The Obvious Tie

PRIVATE EDITION

PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPLIED

YOU’RE NEVER FULLY DRESSED WITHOUT A TIE, RIGHT? WRONG! LEAVE BEHIND – FOR THE MOST PART – THE CONSTRICTING ACCESSORY OF YORE, ADVISES STYLE WRITER, HELEN CLEMSON.

THE

BRIEFING

INVESTMENT WATCHES

Threesome CONNOISSEURS WILL BE AWED BY THE NEW INTERPRETATIONS OF THE JAEGER-LECOULTRE DUOMÈTRE LINE, SAYS DEBBIE HATHWAY. The Duomètre Sphérotourbillon, Duomètre Chronographe and Duomètre Quantième Lunaire share a design signature that incorporates pink gold for the case, lugs, crown and elements of the complications and dial decorations, perfectly offset by the magnetite grey and opaline finish of the dials themselves. There’s no denying the technical brilliance behind the grand moon phase complication in the Duomètre Sphérotourbillon. It features a precision adjustment capability thanks to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Dual-Wing concept. Its unique construction allows two distinct mechanisms to be united within the same case, thus providing scope for unprecedented functions. In this instance, it allows the small seconds to be reset to zero via the flyback principle by using a push-piece located under the tourbillon at 2 o’clock. Once the small seconds hand is reset, it immediately continues its course. The watch is accurate to one second, even while the time is being set. In addition, the cut-away dial allows the wearer to witness the tourbillon complete a highly unusual rotation. Not only does it revolve around the axis in its tiny titanium cage, it also moves around a second axis, tilted at 20°. The combination of these two distinct and rapid rotations allows the watch to defy the effects of gravity in all positions. jaeger-lecoultre.com

ISSUE 47

NEW RELEASE

Showtime! THE 25TH JAMES BOND FILM NO TIME TO DIE WILL BE SCREENED LATER THIS YEAR. IN THE MEANTIME, WE HAVE THE LAUNCH OF THE LATEST OMEGA SEAMASTER TIMEPIECE TO BE WORN BY 007 TO LOOK FORWARD TO, REPORTS DEBBIE HATHWAY. The association between OMEGA and the legendary spy began with GoldenEye in 1995, when 007 used the built-in laser on the watch bezel to free himself from an armoured train seconds before it exploded. The watch of choice was the OMEGA Seamaster Quartz Professional Diver 300M. Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming chose the key accessory because she was ‘convinced that Commander Bond, a naval man, a diver and a discreet gentleman of the world would wear the Seamaster with the blue dial’. It’s anybody’s guess what the new Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition will be used for in No Time to Die, which marks Daniel Craig’s final outing as the inimitable British secret agent. All we know now is that it has been built with military needs in mind. ‘When working with OMEGA, we decided that a lightweight watch would be key for a military man like 007. I also suggested some vintage touches and colour to give the watch a unique edge. The final piece looks incredible,’ says Craig. Strong yet lightweight, the case and titanium mesh bracelet with its innovative adjustable buckle have been crafted from grade 2 titanium. The watch is also available on a striped NATO strap in dark brown, grey and beige with 007 engraved on the loop. To further reduce the weight of the 42mm timepiece, OMEGA has used tropical brown aluminium for the dial and bezel ring. Vintage Super-LumiNova fills the diving scale, blackened hands and indexes. The piece is powered by the OMEGA Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8806, which has achieved the highest industry standards of precision, chronometric performance and magnetic resistance. omega.com

THE

BRIEFING

THE BASCULE BAR at the Cape Grace offers around 400 whiskies to please the palate

JOHANNESBURG

POWER LUNCH

Where deals are sealed SIGNAL RESTAURANT AT THE CAPE GRACE IN CAPE TOWN OFFERS A SOPHISTICATED MENU, AN UNBEATABLE WHISKY COLLECTION AND IMPRESSIVE MARINA VIEWS.

ITUATED ON A private quay overlooking the sparkling V&A Marina, Cape Grace’s Signal Restaurant combines culinary sophistication, an unhurried atmosphere and Cape Town’s finest views to bring you the perfect businesslunch venue. When the hotel opened its doors in 1996, it quickly became known for its sumptuous and welcoming ambience and attention to detail. Twenty-five years on, not much has changed. Warm, wood-panelled interiors and opulent crystal chandeliers set the tone for a first-class meal. The menu, like the décor, is equal parts classic and modern, and offers an exciting fusion of international and local flavours, while still paying homage to the Cape’s rich culinary heritage. Dishes are made using ingredients responsibly and sustainably grown and sourced. From the welcome greeting, to the waitstaff and sommelier service, the dining experience is both professional and discreet. Just what you want for a working lunch. Perhaps seal the deal with a whisky from the Bascule Bar? It has an enticing array of more than 400 whiskies from around the globe. capegrace.com

Step into WhiskyBrother to sample a whisky or two from their more than 1 300-strong collection. This beautifully designed and exceedingly comfortable speciality bar is Johannesburg’s first and only one dedicated entirely to whisky tastings. The menu is an extensive 26 pages and is updated monthly as new whiskies arrive and those that have been enjoyed and finished are removed. whiskybrother.com

LONDON You don’t get much finer than the Connaught Hotel in Mayfair, London. And the Connaught Bar is where mixologists are ready to conjure up new concoctions and time-honoured classics. The bar also offers a finely crafted whisky menu, including a Macallan Silver Jubilee 1977 Magnum. It even has its very own Connaught whisky blend. the-connaught.co.uk

NEW YORK The whisky guides at The Flatiron Room in New York City fastidiously go about their business of finding new and interesting whiskies to add to the menu. We’re talking more than 1 000 whiskies, including some of the rarest NYC has ever seen, crowding every available surface throughout the rather sexy golden-hued, leather-clad bar. theflatironroom.com

PRIVATE EDITION

FOCUS

OLD

MUTUAL

WEALTH

MOVING MONEY OUT

PHOTOGRAPHY GETTYIMAGES.COM

Chris Potgieter, Managing Director, Old Mutual Wealth Trust Company (Private Client Securities, Treasury and Advisory Services, Fiduciary) suggests examining the complexities of financial emigration as a means of resolving issues around paying tax in South Africa on income earned offshore.

INANCIAL EMIGRATION IS the application to the South African Reserve Bank to change from a resident of South Africa to a non-resident for exchange control purposes when formally emigrating. Changing tax residency may well be the desired outcome for individuals seeking to live permanently in another country, but it’s not a quick-fix solution for tax relief. In fact, changing tax residency status could result in immediate tax consequences in the form of exit charges. REVISED LEGISLATION The revised Income Tax Act (that came into effect on 1 March 2020) will result in SA tax residents working abroad temporarily being exempt from paying tax on the first R1.25 million they earn abroad. Thereafter, they need to pay tax on any foreign earnings.

ISSUE 47

Previously, the foreign employment income earned by SA tax residents was exempt from tax in SA, provided certain requirements were met. The amendment only affects income received from employment and doesn’t affect those earning foreign investment income (which is already taxed) or individuals who are no longer residents of SA for tax purposes. Much of the misunderstanding around this topic stems from the fact that financial emigration is a colloquial term that does not exist in any legislation. Rather, the key issues are formal emigration and tax residency, which are two separate processes. Formal emigration entails physically relocating from one country to another. This also involves financial emigration i.e. changing one’s status to non-resident for exchange control and tax purposes. The entire process is lengthy and includes a rigorous audit, and on SARB and SARS approval, the individual will be issued with an Emigration Tax Clearance Certificate. Changing your tax status to nonresident could have significant capital gains tax consequences, as your worldwide assets (with the exception of fixed property situated in SA) are deemed as being disposed of at market values. Therefore, 40% of any gain would be included in your income and you will be taxed at your marginal tax rate. This ‘exit charge’ can be substantial.

COMPLEX RESIDENCY TESTS SA’s tax regime is based on a residence-based system and one’s tax residency status is determined by how much time you spend in the country where your assets are based, where your family resides, and the location of your primary residence. In order to become non-resident, individuals must prove their intention to become ordinarily resident in another country and demonstrate the steps they have taken to carry out this intention. Finally, they will need to meet requirements of the physical presence test by being in SA for no more than 91 days during the current assessment year; 91 days in total during each of the five years of assessment preceding the current assessment year; and 915 days in total during those five preceding years of assessment. Contravening these periods will result in an individual’s tax status being reverted to SA resident. SEEK PROFESSIONAL ADVICE Financial emigration is a highly complex, costly and long-term action and pursuing this path solely to avoid tax is ill-advised. Like with any major financial decision, seek professional advice to ensure that your actions and objectives remain aligned and that your investment plan is optimally structured.

BRIEFING

GUEST SPEAKER

That one time I played golf with Bill Murray AFTER 18 HOLES AT THE OLD COURSE WITH EVERYONE’S FAVOURITE GHOSTBUSTER, DAN NICHOLL’S GOLF EXPERIENCE CAN ONLY GO DOWNHILL FROM HERE.

or most golfers, the Road Hole at the Old Course at St Andrews is one of the game’s more terrifying challenges. A long, slender dogleg that counts an extremely large five-star hotel as the first obstacle to contend with. You need an almighty drive over the left-hand corner of the Old Course Hotel to set up your second shot. Too far left, and you’re miles from the fairway, in thick, unforgiving Scottish rough as impenetrable as local accents. Too far right and you’ll be playing your second from the bathroom of a third-floor suite. And even if you do master the perfect drive, you have a narrow green to negiate and a bunker that many have entered, but few have escaped from. It’s a hole that strikes fear into all who play it. All, that is, except Bill Murray. Perhaps it’s the experience of fighting off ghosts in the streets of New York, or dealing with the vagaries of Japanese culture, or setting off to explore the depths of the ocean armed with little more than a red woollen hat, but the famously eccentric actor is unruffled on the golf course, not remotely bothered by the demands of the game’s most famous course, or a grand sense of occasion: in this case, playing 18 holes with me!

I’ve known Bill Murray for a few years, having spent time with him at the Laureus Awards and at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, golf’s definitive celebrity event. I’ve hosted its gala dinner for the last 10 years, and it’s an extraordinary occasion. This year Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake were part of the Saturday night audience, along with Murray, who joined the band that included Mike Rutherford of Genesis fame and, to great cheers, former Springbok Schalk Burger, his guitar looking like a ukulele in what might be the world’s largest hands. But if Bill Murray the singer taps into one of the actor’s other passions, it’s Bill Murray the golfer that tops the list of guises adopted away from acting. He travels the world when he’s not shooting, finding new courses, returning to old ones, and discovering corners of the golfing world to whet his considerable appetite for the game. And so, despite a full week of golf at Dunhill’s marquee tournament the week before, Saturday Night Live’s greatest alumnus was back on the course on Monday morning, ready to play another 18 holes. He arrived, unhurried and smiling, and thumped his opening drive up the middle of the fairway, proceeding around the course comfortably, not missing more than a few fairways, hitting greens easily, and delighting in some long putts that confirmed he didn’t need to pull off much acting in Caddyshack, golf’s most famous film. It’s Bill Murray the person, though, that made the experience so memorable. Missed putts elicited group hugs on the green. A rare errant drive had Murray against the spectator ropes, still in place from the tournament, taking on the role of battered boxer. The occasional line from a movie was coaxed out. And when play got held up, he’d wander off, introduce himself to disbelieving spectators, and cheerfully direct impromptu photo shoots. And then return to the tee for another immaculate drive. We had a photo taken on Swilken Bridge – we’re in tough-guy pose. Minutes later, he was gone; off to catch a flight home, on to another film set, or more probably, another golf course. He left me with an unforgettable round of golf, a photograph that’s induced satisfying levels of envy on social media, and one stark realisation: after 18 holes with everyone’s favourite Ghostbuster, my golf experiences can only go downhill from here.

A rare errant drive had Murray against the spectator ropes, still in place from the tournament, taking on the role of battered boxer. The occasional line from a movie was coaxed out

PRIVATE EDITION

PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPLIED

THE

INNOVATION

talking

heads It’s a truism that certain scientific breakthroughs began life as imaginary events in science fiction. Could Chrysalis, a sci-fi novel about head transplantation, written by futurist and author Michael J. Lee and neurosurgeon Dr Bruce Mathew, be a forecast of new possibilities in transplant surgery? By Kathy Malherbe ILLUSTRATION ELOISE TIMMIS

SCIENCE FICTION HAS indeed preceded fact for centuries. In his 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon, Jules Verne predicted that Americans would reach the moon first. It was an uncanny prescience. The French author foresaw the launch into lunar orbit of an interplanetary projectile bearing three travellers from the coast of Florida. And quintessential Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci made early sketches of flying machines, calculators and parachutes. Medical science has proved itself to be a pioneering and innovative discipline. From Herophilus (335-280BC), the great Greek physician and ‘father of anatomy’, who began the scientific dissection of cadavers, to Professor Chris Barnard whose groundbreaking heart-transplant surgery made headlines in 1967. More recently, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed a tiny origami robot that can unfold itself from a swallowed capsule and complete specific tasks in the body such as patch wounds, deliver medicine and remove foreign objects. But a head transplant? Seriously? One could be excused for having a credibility issue with just the concept, not to mention the surgery itself. But Chrysalis is a highly believable and captivating story, closer to science than fiction. Written by futurist and author Michael J. Lee and neurosurgeon Dr Bruce Mathew, it’s a riveting sci-fi novel about a team of neurosurgeons who transplant the head of the central character, Jerry Fischer, onto the donor body of a brain-dead athlete. Jerry suffers from Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). He has a highly active mind but his body is wasting away.

ISSUE 47

INNOVATION

Poignantly, the surgery takes place in theatres A and B at Groote Schuur Hospital, exactly where Professor Chris Barnard performed his pioneering surgery. In Chrysalis, the writers describe, in intricate surgical detail,

access. The joining of these peripheral nerves between donor and recipient requires the use of microbots – tiny intelligent robotic workers that busy themselves clamping and gluing the peripheral nerves,’ Dr Mathew adds. ‘The idea in the novel was based on traditional healers using termites to stitch wounds when no medical help was available. Once the termite has dug its pincers into either side of the wound, the healer breaks off its head so that these ‘pincer sutures’ remain in place. The microbots “staple” the peripheral nerves but go one step further by working in pairs and extruding a glue to hold the peripheral nerves together. ‘Another potential challenge is the bypass machines that need to be used during the procedure. The scientific precision with which this is dealt is going to have you holding your breath. Deploying smaller, portable bypass machines could revolutionise transplants in the future.’ Dr Mathew also points out that rejection and host vs graft issues are one of the biggest stumbling blocks for this potential surgery. But he believes that even though the immune system of the head and cord would need to adopt the new body, this concept of a ‘whole body transplant’ is based on the fact that the individual resides in the brain. It falls neatly into Descartes’ belief: ‘Cogito, ergo sum.’ (I think, therefore I am.) So, if human consciousness resides in the brain and central nervous system, then the patient’s essential self can be preserved in a transplant of the whole head and spinal cord. The novel also explores the possibility of the head being transplanted onto a robot. This might solve the immunological issues but this potential modularisation of the species raises other ethical and technical issues. ‘Our story presents a medically coherent and plausible method of transplanting the head and central nervous system onto the body of a brain-dead person. As for Becker muscular dystrophy, there’s no current cure and a head transplant offers Jerry the chance of a second life with a new, disease-free body.’ Without a brilliant author, a story such as Chrysalis would not have come to life. Michael Lee is not only a futurist but a true story teller, weaving medical fact into a strong plot. He says, ‘The plot is on the borderline between current reality and emerging technology. We try to take the reader on that mental or imaginative journey into the near future.’ A warning to readers: the denouement leaves you wishing there was already a sequel to read. ‘Chrysalis is not simply a look ahead at the next great leap forward in human transplantation surgery,’ Lee adds, ‘but a philosophical journey into the question of life extension and, ultimately, a significant step forward towards human immortality. Performed successfully, this procedure would have the potential to change the course of medical and social history.’ Can we expect the first head transplant soon? The futurist and neurosurgeon are not putting their heads on a block about that, but they do believe it may lie in the near or foreseeable future. So watch this space... 

“Our story presents a medically coherent and plausible method of transplanting the head and central nervous system onto the body of a brain-dead person” the procedure involving the transplant of the head and spinal cord, housed in its dura mater, as an entity. Translated as ‘strong mother’, the dura mater is the tough outermost membrane enveloping the brain and spinal cord in a protective cocoon. The book, which is currently the number-one new release on Amazon for books about organ transplants, also delves into the issues of extending the human lifespan and immortality. And Lee believes it is possible. ‘It depends on mankind’s level of motivation.’ When faced with the possibility of landing on the moon, or identifying and mapping the human genome, there would have been a similar list of obstacles that needed to be overcome as with the head transplant described in Chrysalis,’ he explains. From a medical point of view, co-author Dr Mathew says, ‘As a neurosurgeon, I am simply amazed that nobody seems to have thought before of a head transplant, keeping the whole nervous system intact in the dura mater. This has not even been attempted in an animal model. For me it’s a no-brainer. Why would anyone want to cut a functional spinal cord?’ The main obstacles, says Dr Mathew, are dissecting out the dural sac and spinal cord intact, and salvaging the brachial and lumbosacral plexae, which are vital nerves supplying the arms and legs/perineum respectively. ‘All nerve structures are very delicate and easily damaged and often they are in sites that are difficult to

BELOW The mind-bending plot of Chrysalis explores medical possibilities woven into fiction

PRIVATE EDITION

in beautiful spaces. Cape Town: 021 510 2846 | Paarden Eiland Johannesburg: 011 262 3117 | Sandton Durban: 031 000 1000 | Umhlanga nick@oggie.co.za www.oggieflooring.com

Clifton, Cape Town. Designed by SAOTA. Interior Design: Cecile & Boyd. Photo: Adam Letch. Oggie Oak Cerato Rustic Hand-Chiseled Greymist.

...hand-chiseled oak floors

Elana Brundyn’s love for art is rivalled only by her love for the platforms of art. As an art collector and director of Norval Foundation, hers seemed like a good brain to pick when it came to curating a list of art exhibitions worth travelling for this year. Here are her thoughts…

PRIVATE EDITION

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY THE ARTIST & PERROTIN

art worth travelling for

INVESTMENT

ART

I LOVE VISITING museums and

PAOLA PIVI’S ‘It’s not fair’, on display at the Arken Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen, Denmark

ISSUE 47

foundations, biennales and art fairs, public installations and artists’ studios around the world and in South Africa. My career and work at Norval Foundation have led me to experience many wonderful art journeys and to discover how curators and artists use space and theme. I love the art of exhibition-making. Art platforms around the world present an incredible opportunity to learn about history. Art represents the past in the present moment, but also looks forward to the way we will work and live in the future. Taking an art holiday, where your trip is planned around museum or exhibition visits, gives travel a real purpose. The personal memories created when immersing oneself in art platforms do not expire. Every time you visit a museum, you get a different impression. As the exhibitions change, the space and experience change. Museums also host the most wonderful events, often free to the public, that include lectures and workshops staged in their beautiful buildings. These platforms are hugely important for the tourism of a city and contribute significantly to a tourist’s experience of visiting a country. So, here are a few of my must-see global exhibitions in 2020…

INVESTMENT

ART

GOYA AT FONDATION BEYELER, BASEL The Fondation Beyeler is presenting one of the most significant exhibitions ever devoted to Spanish artist Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) outside of Spain. Running from 17 May to 16 August, the exhibition was developed in collaboration with the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid and features 70 paintings and a selection of drawings and prints, spanning the artist’s more than 60-year career. Goya was one of the last major court artists and the first pioneer of modern art. He was both a painter of great portraits and an inventor of mysterious, personal pictorial worlds. In his art, Goya is a keen observer of the drama of reason and irrationality, of dreams and nightmares, and his work has influenced many rising artists, among them Kenyan Michael Armitage who is currently exhibiting at Norval Foundation.

‘THE PORCELAIN ROOM’ AT FONDAZIONE PRADA, MILAN Curated by Jorge Welsh and Luísa Vinhais, the ‘The Porcelain Room’ explores the historical context, scope and impact of Chinese export porcelain, illustrating how efficient the Chinese were at understanding the taste and demand of the market, and tailoring their production accordingly. Running until 28 September, the show gathers more than 1 700 individual porcelain pieces made from the 16th to the 19th centuries for different markets, religions and social groups, and boasts the largest number of early Ming dynasty porcelain pieces with European iconography (dating from the 16th to the mid-17th century) ever shown in

one exhibit. Divided into three sections, the display is conceived as a room-within-a-room, integrating several vitrines and an intimate space decorated in gold. fondazioneprada.org BOROS COLLECTION/BUNKER BERLIN #3, BERLIN The Boros Collection is a permanent private collection of contemporary art. It comprises groups of works by international artists dating from 1990 to the present. The enormous former air-raid shelter now houses the works of 19 artists and is open

PRIVATE EDITION

PHOTOGRAPHY GETTYIMAGES.COM NOSHE BERLIN. DELFINO SISTO LEGNANI

fondationbeyeler.ch

INVESTMENT

ART

Artists include Martin Boyce, Andreas Eriksson, Guan Xiao, He Xiangyu, Uwe Henneken, Yngve Holen, Sergej Jensen, Daniel Josefsohn, Friedrich Kunath, Michel Majerus, Fabian Marti and Kris Martin, among others. independent-collectors.com ‘SOLO SHOW BY JR’ AT THE GALERIE PERROTIN, PARIS If you’re in Paris between 11 June and 14 August, visit the ‘Solo Show by JR’ at the Galerie Perrotin. JR (the pseudonym of the artist whose identity is unconfirmed) was born in 1983 in Paris. His works explore the intersection of photography, street art, filmmaking and social engagement. Over the last two decades, he has developed multiple public projects and numerous site-specific interventions in cities all over the world: from buildings in the slums around Paris and walls in the Middle East and Africa to the favelas of Brazil. Recent solo exhibitions of his work include ‘The Chronicles of San Francisco’ at SFMOMA, San Francisco (2019, ongoing), ‘JR: Chronicles’ at the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn (2019), and ‘Momentum, la mécanique de l’épreuve at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie’, Paris (2018). perrotin.com

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Francisco Goya’s ‘La Maja Vestida’ (‘The Clothed Maja’); the facade of Fondazione Prada, Milan, which houses spaces dedicated to contemporary art and culture; Michael Armitage’s ‘The Chicken Thief’; ‘The Porcelain Room’ boasts around 1 700 individual porcelain pieces from the 16th to the 19th centuries; Fabian Marti’s ‘TINMLO MZL IOM RF MYTYSM’ at the Boros Collection

to the public by appointment and via guided tours. The Boros Collection is the private art collection of media entrepreneur and art patron Christian Boros and his wife Karen. Boros purchased the looming, grey mass of a building in Berlin’s Mitte district in 2003 and turned it into a five-storey private museum. Since 2008, excerpts of the collection have been publicly exhibited across 3 000m2, in 80 exhibition halls, and the new presentation of the Boros Collection boasts recently purchased and sitespecific art in combination with works from the 1990s and 2000s.

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PAOLA PIVI AT THE ARKEN IN COPENHAGEN Paola Pivi’s exhibition at the Arken Museum of Modern Art in Denmark runs until 20 September and should also be on your must-see list. Born in Italy in 1971, Pivi’s artistic practice is diverse and enigmatic. Mingling the familiar with the alien, Pivi often works with commonly identifiable objects that are modified to introduce a new scale, material or colour, challenging the audience to change their point of view. Animals are often cast as protagonists in Pivi’s world. She draws upon their perceived characteristics and instils them with human mannerisms. In Pivi’s art, polar bears practise yoga, hang from trapezes and engage with one another, zebras frolic in the arctic and goldfish fly on airplanes. Spanning sculpture, video, photography, performance and installation, Pivi’s practice trespasses perceived limits to make what seemed impossible before possible. When I saw the Paola Pivi exhibition at the Bass Museum in Miami in October 2018, it felt like I was entering a world between fantasy and reality. It featured full-scale multicoloured feather-covered bears! uk.arken.dk

MICHAEL ARMITAGE IN CAPE TOWN If you’re thinking of inviting your international friends to travel to South Africa for the love of art, Norval Foundation is hosting Michael Armitage’s first major solo exhibition in a public institution on his home continent of Africa. Having his work exhibited in Cape Town so soon after his global success at the Venice Biennale in 2019 and his exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York positions the city as a cultural hub that is on par with some of the very best in the world. Without a doubt, Armitage is a brilliant painter, and he reminds us why art is so powerful. His work is dreamlike, colourful, mysterious, and exotic – yet not without darkness, not without painful truths. ‘Accomplice’ is organised by Owen Martin, chief curator and Talia Naicker, curatorial and collections assistant. norvalfoundation.org 

THE

COLLECTOR

the write

note In today’s hurried world, the care taken to compose and deliver a handwritten note speaks volumes. One SA collector has an enviable array of writing instruments with which to do so. WORDS DEBBIE HATHWAY PHOTOGRAPHY JUSTIN DINGWALL

WHEN YOU RECEIVE a handwritten note delivered in person or to your postbox, the rarity of the occasion is attention-grabbing at the very least. The conscientious writer will apply their mind to selecting the appropriate paper, ink, instrument and packaging to convey their intended message. One South African enthusiast – who doesn’t want to be named – does exactly that, drawing from a vast collection of more than 400 writing instruments that he has accumulated since he was a teenager. Each instrument ‘gets a turn to work’. He makes a ritual of selecting 10 per week, filling them with ink, and carrying them with him carefully in something similar to a cigar box. ‘I must admit, I’m not completely fair. There are some favourites that stay in the box,’ he says. For him the collection is less about having the tools to produce better script (although he admits his writing could use some help) and more about the story and the artistry behind each one. ‘I write with all of them, even the weighty Montblanc Skeletons. I like a heavy pen.’ Most of his collection was acquired pre-internet from other collectors, people who no longer wanted them, and from those who knew about his passion for pens. Some have been acquired at auction. The oldest pen comes from what was considered the golden age of fountain pens – the 1920s – when they were treasured as status symbols. It’s a dark-red 1921 Parker Duofold and it still writes.

PRIVATE EDITION

LEFT TO RIGHT Montblanc Genghis Khan Skeleton Limited Edition; Montblanc Magical Widow Skeleton Limited Edition 88

The furthest he’s travelled to collect a pen? Italy. ‘The Montblanc Magical Black Widow Skeleton Limited Edition 88 is one of the most sought-after skeletons among collectors. I was very lucky to find it, and the special detour I made to Bergamo was totally worth it!’ The word calligraphy is derived from the Greek word kalligraphía meaning ‘beautiful writing’, and it was in Greece where I met our esteemed collector. We were in the country to celebrate the launch of the Montblanc Writers Edition Homage to Homer. ‘The Montblanc Writers Edition Homage to Homer Limited Edition 1581 is a very striking, very effective design. That’s what works best – when artisans manage to elegantly simplify something. It’s very easy to overdo it, be too elaborate and gaudy… And it’s got the big nib, which is fantastic. ‘I prefer oblique, broad nibs for the shaping it gives, and how the lines vary. It creates a nice style to what the ink puts down on the paper and adds some fun to an otherwise mundane task, which in my case might be taking notes.’ As is the case for the conceptualisation and design of a complicated wristwatch, a Montblanc writing instrument can take up to five years to finalise. Each one is a masterpiece of storytelling and craftsmanship. So

COLLECTOR

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Montblanc Writers Edition instruments in their protective casing; modern Parker Duofolds (1980s to the present), including a replica of the 1920’s ‘Big Red’ Duofold; Montblanc Ghengis Khan Skeleton, with Writers Edition Daniel Defoe in the foreground

what inspires the investment – the design or the story? ‘I haven’t forgotten the refrain: “We do not remember days, we remember moments.” Montblanc is all about storytelling. If you know the story behind the design, it’s going to trigger something,’ he says. There is no specific method to collecting, he adds. As is the case with any other form of art, you buy what you like. The highest price he’s paid? He’s not saying. Is there a limit to what he’ll pay? ‘Obviously, everything has got inherent value but that is not determined by raw materials or market value. With collectors of all kinds it’s really flexible. The price is determined by the buyer.’ Other brands in his collection are Caran d’Ache, S.T. Dupont, Montegrappa, Visconti, Delta, Pelikan and Sheaffer. ‘Some of the Viscontis and Montegrappas are serial number 000, the final pre-market prototype, usually kept by the factory and not sold.’

PRIVATE EDITION

STYLIST CARLA UYS PRODUCTION LAMPOST PRODUCTIONS

THE

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE Montblanc #9 nibs: Writers Edition Alexandre Dumas; Writers Edition Homage to Homer; John Harrison Skeleton; Writers Edition Ernest Hemingway

Is anyone else allowed to use them? ‘No, unless it’s another serious fountain pen user who knows how to handle the instrument and has the manners to ask first. Then, perhaps, under supervision, while I’m watching.’ Of course, there are still pens on his wish list. One of them is the Montblanc ‘grail skeleton’ that honours Charlie Chaplin. ‘The Charlie Chaplin 88 Limited Edition, released in 2007, is one of the best!’ Its design recalls different aspects of Chaplin’s famous role as The Tramp in Modern Times. The pen’s barrel and cone reference his baggy trousers and splayed feet. The design of the tip of the cap with the mother-of-pearl Montblanc star is based on Chaplin’s trademark bowler hat. His familiar accessory, the walking cane, appears as a solid whitegold clip. ‘I’m also keeping eyes and ears open for the Montblanc Gustave Eiffel. It’s really beautiful the way the structure reflects the construction of that iconic monument.’ 

ISSUE 47

A GREAT WINE BEGINS IN THE

VINEYARDS A diverse terroir, an exceptional wine range and a sensory wine-tasting experience for the novice or connoisseur await at Hazendal Wine Estate.

PRIVATE EDITION

FOCU S

HAZENDAL

AZENDAL IS THE first destination on the Bottelary-Stellenbosch wine route (approaching from the N1), which is fitting given that it was one of the first farms to cultivate grapes in its day. Hazendal’s vineyards are relatively small, yielding around 120 tons of grapes that are used to produce premium-quality, niche wines. Hazendal’s winemaker and viticulturist, Clarise Sciocatti-Langeveldt, believes that more work should be done in the vineyard than in the cellar. She deliberately does not overwork the wines in order to preserve the flavour and keep them as elegant as possible. During harvest, the grapes are cooled down, de-stemmed, crushed and then fermented. Oak contact is kept to a low-to-medium toast and is merely present to introduce freshness. ‘I thrive on the passion that is part and parcel of a family-owned estate. It’s our goal to produce small-scale wines of quality that capture the character of the longforgotten Bottelary ward,’ says Clarise. ‘Our vineyards nestle against the northwesterly slopes of the Bottelary Hills, and a range of aspects – soil types and the influence of the cool Atlantic Ocean – make for a variety of different terroirs where grapes best suited for each specific site are grown.’ The wines produced include the easy-drinking and whimsical Christoffel Hazenwinkel range, consisting of white and red blends, as well as a blanc de noir, and the premium Hazendal range, which has been raking in awards. Minimalist intervention is applied in the cellar to allow the Bottelary terroir to shine in every bottle. Enjoy an exclusive wine-tasting experience in the elegant Wine Library where Hazendal’s wine barrels are in full view. Gather around the room’s marble countertop, designed to create the perfect environment for swirling, tasting and talking wine, to enjoy a private tasting surrounded by the complete Hazendal catalogue. This tasting does need to be pre-booked by emailing bookings@hazendal.co.za. The Wine Library will soon be hosting the new Hazendal Sensory Experience – an exclusive, intimate food-and-wine-pairing adventure, presented by Clarise and Hazendal chef Michelle Theron.  hazendal.co.za

ISSUE 47

Hazendal Jazz Club evenings One of the ways Hazendal honours and celebrates its rich cultural heritage is by hosting a monthly Jazz Club that features both local and international artists. Past performers have included American Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, saxophonist AJ Brown from the UK, as well as South Africa’s Emma de Goede, the Gavin Minter Septet, the Alvin Dyers Quartet, the Ramon Alexander Quartet and Sisonke Xonti, 2020’s Standard Bank Young Jazz Artist Award winner. Start the evening with a winetasting experience ahead of the jazz performance in Avant-Garde restaurant. Zakuski, a Russianinspired, tapas-style menu, is available to order along with Hazendal wine for a superlative culinary experience. To find out more or book your ticket, visit hazendal.co.za or email bookings@hazendal.co.za

ABOVE

Increasingly, the major auction houses are linking their most important sales with some of the most prestigious concours dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;elegance events, like Villa dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Este in Italy

ACC ELERATE

everything old is new again The current collector car auction schedule is unsustainable, and the conventional auction method is a bit of a dinosaur, says Richard Webb. So, what next for buyers of collectible classic cars?

ACC ELERATE

Race day, Accae nim

THE THING IS, I love auctions. I’ve

been to some of the world’s most prestigious luxury and collector automotive auctions and never tire of them. It’s the ritual: pouring over the lush auction catalogue, reading up on the provenance of the cars and their all-important stories. And the auction itself. Excitement ripples through the floor, followed by the cadence of the auctioneer’s rhythmic pitch as they lull bidders into a conditioned pattern of call and response. The heart is a strange beast, and not always ruled by logic. The top seller at the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba sale of 1950’s sports racing legends at Concorso d’Eleganza, on the shores of Lake Como, was an original, matching-numbers 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider, chassis no. 0448 MD. It boasts an extensive period racing history and went for a cool R59 million. As always, 1960’s Aston Martins remain desirable, and a rare 1965 Short Chassis Volante fetched R29 million. I asked Augustin Sabatié-Garat of RM Sotheby’s why the event attracted such spirited bids. ‘It’s about the high-quality cars on offer at Villa Erba. The best 1950’s sports racing cars with detailed provenance remain

the most prized collector cars in this hobby-driven market. Cars like the Aston Martin Volante and Fiat 8V Coupe affirm the appeal of timeless design and low production numbers as key factors in driving demand among enthusiasts and collectors.’ But the truth is, multimillion-dollar cars will become increasingly rare at these champagne-fuelled auctions. According to John Wiley of Hagerty’s Insurance, last year’s sell-through rate of million-dollar and higher cars dropped to 70 percent – a new low from last year’s 81%. ‘For 2020, we’ll see this decline continue and possibly even accelerate. The optics of buying and selling a car worth this much are tricky; a ‘no-sale’ can value the car at the highest bid, making a future sale even more difficult,’ Wiley says. Even with big-ticket headline cars continuing to sell (see sidebar), there is a new order looming. Online, realtime commentary and easy global bidding have brought a transparency and democracy to the auction process. Add in virtual reality and 5G, and decent video and online auctions will pop up and dominate in the near future. Over the next decade, Rétromobile, Scottsdale, Pebble Beach and Goodwood will likely continue to be successful traditional auction venues. Beyond that, given the costs, logistics, technological progress and changing buyer habits, it’s hard to see how physical auctions can continue to prosper. Younger buyers in the luxury market are increasingly identifying with and want to drive the cars they grew up around, so the nature of luxury buying is evolving. Mike Austin of Hemmings reckons cars from the 1970s to the 1990s will increase in popularity and value, ensuring that the car hobby stays alive. ‘Rising values also mean that former relics are suddenly worth something and thus more likely to be preserved or restored,’ Austin told me.

Younger buyers in the luxury market are increasingly identifying with and want to drive the cars they grew up around, so the nature of luxury buying is evolving. Cars from the 1970s to the 1990s will increase in value

PRIVATE EDITION

PHOTOGRAPHY RM AUCTIONS, RICHARD WEBB

acerumqui ut etur solore velesto tatquatiis eria volupta tectur andionsequam quo dolesed eossimus dolupti orecates saest, sa pro delenis et voluptatur

ACC ELERATE

So, unless you own a very rare coach-built car from the ’30s or a museum-quality car with lots of history and peerless provenance, it’s probably time to sell as most cars made prior to 1960 are on a long-term downward value trajectory. Not everyone cares about what the market is saying though. Industrial designer and avid collector Marc Newson shared his motivation for buying classics while showing his Bugatti 59 – the very car that won the Belgian Grand Prix in July 1934. ‘Part of the appeal for older cars is that contemporary car designers are overdependent on computers for problem-solving. What’s missing with modern cars is the sense that the best ideas still come from deep within your head,’ he said. ‘Older cars were better. They didn’t try to meet the criteria of this politically

The 10 highest results achieved for cars sold at auction in 2019 ISSUE 47

FAR LEFT AND ABOVE

The 1994 McLaren F1 ‘LM-Specification’ fetched almost R295 million at RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale; the peerless Ferrari 250 GTO flanked by high fashion at auction

correct, sanitised world. Making something truly timeless is the greatest compliment a design can get. Nobody wants to design landfill.’ The market for classic cars will endure but will be consumed and transacted upon differently. As much as I welcome the democratisation of the auction process through technology, for me, it can’t fully replicate the addictive aroma of old leather and petrol, and the silent stories shared through the patina of real life. 

YEAR

CAR

PRICE (ZAR)

AUCTION HOUSE

AUCTION

1994

McLaren F1 ‘LM-Specification’

294 500 350

RM Sotheby’s

Monterey

1939

Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta

286 347 873

Artcurial

Paris

1958

Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider

147 287 350

Gooding

Pebble Beach

2014

Lamborghini Veneno Roadster

123 973 896

Bonhams

Bonmont

1962

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta

121 116 150

RM Sotheby’s

Monterey

1965

Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype

113,755,500

RM Sotheby’s

Monterey

1963

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta

112 937 650

Gooding

Scottsdale

2017

Pagani Zonda Aether Roadster

101 294 440

RM Sotheby’s

Abu Dhabi

1958

Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet

101 116 000

Gooding

Pebble Beach

2002

Ferrari F2002 F1

98 792 562

RM Sotheby’s

Abu Dhabi

PHOTO

ESSAY

the spirit of speed Each year in August, high-speed junkies from all over the world descend on the vast salt lake of Bonneville, Utah, in the US, for Speed Week. Photographer Simon Davidson has attended the event since 2010 to capture the humans and their machines, examining the culture that has such an exceptional fascination with pure speed. PHOTOGRAPHY AND WORDS SIMON DAVIDSON

DRAGSTER STARTER

The easiest way to move short distances over the salt is by bike, but a certain style is still called for (2012)

WITH THEIR PURPOSE-BUILT cars and motorcycles, racers test themselves and their machines by asking one simple question: ‘How fast can I go?’ Land-speed racing is about pure passion and love. There are no trophies, and there’s no prize money. Just man versus machine versus the salt lake. They race for a timing slip and hopefully a record. Over the last 100 years, more land-speed records have been set on the Bonneville Salt Flats than anywhere else in the world. Land-speed racing represents one of the last of the genuine amateur motorsports where world records are continually broken. I’ve been travelling to Bonneville since 2010 as part of a longterm project on land-speed racing. There have been a few years when the event has been rained out, and the salt lake isn’t in the best shape these days. The old-timers are passing on, so I’ve seen a massive slowdown in the older-style vehicles, which I love to shoot on the salt. But I am preparing to go back this year. The salt-lake landscape is both surreal and intoxicating, making it an incredible backdrop. In some ways, I look at my land-speed series as landscapes featuring an event in the abyss. The timelessness of the place and the sport itself are a huge draw for me. For many, it looks like the racing is taking place on the moon. The cars and motorcycles range from production vehicles that you would recognise on the road to machines that are specially built for land-speed racing. The variety is endless, weird and wonderful – from big-budget builds to vehicles fine-tuned by people working tirelessly in their own garages. And many of them can only be raced on a salt lake or a dry mud lake. As for the owners and drivers, they have been bitten hard by ‘salt fever’. I, too, have ‘salt fever’. There’s something magical about the world of land-speed racing that hooks you in. Danny Thompson’s Challenger II is officially the world’s fastest piston-powered vehicle with its record of 448.757m/h. Most racers will tell you talk is cheap until you hit the lake to test yourself and your machine against the gods of speed. Racers call the salt lake the great lie detector. 

OLD SCHOOL

This scene might have been shot in the 1960s, but for the fashion, which is perhaps the only element that dates it (2010)

HIGH-SPEED JUNKIES

from all over the world descend on the dry salt lake with their souped-up engines. The cars range from modified street cars (left) to purpose-built rockets with wheels (this page). The teams range from typical one-man shows, who drive to the event with their car on a trailer and sleep in a tent, to semi-professional and professional teams. Seldom-seen-Slim (far left) is one of the old-timers and has been racing motorcycles for decades. The Bean Bandits car club has been racing for longer than any other club at Speed Week

BACK TO THE FUTURE

A perfect example of a custom-built land-speed car. This streamliner, not unsimilar to a jet without wings, is designed to go fast (300m/h plus) and sports a unique front-wheel drive (2018)

Land-speed racing is about pure passion and love. There are no trophies, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no prize money. Just man versus machine versus the salt lake. They race for a timing slip and hopefully a record... More land-speed records have been set on the Bonneville Salt Flats than anywhere else in the world

THE RIGHT STUFF

Wearing a racing suit and fireproof balaclava from a former Pepsi sponsorship, driver Don Biglow looks like he is preparing for space travel (2018)

The Metallurgist

‘SCRATCHING THE SURFACE’ is the phrase Capetonian Jesse Ede uses to describe his experimentation and work with bronze. ‘I’ve been pushing the capabilities of aluminium for a while now, but with bronze – and the way I’m working with it – there is so much hidden potential,’ he says. The phrase is apt for a furniture designer whose pieces are very much about texture and tactility, and who pays such attention to detail with his finishes – be it the granular and polished effect of his Deep Space standing mirror, or the lunar and stony character of the Venus table. The rough and organic textures that result from Ede’s signature open sandcasting lend themselves to his visual aesthetic of imagined lunar and astral surfaces that characterise his tables, chairs and mirrors, and inspire their form.

‘It’s the sense of the unknown and of infinite possibility that draws me to themes of the universe, space and the planets,’ Ede explains. No two pieces are the same, and by working with everlasting materials, Ede’s intention is for his furniture to appear as if it could have been created either a millennium ago or in the future. His works, in which he regularly pairs Paarl granite and Malmesbury slate with the barely controllable outcomes of metallurgical experimentation, become expressions of humanity’s search for meaning. ‘I’m trying to create something that will not be stylistically defined by any trend or movement, that will outlive generations and can always be considered timeless.’ jesse-ede.com

PHOTOGRAPHY ADRIAAN LOUW, DEVIN PAISLEY

J ESSE EDE F URNITURE DE SIGNE R

DESIGN

MATERIAL GAINS

For a new wave of local artists and designers, the materials they work with are not only equal in importance to the issues they grapple with, but inform them too. By Martin Jacobs

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DESIGN

The Stonemason ROSS ROBERTSON FURNITURE DE SIGNE R OLIVE R WHYTE STUDIO ‘I REMEMBER VISITING the first Southern Guild exhibition at the V&A Waterfront, being completely blown away by it and thinking this is what I want to do forever,’ says Oliver Whyte Studio founder Ross Robertson (the studio takes his middle names). It’s fair to say that everything design-related in Robertson’s past (he has an architecture degree and spent 11 years designing residential buildings) led him to the moment in late 2019 when he launched his CORE furniture collection and was able to add ‘furniture designer’ to his credentials. Given Robertson’s career to date, the collection, perhaps expectedly architectural and masculine and comprising three occasional tables and two coffee tables, celebrates core-drilled concrete, historically a by-product on construction sites. In keeping with contemporary design thinking around a move towards circular economies, the multidisciplinary designer finds value in turning one man’s waste into another’s collectible. ‘Something that is unique is becoming increasingly valued over that which we perceive to look expensive, and challenges the status quo of what luxury means,’ Robertson says. There are a few poetic pieces in the collection’s brutalist array. For example, Collar, an occasional table, is an undeniable ode to the tactile pleasures of concrete and its terrazzo-like surface. Its sensitivity of form and harmonious combination of materials epitomise Robertson’s desire ‘to create a visual language of opposites, heavy and light, raw and refined’.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF OLIVER WHYTE STUDIO

oliverwhytestudio.com

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The Alchemist C H R I SSY-JA N E O’R I ORDAN A RT IST ‘MATERIALITY HAS ALWAYS been a fascination of mine. I’m drawn further into thought and experimentation when I challenge and question my materials,’ says Chrissy-Jane O’Riordan. She recently graduated in painting from UCT’s Michaelis School of Fine Art but decided to abandon traditional paint in favour of an alchemical approach to mark making. Fire, water, earth and air are, for her, ‘the autonomous painters of my artworks, lending their delicate yet powerful hand in steering the work along an organic and unpredictable journey’. Such an approach demands that O’Riordan relinquishes control and instead relies on chance. She regards herself as a facilitator, participant and witness to the natural processes – oxidization, evaporation, burning and degradation – she employs. These artistic takes on alchemy manipulate her materials, among which are rusted safety pins and other metals, decaying leaves and tar-baked flowers, salt water and sea salts, forming biologically engineered pigments and inks, the play of which results in surfaces that are painterly and utterly compelling. O’Riordan’s use of techniques like dripping, smoking, spilling and seeping results in mark making akin to that of abstract expressionists Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. ‘Through abstraction I can most deeply be observant of, and an intuitive participant in, the alchemical processes that I catalyse,’ she says. Despite many of O’Riordan’s materials being at the tail end of their life-cycles, she regards her works as celebrations of life, the fleeting and impermanent, and as reminders of our threatened environment. ‘When I consider that the present moment is fugitive and short-lived, I witness an immense peace and love for the smallest of things, as well as for the most distant parts of myself.’

PHOTOGRAPHY MATT SLATER

Instagram @chrissyjaneart

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PHOTOGRAPHY CLAIRE GUNN, Jâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;DEE ALLIN

The Luminaries A SH L E E L LOYD LIGHT ING DES IG NER STU DIO LLOYD OF HER ARRESTING statement chandelier at the Skotnes Restaurant at Norval Foundation, lighting designer Ashlee Lloyd says, ‘I believe the future of design is about creating unusual objects that have a formula and language of their own. In a technologically innovative world, that which has been handcrafted could not be more admired; craft is always going to be modern.’ Lloyd’s luxurious rope chandeliers unite her passion for lighting design with her honed crochet skill set. She was taught to crochet by her mother, and would spend hours as a teenager experimenting with the craft, stitching as many materials as possible, always conscious of – and excited by – the possibilities the negative spaces between the stitches could offer. When combining this with her focus on lighting design at tertiary level, she realised that the manipulation of a technique often associated with clothing and crafts could hold subversive appeal in her bespoke pieces, many of which span a length of three to five metres. Ever aware of nuances of mood determined by illumination intensity, Lloyd’s chandeliers are as much about their sensitive, diffuse quality of light as they are about handcrafting. ‘I aim to create ethereal pieces that look soft, floating and calm,’ she says, pointing out that the light sources in her installations are always positioned so as to accentuate areas of interest and surface detail. ashleelloyd.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BRETT RUBIN, SARAH DE PINA

T HA BI SA M JO L I G H TI NG A ND PR ODU CT DE SIGNE R M AS H T DES IGN STU DIO ‘THE PENDANTS I design can be perceived to be about luxury, but not luxury of an elitist or exclusionary form. They’re luxurious because my team, employing skills learnt from prior generations, labours for hours over each of the pieces,’ says Joburgbased lighting designer Thabisa Mjo. Her accolades have included winning the Design Indaba’s 2018 Most Beautiful Object in South Africa award (for her Tutu 2.0 Pendant Light) as well as an invitation to exhibit at the avant-garde 2019 Milan Design Week. Both are accomplishments indicative of the resonance the storytelling in her work has with a design-savvy audience. ‘The story began with the Tutu pendant which was inspired by xibelani, a traditional knee-length skirt worn by Tsonga women,’ says Mjo of her first design. In its various colourful iterations, the Tutu Pendant has included weaving, beading and patterned fabrics. While sartorially inspired, Mjo’s collection of pendants includes elements of pleating, beading, layering and asymmetry – she prefers to describe her lights as sculptural and architectural, and to view the forms as canvases on which to showcase the talents of the craftspeople involved in their construction. Mjo is modest about her achievements, saying, ‘I leverage it to get my foot in the door, to work on projects I think are super interesting.’ For Mjo, working as a lighting and product designer is as much about having a creative outlet as it is about running a sustainable and scalable business, one she hopes will outlive her. mashtdesignstudio.co.za

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DESIGN

The Ceramicists BEN ORKIN CE RAMICIST ‘THE VESSELS I make are somewhat different to me. Where I am sensitive to my environments and don’t always initially stand my ground, they are static and don’t allow for any kind of soft frailty,’ says Ben Orkin, 22, of his recent body of oversized, glazed ceramic vessels. Ever introspective, the artist’s comment is as much about the physicality of his works as it is about their being explorations of his gay identity, and the oneness, both physical and emotional, often inherent in same-gender relationships. Currently in his final year of study at UCT’s Michaelis School of Fine Art, Orkin is garnering acclaim, initially as a recipient of the 2018 Best New Talent Award at 100% Design South Africa, and subsequently in response to his late-2019 solo exhibition at Whatiftheworld Gallery. The vessels exhibited at the latter, with poetic titles including ‘I Need You To Be Me. I Need You, To Be Me’ and ‘Can Our One Be Undone?’, initially appear symmetrical, two identical halves of a singular body. But the limitations of hand-sculpted clay prevent complete symmetry, and it is in these slight irregularities of form that Orkin explores the imbalances and discomforts between lovers. The material that offers Orkin catharsis is of ultimate comfort to him. ‘I’ve been watching my mother, a ceramicist, work for as long as I can remember. The subsequent closeness I have with clay brings me a certain familiarity and comfort, which in turn allows me to explore the things that make me feel uncomfortable.’

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF WHATIFTHEWORLD GALLERY

Instagram: @benorkin

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PHOTOGRAPHY HAYDEN PHIPPS

Z I Z I PHO P OSWA C ER A M ICIST I M I S O CER A M ICS CO-FOUNDER OF IMISO Ceramics, Zizipho Poswa has in recent years developed a growing fascination with the human head. Referencing her traditional Xhosa roots, and the women of the rural Eastern Cape community in which she was raised, she explored – in a 2019 series of totemic vessels – the head’s loadbearing capabilities and more recently, in a series titled ‘Magodi’, the majesty of its timehonoured braided, threaded and woven hairstyles. The former body of work, large-scale ceramic sculptures titled ‘Umthwalo’ (to carry a load or burden), metaphorically represents the forms and textures of the vessels used by women to transport heavy loads of water, wood or washing across great distances. Her pieces pay homage to these Xhosa women, and serve as expressions of admiration for their stoicism and endurance. Never previously having worked to such a scale required Poswa to better understand the properties intrinsic to her materials. ‘I normally work with Walford white clay, but because its properties can be challenging on large-scale pieces, I had to explore white and super stoneware clay instead,’ she says. The shift in materials brought with it a tremendous exploration of surface texture, second nature to Poswa, whose studies included surface design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. In works like ‘Ukukhula I’ and ‘II’, both purchased by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, she marries vibrant colour (a signature in her work, reminiscent of African beadwork and cloth) with both inviting and armour-like surfacing. In her newest ‘Magodi’ vessels, exhibited at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, she pushes technical and creative boundaries even further with stoneware sculptures reaching over a metre in height. imisoceramics.co.za

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love is all around The scents and sounds of the Zululand bushveld surrounding Thanda Safari reveal themselves in a heady rush to city-dwellers hungry for natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restorative therapy. WORDS KASSABAINE PETERSEN

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PHOTOGRAPHY CHRISTIAN SPERKA

THE FIRST MORNING game drive at Thanda Safari was a great

success. We spotted the Big Five, including the elusive leopard, albeit fleetingly. There were numerous sightings of giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala and the ubiquitous spiral-horned nyala. On the sunset game drive we happened upon a family of lions, encountered two cheetah cubs lazing in the shadow of a huge thorn tree and watched silently as a herd of around 20 elephant, young and old, played at a watering hole, while an enormous burgundy sun set in the backgound. Game ranger Matthew Haynes and tracker Zakes Thabethe ensured we got up close to as many animals as possible. Thanks to their brilliant teamwork, our game drives were exhilarating excursions, and their enviable knowledge of the environment and its complex ecology meant we hung onto their every word. A morning bush walk on day two offered an opportunity to savour nature up close, unhurried, unspoilt… This was not about finding the big animals, but rather training our eyes on the tinier creatures. It offered an opportunity to unearth an invisible layer of scent trails and territory markings that animals and trained humans are attuned to. Our guide, Sfiso Mdletshe, is one such human. Not long into our walk he pointed out a perfectly cylindrical burrow beneath the fallen leaves of an acacia tree. This is the home of the trapdoor spider. At its entrace you’ll find a carefully camouflaged lid of silk surrounded by an array of twigs. If an edible insect wanders by, the hairless, shiny spider pounces from its burrow and retreats with its prey. Another of Thanda’s unique offerings is tracking rhino on foot. The reserve is involved in many anti-poaching efforts to protect these magnificent threatened creatures – here, all rhino are dehorned as a precaution. After a 30-minute hike through grassland inspecting old and fresh tracks, checking wind direction and observing indentations in the grass, our guide suddenly stopped. We were a mere 30 metres away from three, no four, enormous white rhino. We stood for a long while and observed them grazing, snorting and occasionally looking in our direction, as if to signal that they were aware of our presence. It was a unique safari

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Thanda Safari offers an elegant retreat with culinary spoils, intimate indoor and outdoor spaces, and the thrill of viewing the Big Five, all while preserving the cultural heritage and fauna and flora of beautiful Zululand

experience that will remain with me forever. Between game drives, there is plenty of opportunity to unwind and immerse yourself in the natural, indulgently beautiful surroundings – whether it’s reading in the open-air library overlooking a watering hole or slipping into the cool, inviting waters of your private plunge pool. Thanda means ‘love’ in Zulu, and that’s exactly what I experienced – an endless array of lovingly prepared, mouthwatering meals as well as heartwarming exchanges with each staff member I encountered. Thanda partners closely with its neighbouring communities, whose members are employed at the reserve. Thanda offers an authentic wildlife experience, with sincere commitment to the Zulu culture and tangible environmental conservation efforts. This ultra-luxurious lodge exudes calmness and offers the ultimate elegant safari experience. Yet for all the comforts, there was something primal and grounding about staying at Thanda that made me question whether I was ready to return tomy real-world jungle. I needn’t have worried though, because, when I inevitably did, there was a renewed natural order, just as in the wild.  thandasafari.co.za

TRAVEL

THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT Away from the clogged dive sites and overrun coastal playgrounds of the world is the Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat. But it’s a navigational nightmare, so Peter Frost joined Meridian Adventures’ flotilla of luxury catamarans to get the best out of the territory.

EXPLORING the waters off the islands of Raja Ampat is done with the best vantage point in mind

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IT’S NO COINCIDENCE that most of the world’s remaining pristine areas boast extraordinary natural protection. The Antarctic Peninsula beneath Argentina has the raging Drake Passage, Hawaii’s Maui has the Alenuihaha Channel and Raja Ampat has the Dampier Straits. I’m thinking about William Dampier as we sidewind across his namesake bit of washing-machine ocean, away from the scooter-infested Indonesian clog and chaos of Sorong towards the remote Raja Ampat capital of Waisai. The 17th-century English explorer-cum-pirate was every bit as unpredictable as the channel named after him, calm as his Somerset home one minute, wrathful like this Pacific Ocean confluence the next. Today Dampier is tumble-drier turbulent, throwing spray, expectation and excitement onto the deck of the private high-speed transfer. It’s a baptism of fire – or water – a fitting introduction to a marine paradise as unpredictable as it is beautiful. Minutes later the gateway has been negotiated, the ferryman paid and, like the Drake and Antarctica, a millpond calm is all around. The first inkling of the wealth that will hold us rapt for the next seven days emerges – bulbous brain coral through impossibly clear water, sea eagles overhead, flashes of silver in the reducing wake, an enveloping tropical warmth. This is going to be fun. Raja Ampat is a 1 500-island puzzle, a maze of inlets, coral outcrops, unexpected tides and near-identical limestone towers. It’s no place for the uninitiated or the foolhardy. Cue the crew at Meridian Adventures, led by veteran sailor and captain Sean Galleymore. The carefully choreographed ocean journeys that Meridian Adventure curates bring together a flotilla of six superyachts that sail together in formation; luxurious catamarans, operated by crew from Meridian’s own training academy. When not under sail, the six yachts form a floating marina of sorts; strung together in the hidden bays of the archipelago, they become a hyper-exclusive hotel on water, with crew working between the yachts to share Prosecco and intel on the various guests – all the better for making their stay a memorable one. Carried aft on the yachts are state-of-the-art tenders,

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DIVING IN RAJA is likely to reveal giant manta rays, fire coral, endless fish species and an immediate sense of calm

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boats deployed during daily excursions to the beaches, reefs, peaks and channels of the archipelago. It’s a well-oiled, almost military machine, impressive to behold. And phenomenal to be part of. Introductions over, yachts and cabins assigned to the 20-odd guests, Galleymore outlines the ethos and activities. Meridian, it’s soon clear, is an exclusive adventure club, a great deal more than just a fly-and-flop water experience. They immerse guests in ways to explore the ocean and curate each day’s activities based on weather and migratory conditions (and to a lesser extent, guest preferences). Up early, onto the tenders, transfer to Meridian’s specialised dive boats, off to the two dive sites of the day, back for lunch, water sports and exploring during the afternoon. So be prepared – diving is Meridian’s mainstay and guests are strongly advised to take dive lessons back home, get qualified and be prepared for extensive scuba or snorkel time. So to it. Day one starts as they all do, cosseted in a stateroom with all the mod cons, a sunrise of extraordinary beauty filtering in through the designer porthole. Up on deck the yacht captain (each yacht has its own dedicated captain and crew) is overseeing the breakfast spread – fruit, pastries and a cooked component – and coordinating the tender

TRAVEL

launch. Shower, walk up through the expansive, air-conditioned saloon lounge, take in the focused activity of the crew, sit and eat. There isn’t much time to take in the cupcake island views before it’s onto the tenders, across the hidden bay, onto the dive boat and off to one of hundreds of dive sites explored by the elite adventure group. En route there’s a dive briefing, then it’s into scuba gear, ‘three, two, one, dive, dive, dive’ and… the world slows. Breath in. Out. Equalise. Clear the mask. Then look down. This is what it’s all about. Raja is the seed garden of the oceans, a nursery of the extraordinary. For experienced divers it is bucket-list nirvana, for beginners an introduction that’s likely to make every future dive elsewhere pale in comparison. A staggering 76 percent of the world’s coral species offer themselves up as you glide past, a mood board of riotous excess, colours, shapes and sizes unseen on Disney celluloid or elsewhere on earth. The inhabitants are just as flamboyant: Jackson Pollock fish, crazy mad paint swatches of excess, take no notice of the land visitors. Sensory overload is guaranteed. Dives last 45 minutes, but it seems like five: clown fish hiding in their swaying anemone lairs are the relative dullards of the reef; there’s too much to see and not enough time. Back on board over another sumptuous lunch, stories are swapped – ‘did you see the manta/ moray eel/wobbegong shark?’ – before the Seabobs, Fliteboards and stand-up paddle boards are rolled out. Meridian’s toys are state of the art, and as the sun sets under a developing tropical thunderstorm, the laughter from the water behind the yachts is a fitting soundtrack to an exceptional day. Raja Ampat might be the most memorable dive and ocean trip on earth at the moment. With Meridian Adventure it is also elegant, ethical, revealing and instructive.  FIND OUT MORE meridianadventures.com

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Property Focus

CAMPS BAY, CAPE TOWN

Asking R29.995 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R34.5 million | 5 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 2 garages

Sensational "Steve Long", designed masterpiece, perched high in Camps Bay and looking out to sea. This sensational house consists with 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms (3 en-suite). Guest cloak room, laundry room, double remote controlled garage. Excellent security, leveled grassed lawns at the back, and up the stairs to a simple drop dead gorgeous sea facing level consisting of lounges, kitchens and rooms etc. Opening onto a sumptuous outside with feature trainer pool, its like ocean liner living 24/7. Brett Cooper 072 277 3308 Oﬃce 021 401 4338

Perched above the secluded Bali Bay just a gentle stroll from the vibrant Camps Bay strip. This new development is a great investment with an internal management team already in place short term letting is an available option for you. Spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean and The Twelve Apostles mountain range, it surely gives you the best location and experience Cape Town has to oﬀer. The open plan living spaces makes this the perfect entertainment villa sheltered from the Cape South Easter. Built-in braai with a plunge pool, double garage with oﬀ street parking and a beautifully landscaped garden. Jenna Pietersen 084 626 5755 Web ref: RL82707

HIGGOVALE, CAPE TOWN

BANTRY BAY, CAPE TOWN

Asking R16.995 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R65 million | 5 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 2 garages

This haven of tranquillity in an exclusive suburb with superb views. Classical home, set on the slopes of Table Mountain, boasts traditional architecture married with state-of-the-art technology: Home theatre, fibre, CCTV off site security, LED lighting. A captivating open plan lounge/dining area with gas fireplace and elegant fully integrated kitchen. Oak island and teak hardwood flooring opens onto a wraparound veranda and spacious patio with braai overlooking an established garden and pool. Plethora of entertaining possibilities. The four spacious bedrooms are all en-suite. Master with spa bathroom including jacuzzi and steam room. Perfect for Airbnb, solar geysers, irrigation and extra-large double garage. Andrea Glew 079 893 9197 Office 021 401 4338

This ‘Van Der Merwe Miszewski’ designed masterpiece: is secluded amongst a forest of Blue Gum trees, & faces out onto magnificent ocean views. Minimalistic glass & timber exterior, softened by cantilevered terraces, landscaped garden areas & protected from the harsh sun rays with ample sliding shutters. Sophisticated timber stairs & walkways lead down through impressive bedroom levels onto two gracious lounges, a covered patio, sublime eat-in kitchen & study. A gas fireplace warms the sleek dining room with custom cabinetry. The final level is dedicated to play for all ages: cinema, games room, 2nd kitchen, sauna & steam room, level garden, pool, 2 sun-decks, trampoline & outdoor shower. Yoga room, staff acc, borehole & generator ready. Double garage plus secure parking for 6 cars. Andrea Glew 079 893 9197 Web ref: RL82915

BRYANSTON EAST, SANDTON

BRYANSTON, SANDTON

Asking R8.5 million | 5 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R12.9 million | 5 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 2 garages

A glorious home in central Bryanston and close to all the very best schools. A chic entertainer’s paradise, luxurious and spacious with all the amenities for the entertainer. Exclusive, exquisite & extraordinary – create your own world in this tranquil & very private setting boasting. 5 Double bedroom suites, numerous reception rooms flowing to enclosed patio with kitchen station. Swimming pool, bar/cigar lounge, outstanding landscaped treed garden with borehole. Chef’s large kitchen with breakfast area & integrated appliances. Double garage, 2 luxury staﬀ acc & much more. An exceptional home for all seasons. A stone’s throw from the Sandton CBD. Manuela Coelho 082 552 7119 Web ref: 3950351

In sought-after gated avenue. Brand new, bold, electrifying! Dramatic angles and ultra-modern. A glorious family home with top ﬁttings boasting 5 luxurious bedroom suites and guest room downstairs. Open-plan reception rooms, stunning modern kitchen, open-plan, home movie theatre – all to landscaped treed garden and organic vegetable garden. Luxury staﬀ acc /teenage pad. Top security. An impeccable home for the top executive. Manuela Coelho 082 552 7119 Web ref: 3641073

BRYANSTON, SANDTON

DUNKELD, JOHANNESBURG

Asking R9.95 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 3 garages

Asking R12.9 million | 6 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 3 garages

A classic Georgian home under slate located in prestigious residential estate. Well-appointed interiors offering 4 luxurious bedroom suites plus upstairs family lounge, study, gracious reception rooms with cocktail bar – all flowing out to incredibly spacious terrace onto formal treed, manicured garden and secluded pool. A chef’s dream kitchen fitted with the best. Sash windows. Staff suite, 3 garages and many more features. Cluster-style living par excellence. Designed for the discerning business executive requiring elegant living. Manuela Coelho 082 552 7119 Web ref: 361 15245

A magniﬁcent Michael Sutton home, ideal for large or extended families. Natural light from numerous courtyards, skylights and windows framing views of the gardens create an indoor / outdoor impression. Space for everyone and every occasion. 6 Bedrooms, 5 bathrooms (4 en-suite) including a choice of two master suites, 2 studies, flowing entertainment reception rooms with a cocktail bar out to the garden, patio with built-in braai and pizza oven, decked pool and jacuzzi. Triple garaging, 3 staﬀ rooms, guest parking. Di Kuhlenthal 082 960 5353 Debbie Parkinson 083 326 7739 Web ref: 4013509

www.sothebysrealty.co.za

HOUGHTON ESTATE, JOHANNESBURG

HYDE PARK SANDTON

Asking R8.7 million | 4 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R36 million | 6 bedrooms | 6 bathrooms | 6 garages

Circa 1910. This exceptional heritage masterpiece invites all traditional families and offices with love and appreciation of culture and history. Wood paneled double volume entrance hall welcome stately magnificence and opulence. Exquisite pressed ceilings, wooden floors, original bay windows and fireplaces, beautiful wrap around verandah and swimming pool all flow out to exceptional views. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, creative art loft, self contained cottage, top end security, generator, off street parking and so much more. Sabina Seeber 083 254 6981 Office: 011 886 8070 Web ref: 3773517

A rare offering of one of the area’s finest. Nestled in Hyde Park’s most exclusive roads, behind 2 security booms, this enchanting home can be described as the very best of the best. “Flair, brilliance and an eye for proportions”, perfectly depicts this Sir Edwin Luyten’s inspired home. 3 Reception rooms, study, exquisite covered patio overlooking the garden, pool and pool house. Elaborate entertaining is made easy in any space of this home. 4 En-suite beds with 2 private guest suites. Music room, wine cellar, home theatre, state of the art kitchen, luxury staff, 6 garages. Kym Quincey 082 928 3721 Web ref: 3767339

BIRDHAVEN, JOHANNESBURG

HOUGHTON ESTATE, JOHANNESBURG

Asking R8.9 million | 4 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms | 4 garages

Asking R6.5 million | 3 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms | 3 garages

A lovely family home, immaculately maintained allowing you to just move in. The reception areas flow through to a large covered entertainment patio with a pizza oven and braai, overlooking the sparkling pool and floodlit tennis court. 4 Bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, the main en-suite. Large self-contained cottage above the garage for 4 cars. 2 Staﬀ rooms. Di Kuhlenthal 082 960 5353, Debbie Parkinson 083 326 7739 Oﬃce: 011 886 8070 Web ref: 3856193

Beautiful position, breathtaking and expansive garden. This delightful treasure is nestled in lush greenery. Light and bright, north facing and full of sunshine. Reception areas wrap around the outdoor patio, beautiful courtyard for alfresco lunches and summer evenings. Superb private family room and downstairs guest wing. 3 bedrooms upstairs, MES with walk in dressing room. 3 Garages, good staﬀ accommodation. Make this home for years to come with changes that suit your needs. Sabina Seeber 083 254 6981 Oﬃce: 011 886 8070

www.sothebysrealty.co.za

SENDERWOOD

BEDFORDVIEW

Asking R14.9 million | 5 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 4 garages

Asking R7.95 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 3 garages

This magnificent home was designed by an architect for an architect! Boasting double volume entrance hall with staircase, layers of lights with a blend of wood and genuine stone, flowing open plan spaces. Dining and family room, formal lounge with gas fireplace, study and en-suite guest room, gourmet kitchen with scullery and walk-in fridge. 5 Bedrooms (mes), 5 bathrooms, games room / en-suite cottage. Large patio with braai area, timber deck to pool with water feature, borehole and reservoir, staff suite, 4 garages. Charlene 082 448 0440 Robby 083 717 2365 Web ref: 2525883

Harcus Road cluster home in prime 24 hr gated road and within a complex of only 4 secure homes. Double volume entrance hall with serpentine feature staircase welcomes you into this spacious and elaborate family home. Multiple flowing receptions including family/cinema lounge, formal dining room and lounge. Enclosed patio with built in braai and bar and lounging area. Neat garden with pool and irrigation system. Sprawling chef’s kitchen with separate scullery and laundry. Study and guest loo downstairs. Upstairs 4 en-suite bedrooms. Underfloor heating, surround sound, generator and gym. Triple garages and staﬀ acc. Ingrid Hoaten 082 490 6246 Web ref: 3067468

ATHOLL, SANDTON

INANDA, SANDTON

Asking R9.9 million | 5 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 5 garages A uniquely designed home which has been beautifully crafted to captivate the dramatic. Entering the lofty foyer one is met with the generosity of the home. A wide staircase invites you to the upper level where you are met with 4 large rooms with en suite bathroom. The ground floor offers 3 receptions which flow to a covered patio and inviting terrace, breakfast room off French-style kitchen, separate scullery. 5 Spacious bedrooms all en-suite, guest cloakroom, fitted study, garaging for 5 vehicles, laundry, storeroom, Koi pond and resort-style swimming pool set in lush half acre, tropical garden. UPS backup. Karen Bosman 083 435 7703 John Bosman 083 271 0231 Web ref: 3983052 www.sothebysrealty.co.za

Asking R9.9 million | 5 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 5 garages Bewithing, beguiling hide-away. Sequestered at the end of a meandering, secure driveway lies a classic home with 2 bedroomed cottage, tennis court and pool. Tiled entrance with dramatic staircase leading to elevated games room with fitted pub, lounge, open plan family room to covered patio, separate dining room off large kitchen with imported appliances, separate scullery, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms en suite, guest toilet, 3 roomed staff / 2nd cottage, 5 car garaging with direct access to the home, 2 storerooms. Work from home potential. Karen Bosman 083 435 7703 John Bosman 083 271 0231 Office: 011 886 8070 Web ref: 3881280

PARKHURST, JOHANNESBURG

CRAIGHALL, SANDTON

Asking R4.7 million | 3 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R13.9 million | 5 bedrooms | 4½ bathrooms | 4 garages

Understated luxury, comfort and functionality at its best. A soothing architectural space that features ingenious architectural elements. Expansive interchangeable living area with breathtaking open-plan kitchen flow. Brilliant indoor/outdoor union with terrace, undercover patio and pool area. 3 Generous bedrooms, 2 designer bathrooms. Outside gym room / oﬃce and store room and 2 garages. Willem Prinsloo 082 442 1497, Cornel Ridgard 082 468 8247 Web ref: 3974955

The design is a vast barn “eco style” contemporary farmhouse (totally re-built 3 years ago) with soaring ceilings, baronial rooms flooded with sunlight set in a boomed road and on ±3707m². Kitchen, lounge & dining all open via stack doors on to veranda. Scullery/laundry, 2 x double garages. In the central lobby is a large glass wine cellar, guest cloakroom, and 2 private studies, children’s TV / playroom. Guest bedroom suite downstairs. Upstairs 4 Bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. Separate studio/oﬃce/gym, 1 Bed full cottage & gardener’s cloaks. This eco home has solar panels, storage batteries, gas geysers and borehole. Kass Bunkell 082 565 8658 Oﬃce: 011 886 8070 Web ref: 3956787

PARKVIEW, JOHANNESBURG

CRAIGHALL, SANDTON

Asking R8.4 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R10.5 million | 4 bedrooms | 3½ bathrooms | 2 garages

Cape Barn style farmhouse ﬁlled with sublime light. Fully renovated home balancing modern simplicity & gracious proportions. The sense of space & light creates a feeling of luxury. Open plan kitchen living with plain English style cabinetry & view of pool. Wonderful verandas make for courtyard living, linking to reception areas of lounge, dining, family room and kitchen. 3 Bedroom suites lead to a private stretch of lawned garden. 4th glamorous suite upstairs with treetop views. Shutters, wooden floors, white sash windows & pressed steel ceilings create a beautiful home. Top notch security & inverter. Easy access to top schools & all amenities. Theodora Brickhill 082 553 8525 Web ref: 3996858

Iconic charm meets vibrant creativity - Totally renovated to enhance the character and period feel of this stately home set on exquisite landscaped gardens, ±3700m² plus, tennis court, fully equipped garden pavilion, heated pool, fountains & cut rock walls. This landmark is admired by all. There are 5 reception areas, 4 bedrooms open to garden and pool. 3.5 bathrooms (2 en-suite), fitted study (possible 5th bedroom), outstanding kitchen with scullery & walk in pantry, large laundry room, store room and staff cottage with 3 bedrooms, bath and kitchen / living. Double garage, ample off street parking. Excellent security, set in 24hr guarded street. Kass Bunkell 082 565 8658 Web ref: 3866884

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MORNINGSIDE, SANDTON

Asking R25 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R20 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 4 garages

A stunning Italian Villa set deep within an exclusive complex of 3 homes. You will fall in love from the driveway and as you enter through wrought-iron gates into the double-volume entrance hall with an awe-inspiring chandelier and grand staircase, the love aﬀair will only continue. Meticulous attention to detail is evident everywhere you look with solid wood used throughout (doors and windows) – an exercise in sheer luxury. No expense has been spared to create a foil so splendid, it will literally take your breath away. Designed for lavish living, yet comfortable and inviting at the same time, it oﬀers a plethora of features. Wayne Brownhill 078 023 5462 Web ref: 3432706

Bespoke by design & built to exacting standards, this stunning 1000m² residence is perfectly poised on 3981m² of lush manicured gardens, behind a guarded boom. Its unusual floor plan sees the exquisite kitchen, breakfast patio and family room perched on the top floor to take full advantage of the uninterrupted panoramic views! Two further floors contain the rest of the accommodation, cleverly creating interplay between indoors and out. Features include en-suite bedrooms, fully fitted gym, his and her studies, generous staff apartments, tennis court and private guard house. A borehole and full load generator complete this offering. Wayne Brownhill 078 023 5462 Web ref: 3974658

WESTCLIFF, JOHANNESBURG

MORNINGSIDE, SANDTON

Asking R35 million | 3 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R10 million | 5 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 4 garages

Perched high on the ridge - this is a view site – no questions asked. Prince of position in sough after cul-de-sac. 180 degree views to the Magaliesburg. This South entry, North facing double storey home set on ±5175m² with garden and pool, has an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. Solid wood doors, glass and contemporary character abounds. 4 Receptions, 3 double bedrooms en-suite, gym, wine cellar, garaging, staﬀ acc. The rest you must see. Beverley Gurwicz 082 412 0010 Oﬃce: 011 886 8070

This is a love affair and ideal for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle at the end of the day! Surrounded by magnificent trees and far from the prying eye, this gorgeous abode is set high up and hidden in the sought-after Veldtuin Place housing estate. Unusual design features have been employed to great effect with oversized windows affording natural light & views of the exquisite garden and courtyards, whilst verandahs with tree-top views demand that you relax. Accommodation is abundant here with 3 bedroom suites, a guest flatlet, home office, 2 studies, 4 garages and more. Direct access to Redhill School makes it even more appealing. Wayne Brownhill 078 023 5462 Web ref: 2365722

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MORNINGSIDE MANOR, SANDTON

HURLINGHAM MANOR, SANDTON

Packages from R5.85 million (incl vat) | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R5.9 million | 5 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 2 garages

New cluster development. Ultra modern with state of the art finishes and incredible views. No transfer duties. Dramatic architecture with well known and acclaimed Gavin Wharburton, exceptional finishes with attention to detail, high ceilings double volume entrance leading to open plan reception rooms and separate playroom allowing indoor/outdoor lifestyle to covered patio, pool and intimate, private garden. Light filled double volume staircase to 4 sumptuous and spacious bedrooms all en suite and pyjama lounge. Optional extra staircase to roof deck with built in braai and garden. Staff / guest suite – double garage. Alan Bak 082 490 0940 Web ref: ND52

A modern masterpiece in an enviable, elevated position with uninterrupted views. Double volume entrance sheathed in glass, lofty lounge and separate family room, separate dining room, games / gym room, pyjama lounge, study, granite and rosewood clad eat-in kitchen, separate utility / laundry, 5 generous sized bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, guest toilet, staﬀ/flat with en suite shower room, double garaging with direct access to the home, pool, patio. Work from home potential. Karen Bosman 083 435 7703, John Bosman 083 271 0231 Oﬃce: 011 886 8070 Web ref: 3991638

WILDERNESS, GARDEN ROUTE

GEORGE, GARDEN ROUTE

Asking R5.6 million | 4 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | 4 garages

Asking R5.985 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 3 garages

An architectural statement in stone, set within a pristine indigenous landscape, with coastline & mountain views. Versatile living, with loads of infrastructure that could be converted to suit a variety of uses. The main house interior is in the process of renovation, providing a blank canvass, to suit your lifestyle. It comprises spacious living, with a large studio & a self-contained “bedsitter”. Close to the home is another stone building with a single garage, large oﬃce & a huge studio. There is yet another new building, of 269m² with 5 stores / workshop /studios, a garage & covered deck. Peter Bartrum 082 550 4808 Diedre Lagesen 082 342 3696 Web ref: 3901862

Superbly designed and finished to perfection! Open-plan and interleading living, dining and kitchen areas, with exceptional views of the neighbouring farmlands. The stunning kitchen is fitted with Smeg appliances and opens out to the braai patio. Luxurious accommodation provides 3 spacious en-suite bedrooms, a 4th bedroom & bathroom, a well-fitted study, a teenage lounge, an ironing and linen room, and an upstairs pyjama lounge. Exceptionally spacious garaging for three cars, complete with sporting gear storage alcove. Enjoy true country life, in an exclusive, gated and guarded estate. Ronél Thiart 083 627 6806 Office: 044 873 2519 Web ref: 3965553

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CONSTANTIA UPPER, CAPE TOWN

CONSTANTIA RURAL, CAPE TOWN

Asking R32 million | 7 bedrooms | 8 bathrooms | 3 garages

Asking R8.95 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 2 garages

Share our excitement with this absolutely captivating and original Constantia homestead. Built in 1937 this home is solid but stylish with a harmonious blend of modern day fittings and yesteryear charm. You will not be disappointed as on arrival your first view is a feature carved front door leading to the living rooms with beautiful woods featured throughout the property. Offering 7 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms, large living rooms with high ceilings plus a separate 2 bedroom cottage, 3 garages and domestic quarters all tucked away in a secure estate. Rouvaun McKirby 071 671 0821, Jacques Fourie 072 304 7957, Jo Thomas 084 404 4120 Office: 021 701 2446 Web ref: 3921190

Wonderfully serene with exquisite mountain views. Perfectly positioned family home with mountain views. The inviting entrance leads to formal lounge and dining room which open out to separate patio areas overlooking the lush garden and pool. Open plan kitchen with informal dining room. The home has 3 bedrooms positioned together on the one side of the house and a guest suite on the other side. The main and guest are en-suite and there are a further two bathrooms. A double auto garage with direct access, underfloor heating throughout, borehole, irrigation system, electric fence and beams complete this lovely home. Eileen O’ Sullivan 082 410 7204 Oﬃce: 021 701 2446 Web ref: 3849093

STONEHURST MOUNTAIN ESTATE, CAPE TOWN

ZWAANSWYK, CONSTANTIA VALLEY, CAPE TOWN

Asking R12.95 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 2 garages This quality built family home is well situated on Cape Town’s finest eco estate set on 100 hectares of indigenous vegetation. Continental sophistication is everywhere to be found throughout the home boasting superior bespoke finishes and both German appliances and Italian cabinetry. Kitchen and bathroom fittings are of the highest standard and set in beautifully finished areas featuring exclusive natural stonework. The home is perfect for entertaining with large doors opening between inside and al fresco dining areas. Dave Burger 083 458 3333, Steve Thomas 084 471 4722 Brenda Pretorius 083 442 1318 Office: 021 701 2446 Web ref: 3872454 www.sothebysrealty.co.za

Asking R15.5 million | 5 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 2 garages Classic contemporary residence in tranquil country setting. This substantial property, on over an acre of prime land, is situated down a quiet, leafy lane and peaceful cul-de-sac. Perfect, dual living for the extended family, work-from-home or AirBnB market, the main house provides 4 reception rooms, 5 spacious bedrooms with 4 en-suite bathrooms, plus a full family bathroom. Separate, private apartment with 3 en-suite bedrooms and a large central, versatile, open plan reception room. A fully self-contained staff cottage completes the accommodation offering. Dawn Bloch 072 496 9458 Office: 021 701 2446 Web ref: 3846374

RONDEBOSCH, CAPE TOWN

CLAREMONT UPPER, CAPE TOWN

Asking R14.95 million | 6 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 4 garages

Asking R14.9 million | 4 bedrooms | 3½ bathrooms | 2 garages

A rare find in sought after Golden Mile, a stone’s throw from prestigious school. This unique family home’s design is contemporary, whilst maintaining its original character and charm. Every detail and space has been carefully thought through with an eye for detail and aesthetics. 6 Bedrooms, 4 bathrooms (3 en suite), 6 reception rooms, study, staff accommodation, designer eat - in kitchen, quadruple garage & parking for 5 cars. The garden is well established with a sparkling pool, covered outdoor entertainment area and glorious mountain views. Lee Gautschi 083 708 3058, Andrew Dallas 083 629 0527 Office: 021 673 1240 Web ref: 3702034

The wow factor! Views as far as you can see... Tucked away in a quiet and secure cul de sac within walking distance of the Claremont International School, and one of only three houses in a small gated estate, this superbly designed and immaculate home offers four large bedrooms all with views, fitted kitchen, and open-plan living areas with easy flow to large covered terrace, garden and pool – the perfect setting for entertaining, or quiet sundowners enjoying the peace, quiet and extraordinary views! Barbara Manning 083 407 3656 Office 021 673 1240 Web ref: 3934846

NEWLANDS, CAPE TOWN

UPPER CLAREMONT, CAPE TOWN

Asking R23 million | 6 bedrooms | 8½ bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R7.45 million | 4 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms

Set on a sprawling 1500m² this home is, undoubtedly, one of the most splendid in all of Fernwood. Boasting privacy and perfect, uninterrupted mountain views, this north-facing property is designed around luxury family living & entertaining. Enjoy watching the children play on the expansive lawn, pool, or stream, from the numerous reception areas, deep patio bedrooms upstairs which all overlook the pool & garden. With 5 en-suite bedrooms all air-conditioned, seamless open plan living, a home gym and steam shower, this is a home to celebrate. Solar panels keep electrical consumption low. Jo Fourie 071 286 5383, Brandon Challis 084 491 0906 Oﬃce: 021 673 1240 Web ref: 3873476

Set on 1015m² of landscaped garden, this beautifully appointed home is nestled in a quiet pocket of Upper Claremont. The desirable features of the home are, without doubt, the exceptional proportions throughout and the presence of original shutters, high ceilings, sash windows, wooden floors and lovely ﬁreplaces. This property transcends time. Ruth Leach 082 323 7550, Anne Goddard 082 777 7107 Oﬃce 021 673 1240 Web ref: 3910633

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HOUT BAY, CAPE TOWN

STONEHAVEN ESTATE, NOORDHOEK, CAPE TOWN

Asking R7.45 million | 4 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | 3 garages

Asking R5.995 million | 4 bedrooms | 3½ bathrooms | 2 garages

Set in this prestigious 24hr manned security estate. Home extraordinaire! Take full advantage of outdoor living with several nuances, soaring ceilings, screeded floors & Bali style finishes. Accommodation includes open plan lounge, dining, living rooms leading to patio & pool. Family room with wood burning fireplace. Separate kitchen and scullery. Four bedrooms, two en-suites (master suite and guest suite) and two bedrooms sharing a bathroom. Triple garage and parking for three more cars. Pond and salt chlorinated pool. Terri Steyn 082 777 0748 Office 021 701 2446 Web ref: 3770786

An immaculate, North-facing home set in a perfect position in popular Stonehaven Estate. With breath-taking views of the Atlantic Ocean, Noordhoek Valley and Chapman's Peak and bordering a green belt, this property offers spacious living areas which lead to a lovely undercover patio, built-in braai and sparkling pool set in a truly magical garden from where to enjoy easy living and spectacular sunsets with family and friends. Magnificent views, tranquility & privacy. Linette Kempster 082 464 9264 Office 021 784 2260 Web ref: 3876563

CENTURY CITY, MILNERTON, CAPE TOWN

VALMARY PARK, DURBANVILLE

Price on application | 5 bedrooms | 6 bathrooms | 2 garages You cannot deny the class of this property. 5 Bedrooms, 6 bathrooms and 6 reception rooms all tastefully decorated. A fully automated Smartspace home with a server room by Control 14, grey water linked to the irrigation system, diesel generator, borehole with water ﬁltration system and under floor heating. The resulting design is a sustainably balanced, visually pleasing home which reflects the lifestyle. The perfectly located prestigious and sought after estate of Waterstone Isles is located on a secure private island in Century City’s awardwinning 16-hectare wetlands nature reserve. Dawie du Plessis 083 293 0449 Oﬃce: 021 979 4396 Web ref: 3798302 www.sothebysrealty.co.za

Asking R6.895 million | 5 bedrooms | 4½ bathrooms | 2 garages Upon entering you are embraced with exceptional taste from floor to ceiling! The property oﬀers 2 lounges, large open plan dining room and bar leading out to a superb entertainment area and plunge pool. A guest bathroom services living rooms and entertainment area. Large kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and an upstairs entertainment area. There is a flat with a separate entrance and parking area, it has a lounge, kitchenette and bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. This luxury abode is set on a 666m² property in an estate, with direct access to the Durbanville Golf Course. Dawie du Plessis 083 293 0449 Oﬃce: 021 979 4396 Web ref: 3836621

OLIVEWOOD ESTATE, OLIVEDALE, RANDBURG

NORTHCLIFF, JOHANNESBURG

Asking R7.495 million | 3 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 3 garages

Asking R16.5 million | 5 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 3 garages

This unique custom-built home set over 3 levels, has clean, modern lines with bold architectural angles which have been designed to modern perfection. The open-plan living spaces flow eﬀortlessly onto the magniﬁcent entertainment areas and Eva-tech decking. Views from the raised tranquil pool area showcase the beautifully landscaped garden which lies adjacent to a spectacular green belt, housing an indigenous water-wise garden of succulents and aloes. Feature industrial designed wine cellar. 3 Spacious bedrooms, 3 luxurious en-suite bathrooms plus guest bathroom. Tania Fourie 082 331 6948, Francois du Toit 082 801 9559 Web ref: 3560849

Authentic Japanese home - One of a kind in South Africa. Attention to detail went into the design and building of this 100% authentic Japanese home. Materials were imported and fine workmanship is evident. Set on one of the best view sites in Johannesburg. Extraordinary features like central heating, bamboo and other imported materials to create a true Japanese home. Finely designed Zen gardens with Koi ponds complete the setting. Off-the-grid features like consumable borehole water and solar power. Not everyone will appreciate what went into creating this masterpiece. Will you? Gert Bekker 082 570 0222 Office: 011 476 8303 Web ref: 3914688

OLIVE CREST ESTATE, RANDBURG

LINDEN, JOHANNESBURG

From R7.8 million | 6 bedrooms |4 bathrooms | 1 garage

Asking R4.85 million | 3 bedrooms | 2½ bathrooms | 5 garages

A modern contemporary masterpiece, creating an oasis of tranquility located in the heart of an Eco estate. The contemporary aesthetics takes in an all glass front door that invites the outside garden into the home, with spacious, light and airy with a timeless and sophisticated grace; were you can view the changing nuances of the day through the large windows weather you are cooking or laying on your bed, every morning when you open your curtains, you can see what the horizon promises for the rest of the day. Zona Coetzee 084 626 6119 Oﬃce: 011 476 8303 Web ref: 4001015

Unique luxury home on 3111m² stand with breathtaking northern views, many outbuildings and development potential! This unusual residence with lovingly restored classic features includes a home theater, view deck patio by solar heated pool, huge garden & children’s playground, catering kitchen, pub room, 2 staff flats, storerooms, 5-car garage, borehole, 3-phase electricity and a bowling alley! Entertain, work from home or hobbies like your own craft beer hobby workshop and cellars! Now completely off the grid: water and power independent. Looking for a unique combination of everything? This home is full of surprises! Melinda 083 399 4113, Maria 083 380 2939 Office: 011 476 8303 Web ref: 3567110

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ZWARTKOP GOLF ESTATE, CENTURION

MIDSTREAM, CENTURION

Asking R7 million | 4 bedrooms | 3½ bathrooms | 3 garages

Asking R10.5 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 4 garages

A sumptuous home designed for stylish living and privileged entertaining, with a choice of poolside relaxation or elegant fine dining. Opulent reception rooms and design features allow natural light to stream into the home, with the innovative open-plan segmentation of multiple living rooms creating perfect harmony. A luxurious kitchen and entertainers’ patio with wooden decking highlight a feature pool and a beautiful garden. Invite tranquillity in the elegant bedrooms and family pyjama lounge with kitchenette. A palatial master suite adorned with elegant finishes, luxurious private bath & dressing room just off the grand master suite. Michelle Vergottini Web ref: 3887067

This modern light and bright designer home welcomes you in with double volume entrance hall that leads to the spacious well designed living areas a private lounge, TV room, formal dining room, gourmet kitchen with top of the range finishes, ideal for the home chef. The gracious spiral staircase leads you upstairs to a home gym, home cinema and 4 bedrooms, 3 with full en suite bathrooms. The master bedroom has a spacious private dressing room and bathroom with double shower. The home also offers features like custom built-in sound system and air conditioning throughout, plus 4 auto garages and staff acc. Jermaine Dick 072 775 9306 Web ref: 3600538

FAERIE GLEN, PRETORIA

ERASMUSKLOOF, PRETORIA

Asking R4.2 million | 4 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R5.1 million | 4 bedrooms | 4½ bathrooms | 3 garages

This home offers meticulous attention to detail and thoughtful design as well as great natural lighting with a seamless flow from room to room. The home has the essence of luxury and sophistication with top-end quality features and fittings throughout. With great attention-to-detail, it compliments both indoor and outdoor flow for all-season entertainment. The chef’s kitchen and scullery are appointed with the finest finishes and appliances. The dining area leads onto a covered patio overlooking the landscaped garden & heated pool. Amazing master suit offering a great view, huge closets, mahogany vanity, marble tiling and countertops. Amanda White 082 464 8016 Web ref: 3832912

Cradled on the side of the valley, in a gated community, lies this 4 bedroom (all en-suite) family home with superb views. Owned and loved by the original owners for 2 decades. This striking beauty has a timeless appearance with a garden terrace that is both, easy to maintain and strikingly beautiful. Large, spacious open plan reception areas and double volume splendor in the great room. For the gentleman of the home, is a private bar room, complete with a built-in bar. This property has so many extras on oﬀer, therefore we'll invite you to come and view for yourself. Elca Minnaar 083 650 0775 Oﬃce 012 460 9261 Web ref: 3854727

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UMHLANGA ROCKS, KWA-ZULU NATAL

SIMBITHI ECO ESTATE, KWA-ZULU NATAL

Asking R4.05 million | 3 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms | 2 carports

Asking R13.65 million | 4 bedrooms | 2½ bathrooms | 2 garages

A modern contemporary apartment situated in a sought-after complex in the new town area of Umhlanga Rocks, offering state of the art security with manned and biometric access systems. Lovely garden, communal pool and entertainment areas in the heart of the ultra-modern design of the complex. The top floor apartment offers top class finishes throughout and lovely views. The spacious living area flow from the well fitted kitchen boasting Caesarstone finishes. It flows through to the well-appointed balcony big enough for an eight-seater dining set and fitted with sliding weather shutters that allow for all round entertainment. Nicky Mc Lennan 084 551 9371 Web ref: RL82781

This exceptional home designed by Metropole Architects has had no expense spared with top quality finishes throughout offering spectacular sea, dam and fairway views. With a spacious open plan formal lounge, dining room which is separated by a caesar stone gas fireplace and gourmet kitchen. This home offers 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, study, gym, pyjama lounge, staff quarters, double garage and a level landscaped garden. Dual Mandate. Kim Egdes 082 956 3371 Office: 032946 1818 Web ref: SEE195

BEACON BAY, EAST LONDON

PORT ALFRED, EASTERN CAPE

Asking R4.6 million | 4 bedrooms | 2½ bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R5.495 million | 6 bedrooms | 6 bathrooms | 2 garages

Contemporary, architect designed home with an eye for quality finishes. This beautifully presented home is located on Edly Symons Road along the Quinera River. The 1967m² property offers a north facing, master built home of timeless design that blends with the natural environment and abundant bird life. The open plan living and entertainment spaces are on one level leading to an expansive patio, pool deck and rolling lawn to the river. There are 4 bedrooms, 2 and a half bathrooms, 2 lounges, dining room, kitchen plus kitchenette, wine cellar, staff quarter, double garage, upstairs studio and large office to work from home. Ann Nel 083 445 1163 Office: 043 726 0111 Web ref: 3943654

Set in a small secure estate with panoramic views of the Kowie River, distant hills and breathtaking sunsets! I would rate this magnificent property of distinction, which offers 6 bedrooms en-suite and the opportunity to comfortably accommodate guests and extended family, one of the very top properties in Port Alfred. Can comfortably & independently accommodate two families. A two and four bedroom house. Extras are plenty underground rainwater tanks, a generator, solar power, under floor heating, a sophisticated camera intercom and a sparkling pool. Heather Tyson 082 320 0121 Office: 046 624 5607 Web ref: 1501360

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PEARL VALLEY AT VAL DE VIE, WESTERN CAPE

DE ZALZE WINELANDS GOLF ESTATE, WESTERN CAPE

Asking R8.9 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 3 garages

Asking R19.5 million | 4 bedrooms | 5½ bathrooms | 2 garages

A lovingly maintained family home situated against the backdrop of the Drakenstein Mountains. This 4 bedroom en-suite home offers spacious open plan entertainment areas leading onto the pool. The double volume in the living room has an accent wall with wooden fireplace that leads to the sheltered braai room and swimming pool with large garden. Bronwyn Boyd 083 420 1747 Office: 021 867 0161 Web ref: 3999359

Motivated seller has dropped the price drastically! Beautifully renovated home with amazing views, exuding style and class and all contents and fixtures and fittings are negotiable. Elegant living areas offers a formal lounge with interleading fireplace, stylish fitted bar, dining room and informal lounge, all opening onto stunning covered patio with built in braai, heated pool and jacuzzi. A definite must view for the discerning buyer looking for something with flair and style. Letetia Botha 082 377 0111 Office: 021 809 2760 Web ref: 3989846

DEVONVALE GOLF & WINE ESTATE, WESTERN CAPE

BOSCHENMEER GOLF ESTATE, WESTERN CAPE

Asking R5.9 million | 3 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms | 1 garage A unique and rare opportunity to live overlooking the 1st Fairway of the Devonvale Championship Golf Course, situated on the northern slopes of the Devon Hills in the sought after Cape Winelands and enjoying magniﬁcent and uninterrupted views through to Table Mountain. Derek Cohen 082 776 8282, Brenda Cohen 082 569 4632 Oﬃce: 021 809 2760 Web ref: 3586285

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Asking R7.8 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 3 garages This 4 bedroom home on a prestigious Winelands golf estate boasts professionally designed interiors, state of the art ﬁnishes and views over Paarl Mountain. The open plan living areas flow out onto an entertainment patio and braai area with perfect size pool and access to the course. Marilize Breytenbach 083 241 1580, Marinda de Jongh 082 573 2204 Oﬃce: 021 870 1011 Web ref: 3962729

VAL DE VIE ESTATE, WESTERN CAPE

SOMERSET WEST, WESTERN CAPE

Asking R5.599 million | 4 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R15.5 million | 4 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 3 garages

Filled with refined finishes and eye-catching detail, this stylish home offers 294m² of easy flowing living space, perfected to provide comfortable living spaces with well proportioned rooms and a keen eye for style and design. From the moment you enter through the security gates of this world class luxury Estate you are overwhelmed with exquisite architecture, majestic mountain views, tranquil surroundings and wide open outdoor spaces. Marli Scheppel 083 988 5691, Ane Wessels 063 682 2538 Office: 021 770 0230 Web Ref: 3835987

This magnificent home offers an enviable lifestyle, a home designed with sophistication, state of the art functionality, a symphony of clean lines, glass and designed authenticity. Each room offers panoramic views of a park style garden, lots of birdlife and views of the beautiful Helderberg mountain that makes this home one of a kind in the heart of Somerset West. Chantal Botes 083 702 5460 Office: 021 851 4450 Web ref: 3707923

STELLENBOSCH, WESTERN CAPE

PAARL, WESTERN CAPE

Asking R6.85 million | 4 bedrooms | 4½ bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R4.15 million | 3 bedrooms | 3½ bathrooms | 2 garages

Simplicity and sophistication all in one. This magnificent home is perched on a hill with beautiful views onto the back of Stellenbosch Mountain and Table Mountain in the distance. This gem offers the finest finishes and accommodation that includes four bedrooms en-suite. Letitia Botha 082 377 0111 Marelise Visagie 072 776 2645 Office: 021 809 2760 Web ref: 4022158

Our owners are reluctantly saying farewell to their unique home and we at Sotheby's International Realty are honoured to market this exclusively. This private delight will certainly surprise you as you venture within. Enjoying prime position, this 1820-1830's character ﬁlled home is located just a short walk to some of our top schools in Paarl. Adele de Almeida 082 780 0067, Miranda Coetzee 083 414 7212 Oﬃce: 021 870 1011 Web ref: 3960518

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PLETTENBERG BAY, GARDEN ROUTE

Asking R44 million | 5 bedrooms | 6 bathrooms | 2 garages

Asking R6.75 million | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 2 garages

This modern-contemporary home offers panoramic views of the Indian Ocean & the Tsitsikamma Mountains, with direct beach access via a boardwalk. Designed so that the building becomes an integral part of the surrounding landscape of natural fynbos and Milkwood trees, it offers 5 large bedrooms (3 en-suite), 6 bathrooms, an upstairs family room, downstairs open-plan living areas enclosed by glass that allow for the enjoyment of the magnificent view. Stylish kitchen includes a cold room, laundry chute into the laundry area & breakfast nook extending into an indoor, protected patio. Sold inclusive of unique furnishings. Hein Pretorius 083 701 3159 Web ref: 3934082

With views of the ocean and distant mountains the home comprises of 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, with 3 bathrooms being en suite. Upstairs is all on one level with the main living room, dining room, kitchen and 2 bedrooms. The patio with great views can be enclosed with seamless stacking doors. Downstairs which can be made into its own separate space with its own entrance, consists of 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a living room and open-plan kitchen dining room. There are 2 garages, as well as a carport, and an outside entertainment area with a swimming pool. Werner Harris 084 351 8992 Oﬃce: 044 533 2529 Web ref: 3895236

PLETTENBERG BAY, GARDEN ROUTE

Asking R9.95 million | 5 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 2 garages

From R15.995 million | 5 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | 2 garages

Keen seller, open to oﬀers! Watch whales and dolphins play from this 5 bedroom (all en-suite) home boasting exceptional views across the bay. Luxury main bedroom with private patio is discreetly located on the top level. On entrance level, open-plan living spaces to the patio and dream entertainment area served by a gourmet kitchen. Downstairs, a pool and deck with easy flow from the pub and the second living room. Within walking distance of the beach and town. Excellent value at this new price. Will appeal to the fastidious investor. Rents out well. Elbie Pama 082 569 2588 Oﬃce: 044 533 2529 Web ref: 3023458

See, hear and smell the ocean. The residence consists of 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, study, spacious reception rooms, open plan kitchen, scullery, tandem garage and covered entertainment area. A vacant stand (683m²) protecting the sea views, adjacent to the home, forms part of this exclusive sale. The home has beautiful bamboo flooring throughout with a mixture of stone and wood creating a warm ambiance. Sold fully furnished and equipped. As they say in real estate: Location, Location, Location! Sue Harvey 083 306 7499 Oﬃce: 044 533 2529 Web ref: 3902270

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La Musicale. Classique wristwatch 7800BR in 18-carat rose gold chiming “La Badinerie” by Jean-Sébastien Bach.

E L E G A N C E J E W E L L E R S : G R A N D B O U T I Q U E , M E L R O S E A R C H , J O H A N N E S B U R G , S O U T H A F R I C A + 2 7 11 6 8 4 13 8 0 TA N U R J E W E L L E R S : S H O P 14 7 , V I C T O R I A W H A R F, V & A W AT E R F R O N T, C A P E T O W N , S O U T H A F R I C A + 2 7 2 1 4 18 5 5 2 4