Neighbourhood 30 SEPTEMBER 2018
PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE
Purple rain We celebrate one of the many pleasures of staying in and visiting the Jacaranda City, page 2
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SUBURB FOCUS: THE JACARANDA CITY
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PROPERTY NEWS
30 SEPTEMBER 2018
Neighbourhood
Suburb focus
The Jacaranda City Pretorians largely love the city’s jacaranda trees and look forward to another season of purple haze soon WORDS: BETSIE LOOCK-VAN DER MERWE IMAGES: RENE WALKER & SHUTTERSTOCK
T EAT: • Ristorante Grissini, 131 on Herbert Baker Boutique Hotel: fresh ingredients, good wine and great service • Eastwoods Tavern, Eastwood Street: lively pub with a menu of grills and pizzas • Burger Bistro Pierneef, Pierneef Street: fresh ingredients, homemade patties, hand-cut chips • Hogshead, Dely Road: smokehouse pub specialising in craft beer, burgers and ribs • Toureiro’s House of Prawns, Sefako Makgatho Drive: Portuguese and Mediterranean fare
SHOP: • • • • • •
Groenkloof Shopping Centre Eastwood Village Kolonnade Shopping Centre Kolonnade Retail Park Brooklyn Mall Waverley Plaza
SEE: • Venning Park, Eastwood Street • Union Buildings, Government Avenue • University of Pretoria Museums, Lynnwood Road • Jan Cilliers Park, Groenkloof • Groenkloof Nature Reserve
PUBLISHED BY TIMES MEDIA PROPERTY PUBLISHING 1st Floor, Block H, Sable Square cnr Bosmansdam and Ratanga roads Milnerton, Cape Town
ens of thousands of blue jacaranda trees ( jacaranda mimosifolia) will once again turn Pretoria’s tree-lined streets purple when they start flowering soon. Although not indigenous to South Africa, and declared category 3 invaders in 2001, these trees are deeply rooted in the city’s history, culture and the hearts of its people. Some of the beautiful streets tell the tale.
Double the spectacle Although it has a length of only 1,7km, Government Avenue is one of the most famed jacaranda streets. This road connects Bryntirion Estate which incorporates the president of South Africa’s residence with the official seat of the South African government, the imposing Union Buildings, in northern Arcadia. Here it winds down Meintjieskop around the presidential offices, and ends next to the beautiful terraced gardens with its many historical monuments and statues. Government Street is the only street in the area having a double row of jacaranda trees planted on each sidewalk. These, so is said, were initially planted in double rows to provide double the shade for government officials walking to the Union Buildings from their homes.
White splendour
The Union Buildings also constitute the highest point in Pretoria providing breath-taking cityscapes over the metropolis with its masses – estimated at between 60,000 to 70,000 – of jacaranda trees.
This landmark was designed by the architect Sir Herbert Baker who was honoured by naming a street in the posh suburb of Groenkloof after him. Herbert Baker Street is also famous for another reason. Tourists and photographers annually flock to this street in summer hoping to get some good sight and shots of the splendour created by the rare white jacarandas in bloom. It’s believed that the about 100 trees were imported from Peru in 1962 by Harry Bruins-Lich, then Pretoria’s director of public parks. The scenic suburb of Groenkloof against the northern foothills of Klapperkop, today boasts beautiful, stylish, high-end properties and is a prime location connected via Julius Jeppe Road in Waterkloof to Dely Road, which links the Old East (west of the N1) to the New East (east of the N1).
University of Pretoria. Resident Cotie Chieppa points out that, for students, jacaranda bloom time is usually associated with exam time. “One of the most widely-known beliefs among students is that if a jacaranda blossom falls on your head, you will pass the exam.” Personally she, like thousands of Pretorians, has nostalgic and romantic memories associated with the purple flowers. “It was the 60s … the Afrikaans girl and the Italian troubadour singing Italian love songs to me when we were walking under the purple haze of the flowering jacarandas…”
Tradition & culture
Brooklyn Road leads to the upmarket suburb of Brooklyn which is associated with an undue abundance of jacaranda trees. The three parallel-running streets – Marais, Mackenzie and Murray – are striking examples of where the canopies of these huge jacarandas create picturesque purple tunnels over the streets. This residential area is quiet and shady with lovely stately old homes dating back to the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
From Tuks via Lynnwood Road in a western direction one turns right into Kirkness Street where another one of the Blue City’s landmarks, Loftus Versfeld Stadium, is towering on the right just before Kirkness Street becomes Eastwood Street – another beautiful jacaranda-lined street. There’s a claim that the biggest and oldest jacaranda tree in the city can be found near the corner of Eastwood and Stanza Bopape streets. It’s generally believed that the first “official” trees in the city that the municipality planted, date back to about 1906. Considering that the existing jacarandas may not be replaced when their lifespan of approximately 200 years expires, this phenomenon will disappear in generations to come. “In some way, it’s a pity,” says resident Gwen Swart. “It is our emblem, our culture. Some international tourists plan their visits to the country around October when the Blue City and Namaqualand are flowering.”
Brooklyn is neighbouring the suburb of Hatfield which is home to the
On Meintjieskop, Eastwood Street changes into Tom Jenkins Street
Dely Road has some beautiful jacaranda trees of its own and runs through the brand-new and trendy Hazeldean Node where it passes the lovely Pretoria Country Club. On the Old East side where it crosses Justice Mahomed Street, Dely Road becomes Brooklyn Road.
Three Ms
which takes motorists over the leafy hill to The Moot area. This cluster of suburbs dating back to the late 19th century, received its fair share of the “Pretoria trees”. In Villieria, Pierneef Street was named after the talented South African artist Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef. The street is a good example of the peace and tranquillity that the many jacarandas bring to the area. In Pierneef Street, they provide shade to Laerskool Pierneef and the Pierneefteater, as well as other well-known places full of character like a number of antique shops and corner cafes full of character and typical of a nostalgic era.
The magical Magalies From Villieria one heads for Steve Biko Road north. This road passes Hoërskool Wonderboom and where it enters the Wonderboom Neck in the Magaliesberg, a beautiful view of the area northeast to the Magaliesberg unfolds. Rooftops are barely visible under thousands of jacaranda treetops. The road descends down the northern slopes of the mountain and links up to the main road of Sefako Makgatho (previously known as Zambezi Road). Alongside Sefako Makgatho Drive nestle the suburbs of Annlin, Wonderboom, Sinoville, Magalieskruin and Montana. This familiar main road provides easy access to the N1 and N4 highways and is also renowned for its many new and used vehicle traders and small businesses located in its service road in the shade of many jacarandas. This area is particularly popular for its favourable climate, beautiful vegetation and enjoyable countryside look and feel.
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30 SEPTEMBER 2018
Neighbourhood
GOVERMENT AVENUE
PROPERTY NEWS
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HERBERT BAKER STREET
I have no hesitation in saying that each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld NELSON MANDELA AT THE UNION BUILDINGS DURING HIS INAUGURATION EASTWOOD STREET
SPEECH ON 10 MAY 1994
TOM JENKINS DRIVE
MURRAY STREET
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PROPERTY NEWS
30 SEPTEMBER 2018
Neighbourhood
My business neighbourhood Doggy Active provides pet-sitting services in Sterrewag WORDS: ZENA LE ROUX IMAGE: SUPPLIED
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f you’re at work or going on holiday, Doggy Active can look after your furry children. Nicci Cloete Swart provides pet-sitting services and looks after your pets as if they were her own. Q: How did your business start? A: T he inspiration for Doggy Active was the love I have for my three Huskies. I love walking, training and playing with them. I, therefore, thought that starting a pet-sitting business would be something fun to do parttime. I soon realised that dogs are my life and that I wanted to work and play with them all the time. I decided to start Doggy Active and run it from home. I work from home most of the time anyway as I’m also a property specialist, which allows me flexible hours. I officially launched Doggy Active on 1 July last year.
Q: Why did you choose this area to set up shop? A: I live in Sterrewag, so it was the obvious choice to run my business from. When I was house hunting, I looked for a house with a big yard, quiet streets and for something that is in close proximity to parks – I was lucky to find exactly that. Q: How did you find your premises? A: I was looking for a house with a big lawn and a swimming pool as our Huskies need space to play and cool off. After a lot of house searching, we eventually found something perfect for all of us. Q: Why are they ideally suited to your business? A: O ur house is perfect for dogs as there are three different terrains for them to play on, as well as a pool. Our house is built next to the Sterrewag Conservation Area – we have access to it, so we can use it for walks etc. The house is walking distance from two dog parks and it is also located on a quiet street which is perfect for walking, running and playing with the “kids”. Q: Who are your neighbours? A: I stay in a residential area. My neighbours are a friendly older couple on the one side, and a younger couple with a child on the other. Most of the people in my neighbourhood have pets, so they don’t really mind the barking.
Q: What are the rental/sales prices like in this area? A: You can rent a house from around R11,000 and upwards. Q: How many people visit your business? A: I don’t have daily customers for Doggy Active. I usually only get clients on weekends, long weekends, public holidays and school holidays. The numbers are starting to pick up, but it greatly depends on the time of the year as well as my capacity. Q: Do you have any expansion plans? A: Not at the moment as I’m quite happy with how things are going. Q: Do you operate online as well? A: I don’t have a website yet, but I operate mostly through my Facebook page. Q: What’s your most popular service? A: Pet sitting at clients’ homes. To feed, play and walk clients’ dogs are also quite popular.
SEE FOR YOURSELF: Doggy Active 072 992 8963 facebook.com/doggyactive
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ABOUT THE PROPERTY • 2 Bedrooms with Buid-in Cupboards, 1 study room, 2 Bathrooms (1 ensuite), • Openplan Kitchen with modern cupboards and granite tops, • Spacious Living area, Balcony with buid-in Gas Braai, • Lock-up Garage and Carport • Floor area ± 120m2 • Lovely Park with build-in braai’s and extra play areas for children • Security : 1,2m boundary wall with electric fence on top of the wall, remote controlled gates • Adres : 548 Sixth Road, Montana, Pretoria • Walking distance from High School Montana, Montana Private Hospital, Shopping Centres • Close to N4 and N1 – easy access to both Highways • Excellent Investment • Free Wifi for 12 months • New development, completed, ready to be occupied • Levy : R950• Rates : R550-
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