Neighbourhood DBN - 17 September 2017 by Your Neighbourhood

Neighbourhood 17 SEPTEMBER 2017

PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE

The beloved countryside Author, Nicki von der Heyde, tells us about the beauty of life in the Southern Drakensberg, page 2

SUBURB FOCUS: SOUTHERN DRAKENSBERG

BUSINESS Q&A

PROPERTY NEWS

17 SEPTEMBER 2017

Neighbourhood

Suburb focus

Southern Drakensberg Author and specialist battlefields guide, Nicki von der Heyde, tells us about her neighbourhood WORDS: ANNE SCHAUFFER

IMAGES: STEPHEN PILBROUGH, ANNE SCHAUFFER, PETER JARVIS & SUPPLIED

he areas of Underberg, Himeville and the Southern Drakensberg are exquisitely beautiful. Dairy and cattle farms stretch as far as the eye can see, the views towards the mountains are breathtaking and life is slow. Fly-fishing and hiking are popular and information is plentiful at the region’s tourism arm, Sani Saunter.

The Southern Berg is special in that it’s not nearly as developed as the Central and Northern Berg. There are very few paths in the mountains and very few hiking trails. From an early age, I grew accustomed to finding my own way through the foothills. I can still walk from my cottage for a full day without seeing another soul. And that’s good for my soul. NICKI VON DER HEYDE

PUBLISHED BY BLACKSTAR PROPERTY PUBLISHING Unit G04, Old Castle Brewery Bldg 6 Beach Road, Woodstock Cape Town, 087 828 0423

EDITORIAL TEAM: Group Editor: Charis Le Riche charisl@yourneighbourhood.co.za Managing Editor: Molly Fitz-Patrick Senior Sub-Editor: Mlungisi Mthembu

Nicki von der Heyde is a specialist battlefields guide, and author of Field Guide to the Battlefields of South Africa (Struik Travel and Heritage 2013) and Guide to Sieges of South Africa (Struik Travel and Heritage 2017). She lives in the Southern Drakensberg region, about 30km outside Underberg, on a road that leads into the Drakensberg Gardens Valley. The property straddles the Umzimkulu River, close to the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife wilderness area. Her cottage is perched on a steep hill overlooking the river, with spectacular views across the valley to the peaks of the Southern Drakensberg mountain range beyond. “The property has been in my family since the 1940s,” says Nicki. “As a child, I used to spend nearly all my holidays here, so when I decided to write my first book, it seemed the ideal getaway. There is, by this time, a very large extended family who spend most holidays here, in the old farmhouse, which is a little way away from my cottage.”

Nicki’s favourite space is her office. “I have panoramic views through big windows on two sides of my desk. I love to watch the mountains, the birds and the changing weather.” Nicki admits that she seldom eats out. “I buy delicious coffee beans and make my own coffee, which is hard to beat. If I don’t want to eat at home, I go to Castleburn Holiday Resort, which is close by and has a lovely restaurant overlooking the dam.” When she’s not working, Nicki enjoys hiking in the mountains, sometimes with the hiking club, “or riding my adventure motorcycle with likeminded people,” she says. “There are many scenic, quiet roads to enjoy, some leading to the historic Trappist churches dating from the late 19th century. Set in the beautiful countryside, immortalised in Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country, these Gothic-style cathedrals seem almost to rise up out of bare veld. Most are now bases for active mission work and are fascinating to visit, both for the superb architecture and for the friendly Brothers and Sisters who run them.” On a day off, Nicki likes to explore the craggy foothills all around. “I pack water and lunch and set out for a day to explore caves, waterfalls, rock pools and rocky peaks.”

ADVERTISING SALES: Visit yourneighbourhood.co.za or call 087 828 0423 Designers: Anja Bramley & Samantha Durand Group Online Editor: Lauren Joubert Digital Assistant: Lauren Daniels

Sales & Marketing Manager: Michèle Jones michele.jones@thecreativegroup.info Advertising: Julie Ellice kzn@yourneighbourhood.co.za Claire Liebenberg claire.liebenberg@thecreativegroup.info Production: Lucea Goosen lucea@yourneighbourhood.co.za

17 SEPTEMBER 2017

Neighbourhood

PROPERTY NEWS

For sale in Underberg Property type

Median asking prices

R1,3m

90%

For a typical property (three-bedroom house)

R1,48m In a complex

Monthly bond repayments For a typical property in this area

R620,000 For an apartment

You’ll pay

house

apartment

complex

R1,21m For a house

Based on

over a period of

R11,043

R1,13m

10,5%

per month

median asking price

years

prime

NATURE NEARBY: • Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park (a Unesco World Heritage Site) • Himeville Nature Reserve • The 35,300ha Garden Castle State Forest, with walks and numerous rock art sites in sandstone caves • The Sani Pass 4x4 Trail

BEST ATTRACTIONS: • Trout fishing (the UnderbergHimeville Trout Fishing Club has rights to over 160km of river and 60 dams) • Splashy Fen annual music festival in Underberg • Sani2C and Joberg2C mountain bike races • Drak Challenge canoe race on the Umzimkulu River • Blackwater Tubing in HimevilleUnderberg • Himeville Museum and Old Residency • Horseback tours on the Khotso Horse Trails • Hiking up Rhino Peak

DINE OUT: • Lemon Tree Bistro (Underberg): for contemporary bistro fare • The Olde Duck (Underberg): for great coffee and tasty food • The Old Hatchery Restaurant (Underberg): for delicious hearty meals • Pimento’s Restaurant and Bar (Underberg): for European-style cuisine • Moorcroft Manor Restaurant (Himeville): for fantastic dinners

HALF PRICE SUSHI AND COCKTAILS

11AM - 7PM | SUNDAY ALL DAY infobeluga@crescendogroup.co.za | www.beluga.co.za | Gateway – 031 584 7430 | Ballito – 032 586 1729

PROPERTY NEWS

17 SEPTEMBER 2017

Neighbourhood

My business F neighbourhood Urban Boutique in Westwood offers women a wide range of fashion items, with something for every occasion WORDS: TIVANIA MOODLEY

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

ashion is an expression of individuality, and for many women, reasonably priced designer items are wardrobe staples. With her range of highend fashion in every size and style, Chantel Sookhinunthen, owner, Urban Boutique, caters for everything from the boardroom to a night out on the town. Q: How did your business start? A: I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset and started off with wholesale at the age of 24 at flea markets. I often supplied people with items that they would sell from home. Four years later, I opened my own boutique at Westwood Mall, which has been operational for a year now and is doing really well. Q: Why did you choose this area to set up shop? A: I live nearby and have been visiting the mall from the time it opened. It was the natural option to open my boutique here because of the convenience and location. Q: How did you find your premises? A: I would view the spaces available on my daily visits to the mall for my shopping. When I came across the space with the size I required, I contacted the mall management and they assisted me. Q: Why are the premises ideally suited to your business? A: We get all types of people at this mall, which helps to

generate diversity, as we strive to cater to all ages and sizes. Q: Who are your neighbours? A: I have a clothing boutique next to me as well as a cellphone store. Q: What are the shop rental/ sales prices like in this area? A: Rental is relatively fair considering that it’s a mall. Q: How many people go through your store each day? A: Roughly 70 to 80 people on a weekday, and about 150 to 160 on weekends. Q: Do you have any expansion plans? A: I’m in the process of planning my second store, which I hope to open next year in the Umhlanga area. Q: Do you operate online as well? A: Not yet. However, I have an Instagram account (@urban_boutique.westwoodmall) and a Facebook page (goo.gl/D7jTB2) where the latest items are posted weekly. Q: What’s your most popular item? A: Ladies’ tops are the most popular items.

SEE FOR YOURSELF: Urban Boutique 072 914 8523 goo.gl/D7jTB2

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Petrol Station

PROPERTY NEWS

17 SEPTEMBER 2017

KZN executive joins national property practitioners board

ndile Mnguni, executive, Tongaat Hulett Developments, has been appointed to the national board of the South African Institute of Black Property Practitioners. This follows his appointment as chairman of the committee of the institute’s KwaZulu-Natal chapter in January. Launched in July 1996, the institute contributes towards policy formulation, facilitates education and skills development, and helps remove bottlenecks to the growth of black-owned property businesses. Membership is open to professionals, corporates, public sector departments, employees, entrepreneurs and students. Mnguni has over 17 years’ experience in the property and construction sector. His tertiary qualifications

include a BTech in quantity surveying from the Durban University of Technology and an MBA from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. After working as a quantity surveyor for Aveng Grinaker-LTA, he joined Tongaat Hulett Developments where he has led development and served as a director and chairman of property management associations at Izinga, Umhlanga Ridge Town Centre and Ridgeside. He is responsible for the development and execution of Tongaat Hulett Developments’s Outer West landholding strategy. “(The institute) does great work and I am pleased that, thanks to the experience I have gained and the support of Tongaat Hulett, I will be able to contribute to the development of the property sector and provide a KZN perspective on national issues facing our industry,” says Mnguni.

During the warmer months, more buyers will venture out to look for their ideal home, making it the perfect time for homeowners to list their property. The increase in the volumes of buyers and foot traffic during the warmer seasons can be used to the seller’s advantage. ADRIAN GOSLETT, REGIONAL DIRECTOR AND CEO, RE/MAX OF SOUTHERN AFRICA

Neighbourhood

Closing middle-income property market gap in Cape Town

ith escalating property values and rentals near the CBD, wealthier buyers are catered for, but gaps are widening in the supply of housing and rentals to middle-income groups. “As a free-market economy, supply and demand determines prices and also applies to the property market. Areas close to nodes of employment, and routes along new public transport, are increasingly in demand,” says Brett Herron, Mayco Member: transport and urban development, City of Cape Town. Against this backdrop, the provision of new housing opportunities for middleincome earners is inadequate. While

government interventions are aimed at people earning less than R15,000 per month, the group earning between R15,000 and R30,000 per month is neglected. Into this gap, a number of projects have been launched, notably the city’s metro-south east integration zone including the Main Road strip from Woodstock to Observatory. To help fill the middle-class property market gap, Rawson Developers is developing in the urban development zone (UDZ) area of Observatory Main Road – an area soon to be serviced by the MyCiTi bus service. “Exciting potential exists for great returns and sustainable rental income

for buyers. The UDZ system offers tax relief on capital invested in income-earning property in a designated area. As long as your dwelling is earning rent, you may claim a portion of your purchase price as a tax rebate annually over a set period, as long as you are earning 100% from occupation,” says Bill Rawson, chairman, Rawson Property Group. Herron says, “There are ample opportunities in many areas across the metro, and the development and availability of affordable rental accommodation in central areas of the city must play a key role in the future development of Cape Town.”

A prototype for better homes

lexibility and mobility are key factors defining modern lifestyles and informing the design elements and materials used in contemporary homes, with many inhabitants opting to live in more comfortable and practical spaces without compromising on style. But what makes a better home and how can this ideal be achieved through design and construction? This is what interior construction

company, Saint-Gobain, together with Thomashoff and Partner Architects set out to determine when they considered insights from a recent survey, which led to them creating a set of criteria for building better homes. The result is Stand 51, a model for improved house design. The show home is currently being built in Val de Vie Estate, Franschhoek, and follows its predecessor, Stand 47, which tested people’s experiences around home comfort.

Stand 51 will be a smart, open, versatile space responding to insights that South Africans prefer open-plan houses as well as homes that can adapt and grow, and rooms with dual functions. As such, the prototype will offer maximum acoustic and thermal comfort, safety, flexibility and environmental protection, and showcases how the evolution of design and technology can influence future-proof home design and living.

OUR PRIME

PROPERTIES OF THE WEEK

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PRICED FROM

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T 032 525 4581 E info@brettenwood.co.za W www.brettenwood.co.za

FOR SALE - DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY: PRIME LOCATION IN PINETOWN

NEW ON THE MARKET! Two properties measuring 2148m2 and 1943m2 for sale individually or together for development purposes.

DAWN HUTTON 074 322 2012 WEB REF: CL552 / CL618 / CL619 Brilliant development opportunity of this 4091m2 prime land situated in Pinetown. These properties face onto the busy Glenugie road and are within eyesight and walking distance of the Pinecrest Shopping Centre. The outer two sides of the property border Glenridge Road and Roselle Road allowing for an easy entrance through one side and exit out the other. OFFICES TO LET: NEW GERMANY TO LET

Lovely offices to let in New Germany, located at the entrance to Dura Industrial Park. Various offices sizes to suit your needs up to 850m2. Choice of ground floor and/or first floor offices with board room, separate kitchen and ablutions. Choice of shared reception or separate entrances if preferred. Ample secure on-site parking available.

DAWN HUTTON 074 322 2012 WEB REF: CL628

COLD STORAGE FACILTIY WAREHOUSE: WESTMEAD

FACTORY / WAREHOUSE FOR SALE: WESTMEAD FOR SALE

TO LET

This magnificent freezer cold storage facility is situated in Mahogany Ridge, Pinetown. This is a double volume 2050m2 property with multiple cold room dock loaders. Chilling and freezer capabilities of -25 degrees. There are expansion opportunities and this property also has a large yard for logistics.

A recently re-furbished Industrial Complex is for sale for Investment opportunity. The complex comprises of 6 mini factories ranging from 133m2 to 150m2 and totals 837m2. Fully tenanted, all leases in place. Must view!

WAYNE ASHFORD

ANGELA SCOTFORD

083 456 8515

WEB REF:CL630

083 780 5500

WEB REF: CL610