The farm is located in the Western Cape, roughly 265 km, or three hours from Cape Town, just off the road from Ceres to Calvinia. It lies on the edge of the Swartruggens, a mountain barrier between the Ceres Karoo and Cederberge and has an area of 2,957.0954 hectare (nearly 7500 acres), mostly wilderness, a small part of which been developed as a farm. This freehold land is situated in the Division of Ceres,

The property can be divided into three parts: the lower plain, with an elevation of about six hundred meters above sea level, on which farming takes place; the upper wilderness area, lying at about eleven hundred meters, where snow often falls in winter and the middle sector consisting of rugged, eroded rock terraces and small valleys

It is in this middle sector that two, and perhaps more, caves and overhangs can be found, that contain interesting examples of ancient Bushman Rock Art

ATTRACTIONS - FLORA, FAUNA and ROCK ART:

The area is arid and the flora has the ability to survive in an environment in which severe drought can last several years. The immediate surroundings of the farm are home to a rare aloe species (Aloe Camosa) that produces a stem, sometimes as much as two meters tall, bearing multiple reddish pink flowers that open in December and form an attractive display.

Fauna is restricted to small antelope, baboons and other mammals: a small group of klipspringer often graze on the grass under the olive trees. Nearby sand-flats are home to porcupines and the more distant areas contain lynxes and jackals. Francolin abound, and since the dam was built, there have been many sightings of waterfowl.

ROCK ART:

The Ceres Karoo is one of the last areas in the Cape to have been inhabited by Bushmen before being exterminated in the eighteenth century. The area has many caves and rock overhangs beneath which they sheltered and there are at least two such sites on the farm and it is possible that a diligent search will reveal more. The rock art left here is fading and the precise location of these caves should be closely guarded to avoid the paintings being damaged by careless visitors or vandals

SCENIC ATTRACTIONS:

The area offers magnificent views and outlooks both on and over the Ceres Karoo. The farm lies near the route of the forgotten highway to the North with its many historic connections and the whole area is permeated with a unique atmosphere of grandeur and isolation. Many schantzes and shelters bear testimony to the southernmost penetration of General Smuts and his men during the closing stages of the Anglo Boer War.

In addition to the road that runs diagonally across the property there are a number of old routes and footpaths capable of being developed into hiking trails of varying grades. There is also a partially marked route that leaves the kloof, climbs the edge of the escarpment and might be developed into an interesting and challenging 4 x 4 trail.

In the kloof, itself, there are two areas overlooking the dam where three or four chalets could be built, sufficiently distant from each other to convey a feeling of space and isolation and let out at weekend as self-catering retreats.

The upper sector of the farm includes a wide, nearly level, plateau with deep and fertile land that drops off abruptly into a spectacular gorge over which Black Eagles frequently soar: these magnificent birds are known to have a permanent home in another kloof that lies on an adjoining farm.

WATER:

The Ceres Karoo is an arid region and although the farm does receive slightly more than the average for the area, lying as it does on the fringe of the Koue Bokkeveld, the total rainfall on the farm (average 150 mm a year) is insufficient for intensive agriculture.

A limited catchment area coupled with moderate rainfall also renders the river running through the kloof valueless as a source of irrigation water. There are, however, plentiful sources of underground water and three shallow boreholes in the kloof, itself, drilled into existing fountains, originally produced about a three thousand litres per day. Siphon pipes have been laid from these boreholes, down the slope, to discharge into a small dam (this technique significantly increases the abstraction from these springs that now produce up to thirty cubic meters per day.

In common with most sources on the flank of the Swartruggens this water is loaded with iron that, if applied directly to fruit trees, inhibits growth and blocks irrigation nozzles. However, if the water is exposed to air, the iron soon oxidises to form an insoluble oxide. The dam was built for the sole purpose of receiving the water from the fountains and allowing air to eliminate this dissolved iron.

Due to the exorbitant cost of ESCOM power, pumping systems on the farm use solar energy and are independent of outside energy sources such as the grid or diesel. These solar systems provide power free of cost and will continue to do so for at least twenty five years.

At present there are two Grundfos submersible pumps in the dam, powered by 56 solar panels with a peak output of 4200 watts. These pumps can produce over sixty cubic meters of water in an eight-hour day.

There are four boreholes in the area outside the kloof three of which lie not far from the manager’s house and provide the water required by olive lands and date plantation whilst the fourth, located near the border with the adjacent farm, is not used at present.

One of these boreholes is equipped with a submerged Mono (100 mm) pump driven by a Deutz diesel and is used during long periods when the sun has been obscured by cloud. This engine is electrically started and stopped automatically when enough water is held in the reservoir. When run at full output, the Deutz/Mono combination will produce approximately forty cubic meters (forty thousand litres) of water per hour against a head of about forty meters.

Two boreholes are fitted with five Grundfos pumps, driven by 112 panels with a total output of just over eight thousand peak Watts. Sufficient space remains on the solar support structures for more panels and there is enough room in the boreholes for another two or three pumps, should additional water be required for further plantings

The irrigation system supplied by these pumps consists of an extensive network of AC, PVC and HDPE feed-pipes and valves, controlled automatically by modern electronic timers. Reliable water supply is ensured by the combination of pumps (both solar and diesel powered) coupled with a large (300 m3) reservoir and storage tanks (40 m3) located forty meters above ground level.

The system has evolved over ten years and has reached the point at which it may be regarded as effective and reliable. Expansion of the orchards in the kloof is possible and further land on the flank of the mountain can be developed with enough water being available from the existing sources for perhaps another five hundred or a thousand olive trees.

BUILDINGS:

Apart from the old ruins, solar panel structures and pump stations already mentioned, the following buildings exist on the farm:

Manager’s House: Three bedrooms, two lavatories, two bathrooms using gas water heaters, kitchen, office, dining room and lounge, large garage and a room, presently used as a shop, which could be converted to a further bedroom or lounge. Large covered stoep at rear and stone flagged sitting area at front of house

Prefab. Store. Presently used as a general storeroom .

Labourers cottages (2).

Two bedrooms, large common kitchen, dining, lounge area leading to wide, covered stoep. Internal lavatory and separate bathroom. Kitchens equipped with wood- burning stoves.

Main store. Large structure used to house tractor and other equipment and as a workshop. Has lean-to store consisting of two rooms, one used for irrigation spares, the other for insecticides and poisonous material. Extending from the store is a large nursery covered with 80% shade-cloth, which is ideal for the cultivation of olive cuttings and palm suckers. The nursery has an automatic water misting system and contains a fertigation tank,

Fertiliser Store. Partially prefab construction with ventilation to house chemical and organic fertilisers under cover.

AGRICULTURAL :

Early experiments made with citrus, olives, peaches, pears, apricots and grapes gave poor results and everything other than citrus and olives proved unsuccessful due, mainly, to the prevailing high temperatures in early summer, the soil quality and water with a high ph (8.3) and high concentration of dissolved iron and other salts. When it became clear that deciduous fruit of this type simply would not grow well here the attempt was abandoned.

As the citrus plantings looked hopeful, roughly three thousand additional trees were planted. These consisted of equal numbers of lemons (mainly Eureka with some Meyer) and oranges (roughly equal numbers of Palmer Navels and Delta Valencia) Over time several significant lessons were learned.

1: Although reasonably productive, citrus on a scale possible on the farm and with water that did not suit the crop, was not economically viable. One of the major factors here is the relatively low value, per ton, of citrus, taking into account labour cost and the cost of transport to the nearest market.

2: Early experiments with Olives (Mission) proved very encouraging and one of the trees planted in 1995 can be seen in One of the most useful features of the olive is its ability to handle water with a high ph (it seems to thrive on alkaline water) and relatively poor soil, coupled with high summer temperatures (up to 41 deg C). The market for fresh olives (and derivative products) in South Africa is expanding fast and niche markets have absorbed increasing quantities of fruit, to the extent that the farm has not been able to keep up with demand. In order to hold the market, large quantities have had to be bought-in to supplement production. As the farm’s olive production grows, so the quantity of olives bought-in could be reduced.

In 1997 data concerning the potential of edible dates was obtained from a division of African Explosives that, at the time, was producing date palms, using tissue culture, in its laboratory in Johannesburg. From this data and from information gleaned from the companies that were busy re-organising the palm orchards along the Orange River at Pella and establishing orchards in Namibia, it became evident that a huge – and expanding - market existed for edible dates in South Africa, with its large Muslim community

A number of assessments have been made by experts from Stellenbosch University of the potential for date cultivation in South Africa and one of the prime locations identified was the Ceres Karoo where, incidentally, it now seems clear that the first palms were planted by British troops stationed in the area during the Anglo-Boer War in 1901. It was decided, accordingly, to invest in four hundred tissue cultured date palms and these were planted out in specially prepared land of about five hectare in 1998. These will reach maturity and near full production in 2006

Loose edible dates presently being sold in supermarkets in the Cape sell for about sixty Rand per kilogram whilst a trial batch of fifty kilograms bought-in last year as a test, fetched R2500.00. It has been said by the Namibian developer that the return from a date plantation in full production can amount to as much as R190,000.00 per hectare per annum..( 4 ha x +- R190k / year)

The date palm propagates in two ways: by the fruit itself and by means of the suckers the parent plant produces each year, after reaching maturity. The palms presently growing on the farm have already produced fifty-eight suckers and it should be possible, within the next two years, continuously to expand date production on the farm using suckers and, over a period of five to ten years, to double the total area under dates.

SECURITY:

The farm lies over eighty kilometres from the nearest ‘informal settlement’ and the intervening road travels through desolate and parched country with little opportunity for employment. The house lies several kilometres from the main road and the access road has two gates that are kept locked at all times. At no stage has the owner felt obliged to effect more precaution than to keep the house locked at night.

LABOUR:

The farm is presently (late 2004) being operated and maintained by one coloured labourer who lives on the farm with his family and a white foreman who has a nearby smallholding. At peak times, during harvesting for example, the labourer’s wife is employed on a temporary basis. In three or four years time, when the date palms and olive trees reach full production some more casual labour may be needed for periods of two months or so, each year.

HANDOVER:

The owner, who has been responsible for the development of the farm and the design and installation of its infrastructure, will provide all necessary training in the operation of the farm and its plant and equipment. In addition, the necessary technical handbooks, circuit diagrams and layout details will be compiled with as much detail as necessary, consistent with the expertise of the new owner. He would also be willing to visit the farm from time to time and as required, for a year or so after handover, to assist with the operation and in order to help sort out any problems that might occur. It may relevant that the Grundfos pumps and inverters used on the farm were bought from Stewarts and Lloyds who represent the Company that also has a branch office in Johannesburg. Spares and emergency service is available from either source.

GENERAL:

The farm has a solar powered telephone connected to the Telkom international dialled network.

This farm would form an ideal retirement project for someone with the energy and ambition to succeed in a challenging activity. It would be of advantage if the buyer had some technical expertise and an engineering bent.

OFFER DETAILS

The farm consisting of the following elements, is offered for sale, as a going concern:

A: The farm land, trees and improvements:

1) The land itself, in extent 2957.0954 Ha and the buildings erected thereon, comprising:

a) Managers house

b) Barn, storerooms and associated nursery

c) Two labourer’s cottages

d) Fertiliser store

e) All solar array structures

f) Pump stations

g) Historic ruins

2) The full complement of about two thousand Citrus (bearing and near bearing), over two thousand Olive trees and just under four hundred female and twenty male Date Palms.

3) The fixed pipelines, irrigation pipes and sprayers associated with these trees and the connecting network of AC, PVC and HDPE feeders. Includes filters, network control stopcocks and electronic control valves (some 45).

4) Six boreholes.

5) Reservoir (300 m3)

6) Dam

B: Plant and Equipment:

All equipment necessary for the continued operation of the farm, including solar panels, control equipment and inverters, submerged and other pumps, irrigation timers, control cabling, tractor (Ford 5000), dam scraper, fertiliser spreader, insecticide sprayer, ground ripper, offset five disc plough, rotavator, tractor-driven compressor and welder, diesel engines (Deutz and Hatz), some farm-house furniture and fittings and shop shelving, one small solar-powered deepfreezer and refrigerator, hand tools and maintenance equipment.

Price: The farm (sold as a going concern): R2, 850 000.

To arrange an inspection of the property please contact Riaan de Villiers, on

+27 83 414 7465
versatrade@mweb.co.za