Suid-Oos Vrystaat
General analysis
The original farm of 846 hectare was after consent by Department of Agriculture, subdivided in two separate titles of 598 and 248 hectares.
Click here for the map as measured by the surveyor.
Click here for the map of the farm in whole (both parts)
Location
The farm is situated in Smithfield district, 15 km outside town on the Bethulie road (R701)
Distances
- To Bloemfontein: 150km (N6)
- To Aliwal Noord: 80km
- To Bethulie: 50km
- To Trompsburg: 90km
- To Smithfield: 15km paved road + 3km gravel road
Topography
Height above sea level: average 1500 meter
The farm is about 40% mountainous with many rocks and 60% flat grasveld. A non-perennial stream, starting with three branches, flow out of the mountain. In the flat grasveld two other streams flow into this one.
Farmstead
The house covers an area of about 300 m2. Beside the house is a double garage with a storage room and laundry room. This building and the house have Harveytile roofs. There are another storage room of 27 m2 with shed beside, also 27 m2. The shed is convenient for slaughtering beef and game. The room next to it has sieves and is equipped for meat processing. The brick barn is 6 meter wide and 18 meter long. The zinc barn is 6 meter wide and 9 meter long. The antique stone barn is 6 meter wide and 22 meter long. All 3 barns have alarm system.
About 15 meter from the stone barn is a newly build apartment of 57 m2. It is about 120 meter from the house and is not inside the yard of the house. The apartment has it’s own yard which is an electric fence of about 80 meter around. It has one bedroom, a living room, kitchen and complete bathroom. It is equipped with a solar water heating system. The apartment has a good alarm system as well as intercom connection with the house. On the fence around are 5 remote controlled garden lights for effective light.
About 150 meter from the house is a brick build worker’s house. It is 24 m2 and has a wood stove and zinc basin in the kitchen. In the bedroom is a fireplace and between the two rooms is a shower. The water heating system works with wood. There is a outer toilet. The worker’s house has electricity and has intercom connectivity with the house.
The house have 3 bedrooms, 1 complete bathroom, one toilet, passage, kitchen, pantry, scullery, small and large dining room, small office / work-room, office and sitting room. There is a convenient porch on the eastern side, the whole length of the house and covers about 60 m2. The porch was recently renovated – see pictures of the stone floor. The house has a solar water heating system with special and effective electricity savings mechanisms. The house, garage and barns have a good alarm system with immediate cellphone notification in case of alarm.
The entrance to the yard has an electric gate with remote control and has a 12V build-in stand-by battery. There is a security camera with screen in the house. There is intercom communication from the gate to the house and the apartment.
The fence is about 300 meter in length around the house and enclose the northern part of the brick barn’s door. (It has another door also on the other end). There is intercom communication between this barn and the house. The northern side of the barn are used as a workshop (tool boards, vice, 3 x 4.5 m racks). Inside the yard, near the back door (scullery), are two very good dog cages with each a brick build sleep-cage and each has electricity for heating in the winter.
The whole yard are well illuminated. There are 3 spot-lights. On the house are 8 lights around. In the garden, almost all along the fence are 13 garden lights and 8 garden lights outside the fence against the acclivity of the mountain, west of the house. The garden lights switch on with day-night switches and can also be switched off manually. See picture which shows the lights.
The whole electricity supply has a stand-by engine. Change-over to own electricity supply is quick and easy.
The garden is well established and the photos will speak for itself. The whole garden’s irrigation system was newly done in September 2009 and is computerized. The water of the fountain north of the yard can flow through the garden just by opening a valve.
See waterfall on photo.
The fruit and vegetable garden are not done yet as planned. However the potential is there to be self-sufficient for a great part of the year. Prickly pears grow very well here and the 5 trees grow exuberant in the 80 m2 wire netting cage. Grapes also grow very well here. The 8 different types of grape trees is 12 years old and grow exuberant in their shade net cage. The prickly pear and grape cages have lights inside in case fruit get picked in the dark.
The water of the house and garden comes from 2 boreholes. The water system was improved during the years and is now highly effective and nothing else needs to be done. Just above (uphill) the boreholes is a dam which helps to “feed” or improve the boreholes.
Seen in whole, this farmstead is much likely the most effective and beautiful in the district of Smithfield and would be classed under the bests in South Africa, especially when also looked at the location. The view to all directions is wonderful. The mountain north-west of the house gives very good shelter against wind. Mountain Reedbuck come sometimes very close to the yard and sometimes also Kudus.
Rainfall
Click here for the monthly rainfall figures since January 1997, as measured at my house (98% accurate). Hail appears very seldom. Some winters we get snow which usually melts within 24 hours.
Temperatures
For the greatest part of the year the temperatures are pleasant. Summer days can reach extremes of 35ºC, but 30ºC is normal. Winter nights very seldom falls below -2ºC, but 3ºC is normal.
Vegetation
Wild Olive trees; karee trees (rhus lancea); koenie shrub (rhus mucronata); white stinkwood trees; aloes (snake head aloes)
There are virtually no undesired plants en no intruder plants.
Wildlife
Permanent inhabitants:
- Mountain Reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula)
- Steenboks (Raphicerus campestris)
- Scrub Hare (Lepus europaeus)
- Rock Rabbits (Procavia capensis)
- Black-backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas)
- Mountain turtles
- Hegehogs
- Iguana
- Various types of birds
Visitors:
- Kudus
- Baboons
- Aardwolf
- Caracal cats
Crazing capacities
- 7 Hectares per large livestock-unit
- 1.17 Hektaar per small livestock-unit
Smithfield district is mainly sheep farming and secondly cattle farming.
The topography and vegetation is ideal for a large variety of buck types. On 2 game farms in the area are even giraffes. Sebras would also feel at home here. The grazing can be seen as very healthy grazing with a good balance of different types of grass. Eatable small shrub consists of 10 – 15 % of the crazing, with grass the rest. Wild olive trees are sometimes eaten by animals.
Water
The concerned farm has 4 boreholes: Just below the dam wall near the house is a windmill and a submersible pump, a windmill in the flat grasveld and a windmill south-west of the house, about 200 meter north of the road which is also the new border between the two farms. All three windmills have good sement dams for livestock drinking therefrom. The sement dam near the house also supply the garden water (to the centrifugal pump connected to the computerized system)
Camps
The existing outer fence is 1.2m high with 13 lines of barbed-wire. It would not be sufficient to keep game inside. The flat grasveld are divided into 2 camps of 145 and 165 hectare. The mountain camp is 198 hectare. The new border along the road divides two camps. The remaining two parts would together vorm a 64 hectare camp. The zinc shed stands in a 10 hectare camp. On both sides of this camp are a 6 and 10 hectare camp. All camps have sufficient drinking water out of good troughs.
Telecommunication
Smithfield district are not served by outomatic telephone lines. Farm telephone lines are presently the only landlines available. Cellphone reception is no problem and internet using the cellphone network delivers good connection speed. Part of the district are served by “Wireless Internet” and can be obtained here.
Access roads and traffic
The road which goes from east to west leads to one bordering farm. The farm is inhabited only by farm workers. Traffic to the farm is minimal and many days of the week there are no vehicles driving on that road.
The distance from the paved road to the farmstead is 3.5 km. The R701 is much likely one of the best paved roads in South Africa. It was build in 1970 by Italian contractors and is still in very good condition. When the wind blows from the east, which is seldom, you would be able to hear the little traffic on the road – just to remind you that you are not alone on the planet !
The town Smithfield
According to general standards, Smithfield would be classified as a small town. It carries much of the large traffic to East Londen. The town has a Caltex filling station with workshop, and an Engen filling station which belongs to OVK Co-op. Smithfield has a police station and provincial hospital, with a doctor and also a private doctor. The town has several guest houses and two restaurants. There are 2 cafés, a café/supermarket and a large supermarket with hardware department. The latter do not stock fresh produce. Fresh produce are available from one café and the café/supermarket. For larger shopping, Aliwal North is a better option. There are a Checkers and Rite Value supermarket. The closest Woolworths is in Bloemfontein.
Places of importance within reach
35 km: “Tussen-die-Riviere” provincial Game Reserve. The reserve is in the “triangle” where the Orange- and Caledon river joins.
150 km: Hendrik Verwoerd Dam (Gariep Dam)
Conditions of sale in short
A deposit is payable with the sign of the purchase agreement. The balance is payable 1-2 years after the sign of the purchase agreement. The owner needs at least one year to occupy the farmstead in order to have enough time to build a new house on the 248 hectare. The balance is payable before the new owner occupies and must be paid no later than 2 years after the sign of the purchase agreement.
Here is my latest offer: You can buy the whole 846 hectares for R9000000 vat included. Check with me with details on this. The 248 hectare part was first in the market by itself. It offers an ideal opportunity for a private development of a few houses.
Price
R7000000 vat included / R9000000 vat included Negotiable
Contact details
Robbie Kingsley
Telephone: 083 388 3675 (preferably evenings 7 – 10)
International dialing: +27833883675
You can Email me here: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
