Farm for Sale in Somerset East Rural

Location

The farm is situated in the Ann’s Villa/Komma Dagga area north of Oliphantskop pass and within easy reach of the N10.

Size

Made up of two titles the farm is a shade over 850ha in extent.

Description

This property is the textbook example of an excellent lifestyle game farm which also has the ability to carry livestock should one so wish. Fully developed and stocked with a pleasing spread of game species it is now well balanced and would require little input or alteration from either a managerial or infrastructural perspective. The topography is a mixture of gently to steeply undulating in parts with a few spectacular cliff faces along the drainage lines plus there is more than enough flat ground. It is definitely varied enough to be interesting, but is still traversable via robust 2 wheel drive. The drainage lines/seasonal streams and accompanying riverine thicket add a dimension that is both aesthetically pleasing and very useful in terms of serving as a buffer in dry years.

Veld types

While the bulk of the property would be described as transitional Karoo veld, of interest was the density and quality of grass species that actually dominate in places the usual array of Karoo succulents. The lower elevations and riverine margins had healthy stands of cenchrus, Pannicum maximum and to a lesser extent, digitaria smutsii. Climbing out of the basin, the smutsii thinned and was superseded by a band of setaria which was initially mixed with, and at higher elevations dominated by the aristidas. These grasses were, as mentioned, complimented by a healthy variety of Karoo succulents, most of which appeared short, and well utilized.

In the main browse is typical of the area with the “lolli pop “ Jacket Plums, Boscias and Scotias dotted at random across the veld. The riverine section is much taller and is dominated by large sweet thorns and Karee. Overall the browse quality is good as is evident by the number and health of the resident kudu population.

Rainfall

The farm falls in a predominately summer rainfall area with an annual average of 310mm.

Game species

Judging by the condition of both the game and the veld, a good balance of species and numbers has been obtained. Game species include: Kudu, Bushbuck, Blesbuck, Springbuck and Duiker.

Infrastructure

Main House – The main house is very nice from both inside and outside. It has 6 bedrooms (main en suite) and 3 bathrooms plus an additional toilet alongside the entertainment section. There is a huge open plan lounge, games room with fireplace and bar area plus full size billiards table which leads onto an indoor braai area. The farm size kitchen is complete with scullery and pantry. There is a meat processing room behind the house and it has insulated ceilings.

Behind the house is a large storeroom/garage. A little further back is what was probably used as a shearing shed that is currently used as a store. There is also a staff house plus a caravan which is under a roof. The water reticulation system is well developed with 2 equipped boreholes servicing the house and a number of game troughs. The majority of the game would also make use of the 5 earth dams and fountain water plus the seasonal pools in the main drainage line. The farm is mostly game fenced with 4 internal camps including 1 game camp (2,4m high). There are also 5 smaller livestock camps around the store plus a kraal. The road network on the property is well developed and well maintained. The farm has Eskom power plus there’s a 5,5kw diesel generator.

Conclusion

This farm would be a very good “turn key” acquisition for someone not wanting to spend extra time and money of developing a property. The whole set up is very neat and well designed with simple and well maintained infrastructure, the whole property would be very easily managed. It is within a comfortable 90 minutes of Port Elizabeth and easily accessible off the tar road. The farm is large enough, and with varied and interesting topography, to still have the wilderness feel about it, while still being easily manageable and affordable. For the PE executive, there couldn’t be many better places to invest in ones weekend and holiday enjoyment.

The owner is willing to include the following livestock as part of a going

concern: boer goats (100 ewes and 4 rams) and dorpers (50 ewes and 2 rams).

Price

R 7, 5 million + VAT if applicable.