Own your own piece of freedom!!!
Join our self sustainable community today!
- Supported by one another
- Learning together
- Going off grid as much as possible
- Becoming self sufficient
- Living in freedom
About us
This beautiful 470 hectar private farm close to Witsand, in the Western Cape, is owned by Riaan and Marelize Appelcryn (Wildegees PTY ltd) who are passionate about being self sustainable and have decided to set aside 100 of this 470 hectares to 4 like-minded shareholders.
Farm land cannot be subdivided in South Africa so this is the only way to make small pieces of land available at an affordable cost. Each of the 4 shareholders will get 1 hectar to build their house, gardens, etc on and another 24 hectars for grazing, mountain biking, hiking, wood cutting, etc. Due to the strict rules around land development in the Western cape this 24 hecares must be kept as a reserve of sorts.
The farm is 25km from Witsand, 25km from Heidelburg, and 60km from Stilbaai. The sand road entry is about 20km - you would need a high range vehicle.
It is situated in a very secluded, extremely safe area where crime is unheard of and access is very difficult for any outsiders.
See more about Riaan and marelize!
How does it work?
This type of property sale is done by buying shares in the business . This means that you will be buying shares in the company that owns the property (Wildegees PTY ltd). It is very simple and very fast, with no transfer fees. All it involves is a contract set up by lawyers and then the transfer of shares into your name. The contract stipulates in great detail what your shares entitle you to. One day, if you want to sell your property, you simply sell your shares again at whatever price you see fit. Many of the farms in this area (Witsand, Vermaaklikheid, Stilbaai) work this way as they were all big farms that have been sub divided using this method.
So, in summary your contract would allocate you 25 hectars of land within the 473 hectar farm. You can come and view the land and choose your piece (one of 4 allocated pieces). On 1 hectar you may build 1 house, single story, up to 175m2 (Western Cape regulations for additonal homes on a farm). You may also build gardens and animal enclosures of a specific standard. Everything is built on a certain standard to keep the look of the farm clean and neat.
On the remaining 24 hectars of your property, you may cut wood (there is an endless supply of rooikrans), make mountain bike tracks, quad bike or motorbike tracks, graze your animals, or go for a nice walk to enjoy the spaciousness. This farm has thousands of species of fynbos and when you look across the fields, it is just green fields and blue skies with thousands of wild flowers growing everywhere.
Included in your package, is the fencing of your 25 hectars (1.2 meters) with a gate as well as water supply from the main farm borehole. There is no eskom supply to the farm so everything you build will have to be solar or gas. You are welcome to drill your own borehole too if you prefer.
There would be a small monthly levy just for the upkeep of the borehole, water piping, roads and communal fences.
The self sustainable farming dream
Belonging to various self sustainablity, homesteading and going off-grid Facebook groups, we see the desperate need people have to go back to their roots and learn how to do basic things we take for granted coming from shops, providing for themselves and their families in more natural ways as nature intended. The rat race is not for everyone and there is a yearning for something with more meaning and more freedom.
The Western Cape is one of the few places still seen as relatively safe and operational in SA, so there is a huge demand for land, making it extremely expensive and unobtainable for many. We also see how people wanting to make this change battle with making the move due to being afraid of the "how" part. How to build a house, how to look after animals, how to make an income, how to fix broken things, etc. This is very daunting for someone who has never done it before.
Being our third farm that we have built from scratch, we have mastered several skills and have very seldomly needed to bring contractors in for anything. We are truly passionate about being as self sustainable as possible and have learned so many skills along the way. Our idea behind creating a community is so that all the shareholders have the support from one another as well as from us so that nobody feels alone in this. It is so convenient to be able to ask a neighbour shareholder to help feed your chickens if you are away for the weekend, or to make turns looking after, or even teaching home schooled kids, or even to make some cheese together or borrow a tool. Being far from town, depending on your neighbours is crucial and allows for interaction with like minded people.
Along with this, we as the main farm, will also be offering several services and tools for hire so that you as a smaller farm don't need to buy all the expensive tools needed or bring expensive contractors in from town. This also greatly reduces the possibility of crime and exposure to unwanted elements.
The idea is to eventually open a farm shop in Stilbay where all the shareholder's, as well as other local farmer's produce will be sold, generating an income for us all. We also plan on opening the main farm to the public for mountain biking, hiking, quad bike outrides, accomodation, homesteading courses, etc, creating more income opportunities. We even plan on having a fully equipped kitchen and butchery available on the main farm for rental by the shareholders as needed if they wish to work their own meat, or make products in larger quantities, or even offer workshops on cheesemaking or other homesteading crafts.
These are just ideas at this stage and will probably still grow and change quite a bit as new ideas come up and evolve.
check ouT our ultimate plan for the farm!
This plan is still very developmental so may change with implementation
What the farm currently looks like
This farm was only bought by Riaan an Marelize a year ago after selling their previous farm / lodge in Rustenburg. They decided on a "blank canvas" to allow for ultimate creativity and specifically looked for a farm that was tucked away with very little access. All that was on this farm was a buffalo kraal, an old ruin and a great borehole with fresh, drinkable water.
In the short time they have had the farm, however, they have managed to fence the perimeters, fix up the old ruin into a beautiful cottage, plant a veggie garden, fence the yard, build chicken coops, build a sheep kraal, built a store, and put up a 30x10m greenhouse.
More questions? - Click here for frequently asked questions
The cost
We are offering each 25 hectar piece at an amazing price of only R1 250 000 (VAT may be payable but no transfer fees). Compared to what is available on the market, it is clear to see what an amazing deal this is (in surrounding areas you would pay this for a small empty 500m2 stand), plus you get all the added benefits of having a community, potential income, help at hand, and so much more.
You are welcome to contact us to come and view the property and hopefully, choose your piece of freedom!