I� �� ���� �� �� �� � ��� B��� In the early 2000s a survey was done at local hotels and

B&Bs in a bid to determine why visitors come to the valley,

what they really want to do here and how they picture their

berg experience.

Now, those of us who live here permanently or have holiday

homes can rattle off a string of things to do ….. like walk-

ing, hiking, cycling, adventure activities, Choir concerts,

photography, trail running and that is without getting into

specialities like birds, wildlife, reptiles, star gazing etc.

And yes, all those things were listed in the survey BUT

number one on the list of what visitors wanted to do was:

Sit by a fire on a chilly night, drinking a glass of red wine.

So here we are in June 2018, and nothing has changed.

The days are beautiful— sunny but chilly enough to embark

on a good dose of physical activity, followed by a colourful

sunset and then a warm fire, a glass of red wine with hearty

comfort-food before climbing under a lusciously warm du-

vet. Sounds good, doesn’t it ?….. And yes it is good!

Now onto a more serious topic : Drones

Drones have their uses and it should be noted that a drone

will be used by management to conduct the annual game

count on the estate. They do facilitate many things that are

not possible or difficult to achieve, but despite what many

people may think, they are not toys to be flown with gay

abandon.

The estate rules prohibit residents and visitors from flying them but sadly this has been flouted several

times and on a couple of occasions when people have stupidly flown their drones close to animals

they have scattered scared herds of buck trying to escape from the noise and perceived threat.

Animals under threat on the estate have injured themselves and on occasion have broken through the

electric perimeter fence and into the SAPPI forests resulting in time wasting and costly recovery efforts.

Drones carrying cameras also seriously infringe on the right to privacy of other people.

Most infringements appear to be coming from tenants on short-term rentals. This is a difficult issue to

manage and ultimate responsibility for guest behaviour lies with the property owners who need to en-

sure their guests know and obey the rules.

Denise

J��� ₂₀₁₈

Chairman of the Board of TrusteesChairman of the Board of TrusteesChairman of the Board of TrusteesChairman of the Board of Trustees

Butch Forrester: forresters@cinet.co.za

Chairman of Architectural CommitteeChairman of Architectural CommitteeChairman of Architectural CommitteeChairman of Architectural Committee

Tinus Bam: tinus.bam@outlook.com

Chairman of Finance CommitteeChairman of Finance CommitteeChairman of Finance CommitteeChairman of Finance Committee

John Cummins: cummins@ibound.co.za

Chairman of Operations CommitteeChairman of Operations CommitteeChairman of Operations CommitteeChairman of Operations Committee

Dario Raciti: dario@escofeeds.co.za

Estate ManagerEstate ManagerEstate ManagerEstate Manager Tim Smythe: 084 215 0487 manager@cathkinestates.co.za

Administrative AssistantAdministrative AssistantAdministrative AssistantAdministrative Assistant Lynne Raath: 087 232 1927 Mon-Fri 08.00—12.30 admin@cathkinestates.co.za

Editor / TrusteeEditor / TrusteeEditor / TrusteeEditor / Trustee Denise Preiss editor@cathkinestates.co.za WebsiteWebsiteWebsiteWebsite www.cathkinhoa.co.zawww.cathkinhoa.co.zawww.cathkinhoa.co.zawww.cathkinhoa.co.za

CONTACTS

The South African property market is showing signs of recovery albeit in specific areas like the Kwa

Zulu Natal North Coast, Johannesburg – Pretoria corridor and areas of Cape Town.

The Drakensberg and specifically Cathkin Estates had a very quiet second half of last year which I

am sure was because people were waiting to see just how the political landscape was going to pan

out.

This year there has been renewed interest in property on the Estate, with sales taking place of both

stands and completed houses. It is encouraging to see how many property owners are now in the

process of planning and building. The Architectural Review Committee has been very busy and there

are 9 projects, at various stages, in the pipeline at the moment.

Building a home is a daunting task for most people and we have found that completed homes always

sell faster than vacant properties for this very reason. The Developers, who still have approximately

50 vacant plots to sell have decided to go ahead and build homes which they will then place on the

market. They have begun with four designs, two by Judith Newby (a Cape Town architect who has

previously designed on the estate) and two by Joanne Hain (a local architect who has also previously

designed on the estate). All four new houses were scheduled to be built in Village 3 but one of the

intended stands has now been privately sold so a decision is yet to be made on where the fourth

house will be sited.

All four designs offer beautiful three bedroom homes which will cater for the average family and their

friends, and as planned, will range from 150 to 169 sq meters in size. The plans have been drawn to

enable the addition of a further bedroom, if required, (obviously with the purchase of additional bulk

to accommodate the extension). The Architectural Review Committee has scrutinised and approved

the designs and plans as conforming to Cathkin Estates’ building guidelines.

I think this is a positive initiative and one that we, as home owners, need to support. If you have

friends or family who maybe interested in having a property on the estate, please tell them about this

project.

On the subject of building I must again remind home owners to make sure that they have an ap-

proved plan from Okhahlamba Municipality for their home and to ensure that the plan is accurate. If

any changes have been made which have altered the outer walls of the home, since the first plan ap-

proval, then a new plan should have been submitted for approval. The Municipality is getting very

strict with plan approval and if the plans are not accurate or have never been approved, they are

handing out hefty fines. Please contact your architect to help you in this regard. Approval by Cathkin

Estates does not mean you have municipal approval.

Please be very aware that run-away fires are always a big risk at this time of the year, so I would ask

homeowners to be very careful when you are enjoying your outside braai and very importantly,

PLEASE ALSO ADVISE YOUR TENANTS OF THIS DANGER.

M� ��� � ��� E����� ……….

Butch Forrester

Before we get into feedback, I want to highlight an important purpose for the AGM and that is to meet your neighbours. We serve snacks and tea/coffee both before and after the meeting and this is a noisy, chatty social time. Generally most people know the people in their own village but not in the spread out areas and this is a good opportunity to meet. 2018 AGM had owners present from all four villages.

Okay, so what is the purpose of an AGM? Well, answers will vary depending on whether or not you actually choose to attend! And the reasons on whether or not you choose to attend will vary depend-ing on your level of commitment, the pressures of life or if there are any serious or contentious issues up for debate.

A detailed management report covering activities of the Board, and its three portfolios, namely Archi-

tectural, Finance and Operations, as well as G & M EMS was emailed to owners at the beginning of

May. The audited accounts were sent out as part of the AGM pack and in addition, certain key items

were contained in a presentation and were discussed in detail.

The annual budget was ratified and the Trustees were elected. This year saw the retirement of Bill

Crichton as Trustee/ARC Chairman and he has been replaced by Tinus Bam. The other trustees are

Butch Forrester, John Cummins, Dario Raciti, Denise Preiss, Peter and Mark Stockil .

With the legal requirements covered we were able to deal with general items from the floor, and these

included:

• Drones are prohibited on the estate

• Alien plants that are invading the veld as well as exotic plants in gardens and being spread onto

the estate by birds.

• Private swimming pools - this is always a contentious issue because of safety, noise and envi-

ronmental aspects.

• Home owners need to protect themselves by having adequate (a minimum of R5m) public liabil-

ity cover.

• Fire extinguishers and fire hoses should be checked/serviced annually. Tim Smythe will facili-

tate an inspection/refill on a group basis for interested homeowners. A letter will be circulated to

establish how many owners will be interested in this service.

• Security in general and particularly control measures for casual visitors

• Potential land claims / expropriation without compensation.

• The importance of both the owner and the estate holding copies of all plans stamped with Mu-

nicipal approval.

• Details of the bulk audit taking place and the requirement that all homeowners hold the correct

amount of bulk for their ‘as built’ home and alterations & additions..

AGM

A���������' R�)��* C��������

Tinus Bam

A sure sign of winter in the Berg is when the Red Rockets and Wild Dagga are in full bloom. It is

also a good indication of the best season to build in the Berg. It seems that 2018 is the year where

everybody waited for these signs before they started to build on the estate.

During the first half of the year the ARC committee was busy with plan approvals for alterations and

new builds but not very much happened in terms of actual building. The second half of the year

promises to have much more activity and we already have a new build and several alterations that

are well under way. There are also several plans in different stages of design and approval.

It seems to be

the year for Vil-

lage Three since

almost all the

current activity is

in this village.

Ground works

and foundations

for the new build

on site 107 for

Nelson Sithole

are completed

and good pro-

gress is made

with the brick

work on the

structure of the building.

Site 101 has been handed over to the builders and final plans for site 120 were approved. Altera-

tions to the house of Bruce and Liz Tobias are almost completed. Building has started on the alter-

ations that were approved for site 136/135 for Petmar Familietrust.

During the winter season the animals on the estate have to survive on the dry grazing. Something

green and juicy is a good temptation to test the fence that stands between them and your garden.

It might be a good idea to check on the condition of your fence and energizer to ensure that it is

sturdy enough to prevent the animals from damaging your garden plants.

We would like to thank Bill Crichton for chairing the ARC committee for many years and to repeat

the words of Butch Forrester, ‘we wish him well in his ‘retirement’ from ARC duties’. The aim of this

committee will still be to ensure that new developments as well as the maintenance of existing de-

velopments on the estate comply with the agreed building standards and adhere to the ethos of the

estate. In order to accomplish this, the committee will ensure that the processes for building on the

estate are transparent and well administrated.

The committee would like to wish everybody that is currently building or in the process of planning

a new house on the estate all the best.

It is privilege to plan a dream!!

African Stonechat

In the sub-Sahara zone the Stonechat is found

mainly at higher altitudes above 1000m, yet in

South Africa it’s distribution goes right down to the

coast. In Southern Africa their highest density is in

the grassland biome in the eastern and central east-

ern parts of our country. Not found at all in the dry

west and Karoo but for a thin “bridge” along the 31st

parallel linking the east and west populations, for

which at this stage there is no explanation.

On the estate we do have a healthy population of

them, and the males, in my eyes, that is, come

across as “cocky little ……”, as they rule over their

territories. Maybe he is entitled to be cocky as he is

a very handsome individual, with his black head and

bright rufous breast, unlike his dull close relative,

the Familiar Chat, of which we have many of on the

Estate and particularly around the houses. The fe-

male Stonechat has a brownish head and a less

deeply coloured rufous chest.

The Stonechat, like many other high altitude birds,

migrate to lower altitudes during the winter, so we

are fortunate at Cathkin, in that if anything there

could be a slight increase in their numbers in the

winter months.

Their preferred habitat is where it is relatively moist

and in rank growth of grass with scattered shrubs. They are commonly seen conspicuously perch-

ing on the top of a bush, post or plant .

Stonechats usually build their nest in a very well hidden place among the grass or other ground

vegetation and they never approach the nest directly. They land some distance away from the nest

and then walk through the ground cover to the nest. This makes it difficult to locate the nest even

when the adults are coming and going with insects for their chicks.

For their size they have a fairly loud call, consisting of a variety of trilling and piping notes, given

most commonly during the breeding season when defending their territory.

Why are they called “Stonechat” when it doesn’t live amongst the stones or rocks but in rank

grass? The name derives from their alarm call, which sounds like rattling stones.

Make an effort to spot these birds, and enjoy the presence of this “cocky little …..” as much as I do.

Dario Raciti

F�������. F��� .� � ��� E�����

Property owners in South Africa are legally required to control invasive alien plants on their respective

properties. It is therefore important to recap one’s knowledge on alien plants, control methods, and the

possible effects that the spread thereof has on the environment.

It is useful to know which aliens are invasive and which are not, and in the central berg we can expect

to encounter 12 common species which are categorised accordingly. Category 1A species are regard-

ed as highly invasive and are not tolerated on one’s property such as Bramble, Bugweed, Lantana,

Gooseberry and Pom Pom weed. Category 1B species must be controlled and removed which include

Syringa, Camphor, and Cotoneaster. Category 2 alien species are only allowed in registered or official-

ly demarcated areas such as woodlots or plantations and this category includes wattle, gums and

pines. Category 3, if already established will be allowed on a property although further spread of the

species must be contained, and in our area this includes Mulberries.

Lantana Bugweed Black Wattle

Pom Pom

There are many control methods to consider when attempting rid-

ding one’s property of alien plants such as stem treatment, uproot-

ing and frilling. However on the estate which has relatively new

growth, one should opt for foliar spray which is the chemical spray-

ing of a plant using a back pack sprayer or hand sprayer. Chemical

dosage and strength is a very important aspect when spraying the

plant – overdosing does not mean better control. Application rates

and target species must be in accordance with the product labels.

(A Product is registered for certain species). Quality chemicals to

consider include: Brush-off, Garlon, Chopper, Round-up, and Ple-

num. Consult a qualified chemical rep for advice on which product to

apply to which species.

Invasive alien plants are a significant problem in South Africa as they have negative impacts on the

environment by decreasing both surface water runoff and groundwater. This causes direct habitat de-

struction as they use more water than the surrounding indigenous species and as a result have a di-

rect impact on stream flows and underground water reserves, not to mention increasing the risk and

spread of veld fires. As an eco estate and landowners we must continue to do our bit.

A'�� P'� �� � . ��� L� . O* ��

Tim Smythe

M� � M������

John Cummins

We have now moved into winter with beautiful warm sunny days but chilly early mornings and evenings,

with even colder nights. During this period of the year, Eskom switch to their winter tariff and homeown-

ers will receive a higher energy charge per KwH for the months of June, July and August.

Three months into the new financial year it is pleasing to report that the Estate is slightly ahead of budg-

et, recording a small surplus in income against a small budgeted deficit in expenditure. Of concern how-

ever is the increase in unpaid levies by Homeowners. This has a negative impact on the cash flow of the

Estate and dramatically increases the cost of administration effort required to collect levies, which often

results in legal recourse.

The monthly levy is due in advance on the first day of the month and many homeowners comply with this

requirement through debit orders which takes away the chore of ensuring payment is made timeously.

The cost of the debit order collection is borne by the Estate.

Those homeowners not paying by debit order are encouraged to sign up as required by the Estate’s

Memorandum of Incorporation. To do so please contract Sandra Scott at GEMS on 0861 4367 11 or

sandra@gemsprop.co.za

Albeit it , we are experiencing this wonderful, warm winter weather, we are also experiencing a very dry

spell on Cathkin Estates. Most of the trees we have planted are battling in spite of being watered regular-

ly by our staff ..….. but they have an added problem recently. Our new four legged friends, those of the

striped variety, are wandering between the houses and then stopping at our trellises, first for dessert and

then a scratch against the poles, resulting in two problems – munched trees and crooked trellises . But

hey ! we do live on an eco estate and have many other pleasures.

Talking about trees, I thought the following statistics would be interesting reading .

• A single tree produces approximately 118 kg of oxygen per year – which means that two mature

trees can supply enough oxygen annually to support a family of four.

• A mature tree removes almost 70 times more pollution than a newly planted tree.

• Trees correctly placed around a building can reduce air-conditioning needs by 30%.

• One tree can absorb as much carbon in a year as a car produces while driving 41,843km.

• Over the course of its life, a single tree can absorb one ton of carbon monoxide.

• Well maintained trees and shrubs can increase property value by 14%.

SO PLEASE PLANT TREES ON CATHKIN ESTATES !! A TREE TODAY, FORESTS TOMORROW !!

I am not sure how many of the homeowners realize that our gardens and tree planting program is given

a strict budget each year – as with all other departments. At the end of the last financial year we had an

amount of unspent budget so we decided to first of all purchase an eco table and bench set for our staff

to use at lunchtime We also bought some gorgeous large pots to brighten up the entrance. This area is

not complete but shall be soon.

Finally, I would like to appeal to new homeowners to join our local Garden Club and learn about our won-

derful indigenous plants which can beautify Cathkin Estates. For information on the Garden Club ,

please contact Inge Abraham on 083 964 1135.

By protecting the environment and building the world we live in, we become its truest friend!

G��.� � � N�*� Jill Forrester