Rhino to be moved out of the Kruger Park - August 2014 -

Remarkable! It seems like the South-African government has endorsed a plan to move 500 rhino's out of the Kruger Park.

260 will be sold to private buyers, and another 250 will be taken to a safe location:

Minister of Environment Affairs Edna Molewa is expected to announce on Tuesday the evacuation of hundreds of rhino from the Kruger National Park in a bid to save them from poachers.

According to the Sunday Times, the plan has been endorsed by Cabinet, despite continualdenials from SANParks about the move.

It is expected that about 500 rhino will be moved. Of these, 260 will be sold to private buyers and another 250 will be taken to a safe location.

In March, SANParks said there had been a 70% increase on average every year in rhino poaching. In line with this, government viewed rhino poaching as a matter of urgency in order to ensure the species did not become extinct.

More than 500 rhino were killed in the first six months of this year, as poachers became increasingly sophisticated, using semi-automatic rifles.

Rhino poaching jumped from 13 animals being killed in 2007 to the slaughter of 1 004 last year - mostly in the park, which shares a border with Mozambique.

Despite increased policing - including army patrols along the border - rhino killings have risen steadily every year.

Last year the Kruger acquired a military aircraft equipped with sophisticated surveillance technology to detect poachers.

Elephant poaching

Meanwhile, rangers in the Kruger said recently they were preparing to face a new onslaught against the park's elephants. In May, a bull elephant was found shot dead with its tusks hacked off - an ominous sign that the poaching ravaging elephant populations to the north and east had made its way over the border.

"We are ready. We have the resources to tackle this head on," said Markus Hofmeyer, head of veterinary services at SANParks, which manages the Kruger National Park.

"The fight against rhino poaching has equipped us with the necessary skills."

The WWF last month raised the alarm over plummeting elephant populations in Mozambique after an aerial survey showed ivory poaching was decimating herds in the country.

Elephant poaching is also rife further north in Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

Rhino horn and elephant tusks are sold on the lucrative black market, mostly in Asia.

But elephant poaching should not reach the same crisis level as that of rhino, as ivory sells for much less than rhino horn, said Hofmeyer.

"The killing of elephants would require much bigger weapons and the animal generally makes a lot of noise, attracting attention," he said.

The Kruger Park has around 16 200 elephants, according to 2012 figures.

Weak Rand and the impact on property.

In 2004 when I bought a piece of land near Hoedspruit the exhange rate of the Rand vs the Euro was 8:1.
So a property of R1 Million costed for an European around Eur 118,000.

Anno 2014 the Rand has weakened to 15:1, and now the same property, assumed it increased its value R1,2M in 10 years time, would cost in Euro's Eur 80,000.
Not bad if you live in Germany and earn your income in Euro's! Well, it is possible that some foreign buyers may take advantage of bargains, but whether it would have a significant impact in the same way that SA's goods and services exports remains unkown.

 But how does the weak Rand affect the property prices in South-Africa?

The Rand is seen by many as the share price of South-Africa, and radical depreciations can bring about an air of gloom in the country. The most recent bout of broad Rand depreciation has been a sustained one too, lasting all the way back to 2011. The impact of the weaking Rand influences the import, and therefore interest rates.

And as the residential market is depedent on credit from banks the weaking Rand has a negative influence on the buyers financial ability. Increased prices for fuel and goods puts pressure on the budget of potential buyers as well.

Let's hope the government can turn around the dramatic downfall of the Rand!

Do you want to sell your property or not !??

The Wildlife Estates around Hoedspruit.

Wildlife Estates are synonymous with the bushveld town of Hoedspruit. This small town has grown rapidly over the past few years. Admittedly it’s grown off a small base and in relative terms is still a small town. There is no Woolies or McDonalds, no movies or night clubs. The growth has largely been as a result of several Wildlife Estate developments that have taken place in the area. The better known estates are

Raptors View,

Blyde Wildlife Estate,

Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate,

Canyon Game Reserve,

Zandspruit bush & aero Estate.

Of late a few newer estates have started to come online, such as Leadwood and Zandspruit. But let’s explore at the concept of wildlife estates, the role they play, the profit potential, the pitfalls and pleasures of owning in such an estate.

What is a wildlife estate?
The meaning of Housing Estate changes from place to place. In Hoedspruit a Wildlife Estate means owning either a 5,000m² or 10 000m² (half a Hectare or 1 Hectare) stand on which you can build a thatched house or lodge as it’s referred to, with predetermined architectural guidelines. Each house is surrounded by bushveld and most houses do not have gardens (although, indigenous plants are permitted). There are no fences or walls around the properties allowing game to move freely between the properties. It’s not uncommon for animals such as Nyala, Porcupine, Kudu or Warthog to make themselves resident around your home.

One of the biggest perks to living on a wildlife estate is that you have usage of the farm and

The poor man’s game-drive: 10 activities in the Hoedspruit-area for R100 or less.

Yeah talking 'bout papa
He was the poor, richest man in town
My dad he was a man who was so fine
My papa he was the only friend of mine
Yeah, papa
He was the poor, richest man in town
And when he brought his money on a saturdaynight for mama
Then sunday was allright

(Jack Jersey – Papa was a poor man songtext).

I am sure we all know those times in our lives when you felt like a poor man (or women). Hopefully those days are gone, but that doesn’t mean we have to to watch our expenses. In an ongoing changing world where prices of fuel, food, insurances etc. keep rising, it is good to know that for R100 or less you can still enjoy some really interesting activities here in the Lowveld.

Take the poor man’s game drive, for free!

Drive the Guernsey road. Take the R40 south of Hoedspruit and turn after 7 km left (Argyle road) to the East gate airport. After 8,5 km. turn right onto the Guernsey road. This 29 km. dirt road is bordered by the famous Kapama and Thornybush game-reserves. There also numerous private game-farms. Often you can see plains   game, sometimes even rhino, elephant or lions! Costs only petrol, no entrance fees.

Visit the Moholoholo rehabilitation centre for R90 per person.

On the daily tours (09:30 and 15:00, closed on Sundays) you get close to the animals

Property prices are dropping

Properties are a good investment in the long term. However, for this investment you need to have a certain 'investment horizon'. In other words the time to recover from dips in the market.

Since 2008 prices of properties in South-Africa have dropped. Inflation, rising costs of fuel, food, electricity and the household debt levels are responsible for this.

I have noticed the changes here in the area. For example the Moditlo Game Reserve, where one could buy a 1 hectare full title deed stand for R450,000 in 2008, now prices come closer to R250,000! So property prices are dropping and this means opportunities for buyers: as you can

Buying a property in South Africa

If you are not a South African and want to buy a property here there are some requirements for immigration. When buying a property for commercial purposes in the tourism industry in South-Africa there are the following requirements:

• Investment required of R2.500.000.
• Employ 5 South-African citizens.
• Apply for a business-permit (so the owners can also work in their own business).
• Apply for a resident-permit. SA will first give out a temporary residence.
• Submit a business, marketing and financial – plan.
• Submit the required applications for immigration – to acquire at your local embassy or consulate.

Investment of 2.5 million rand
One can add all costs made