Ivan Muller, the lazy travel photographer ...: Bethulie Portraits

Ivan Muller, the lazy travel photographer ...: Bethulie Portraits: Still at 800km's... As we drove out of Bethulie on our way to Philippolis I saw a new RDP hosing project being built. I stopped to take a...

Metani Properties

Now operating from our new premises situated at 12 Roux Street, Bethulie. Feel free to visit us and find out more about some of the exciting properties on offer in Bethulie

Metani 101: Living in Bethulie

Metani 101: Living in Bethulie

Interesting property related matters

Housing-market-could-struggle-until-2013
Selling your home? Give it the X factor
Ex Pats still excited about SA Home prices
Dim picture for 2012 house prices
House prices slow
Bethulie - part of the Karoo Riviera!
Is this really necessary?
Mistakes Sellers make
Serious sellers must accept reality
Home loan applications - the picture is changing
Still 3 years of home price decreases!!
Home prices continue to fall
SA rentals plummet

DON'T SHOW WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO SELL

http://www.cyberprop.com/cyber1_26082011_13.shp

Had an offer on your house - read this
http://www.cyberprop.com/cyber1_19082011_15.shp

Dealing with non-paying tenants
http://www.cyberprop.com/cyber1_19082011_24.shp

More tenants not paying - interesting article to read.
http://www.cyberprop.com/cyber1_19082011_29.shp

It may seem attractive for property investors to acquire a property where a lease agreement is already in place. After all, investors may see it as a marketable feature of the property as buyers will not need to find a new tenant and therefore will avoid an initial vacancy period when taking transfer of the property.To enable the conveyancer to carry out the transfer of a home from one owner to another, traditionally Capetonian homeowners have had to get an Electrical and Beetle Certificate (for all exposed wood) prior to registering the transfer. The proposed Municipal Property Rates Amendment Bill is unconstitutional, the Democratic Alliance and lobby group AfriForum said on Monday.
"It appears that the redefinition of residential rental property as commercial property will amount to a form of income tax, which will be a violation of... the Constitution," said AfriForum head of community affairs Cornelius Jansen van Rensburg.
The Municipal Property Rates Amendment Bill proposes that people who own more than one residential property will be forced to pay more expensive commercial rates on additional properties.
Up until now, property tax has been based on the status of a property under municipal zoning.
"If the amendments are approved, the focus will shift to whether or not income is generated from a property," said Jansen van Rensburg.
DA eThekwini spokesman for finance Dean Macpherson said in terms of both the Constitution and the Municipal Property Rates Act municipalities may not exercise their power to impose rates in a way that materially and unreasonably prejudices national economic policies.
"The proposed amendment would certainly empower municipalities to breach the Constitution," Macpherson said in a statement.
The Constitution calls for the state to create an environment in which property is accessible to all inhabitants of the country and enshrines the right of access to housing.
"Given the economic impact of the proposed amendments, only the super rich and the state will be able to enter the property market due to higher administrative costs of property ownership," said Jansen van Rensburg.
"Rental properties will become unaffordable for people who do not qualify for mortgages, thereby increasing people's reliance on the state for housing."
He said "the proposals appear to come down to another form of nationalisation through taxation".
"The proposed amendments are likely to drastically limit property ownership among the middle class."
Macpherson said "the manner in which the amendment bill has been introduced has deliberately been under the radar to cut off debate and stifle criticism of the proposed changes by ratepayers associations".
He said the bill, if passed, could decimate the property market in cities like Durban where a number of people hold second properties.
"It is vitally important that the ANC puts the brakes on this bill to stop the wholesale freefall of the property market."
The deadline for public submissions on the bill, introduced by the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs, is Friday 22 July.

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The Municipal Property Rates Amendment Bill - currently before Parliament - sets out to charge people who own more than one residential property commercial rates on the additional homes.

This means that anyone with a holiday home or who owns an investment property that is being rented would see property rates on those properties double and they would also lose any municipal rebates on those properties as well.

This will make housing unaffordable to a large part of SA's population. It will force landlords to increase rent by about R1 000 p.m. with the result of forcing people into informal settlements.
1. For many people the ownership of a property which is rented out 'for gain'' is specifically geared to provide additional income, either to support themselves and their families and as provision for their retirement years. The government is encouraging the public to save in order to be able to provide for oneself instead of being a burden on the state. If this amendment is enacted these persons will be severely disadvantaged as a result of substantial increases in the rates on these properties, possibly rendering the investment unviable and even unaffordable. Owners of income generating properties are already paying additional Capital Gains Tax seeing that they do not qualify for the same exemptions as those for whom their property is their primary residence if and when they sell their properties, and on rentals received, they are paying Income tax.

Many people make provision ahead of time for their retirement years by purchasing a retirement property when they can afford it and rent it out until they are ready to retire. If the proposed amendment is enacted it may well prevent people from making this provision - is the government going to subsidize retirement homes to make them affordable in people's latter years.

Furthermore in the current economic climate it is not uncommon for a property owner not to reside in his own property but rather to rent it out to earn income and reside elsewhere with relatives and contribute towards those household expenses - if this amendment is enacted then in such a situation property owners would have to pay rates at a commercial rate for their properties: The person who could not afford to continue to occupy his own property and the owner of the property that has taken on the boarder as he is now accommodating another person for gain.

2. Landlords will have to increase rentals to cover the additional expense which will result in the tenants having to carry the burden. The possibility of these persons renting property ever being able to save money to buy their own homes is further reduced. There is also a strong likelihood that increased rentals at the bottom end of the market will result in those tenants not being able to remain in occupation and ending up homeless - having to resort to informal settlements like squatter camps. Given the lack of housing in South Africa it is bizarre that anything that would lead to an aggravation of the situation would be considered.

3. The property market is already in the doldrums, and this proposed amendment will substantially reduce the number of investors of residential property as the additional rates burden will result in substantially reduced returns from these properties.

With all due respect the proposed amendment is unviable and will have major implications for many older people and those who are carefully making provision to support themselves and not being a burden on the State, for those using income generated by or through their properties to support themselves and their families and on those persons who are tenants and who will have to pay higher rentals for their accommodation.
That situation, says Ulrik Strandvik of Gunston Attorneys, is now much changed. Since the passing of new municipal laws and bylaws, it is now essential, in addition to the Electrical and Beetle Certificates, to obtain a Gas Certificate (issued by an authorised gas dealer) and a Plumbing/Water Certificate (issued by a registered plumber).
Both certificates, says Strandvik, are important because a gas leak can be both expensive and dangerous and water leaks have resulted in massive wastage in recent years - and are also expensive to the homeowner who will be billed for them.
“The problem, however, is that putting matters right can be expensive. I know of a case where a home seller recently paid out R20 000 to rectify certain fairly minor electrical faults and R3 000 for plumbing improvements to make his plumbing network compliant.”
Quite frequently, says Strandvik, the electrical contractors issuing the certificate report that the problems appear to have been caused not by the original builders, electricians and plumbers but by ‘others’ - particularly security gate, satellite and gas appliance installers. The work of these people, coming later on to the property, is not inspected by a clerk of works and quite often the installation is “irregular”. For example, the electrical fitting is not earthed or a geyser does not provide an extension overflow.
Strandvik suggests that whenever work is done on any electrical, gas or plumbing installation, the contractor should be asked for a certificate specifying exactly what his job has encompassed: he should provide a detailed report covering every aspect of the work completed. If the owners have doubts, he says, they should report these to the relevant authority and then ask them to check the installations comply with the regulations. If the work is non-compliant the authority will then take it upon themselves to ensure that it is put right by the contractor.

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How does this happen? Well, South Africa's law has a provision that states that "lease goes before sale", better known as "huur gaat voor koop".
This means that when a leased premise is sold before the lease of a current tenant has expired, the tenant may in terms of the "huur gaat voor koop" rule remain in occupation of the premises until the lease expires.
Investors: beware!
This may, at face value, make the investment all the more attractive. But property investors need to beware: it opens you up to a number of risks that would have been negated had you not inherited a tenant with an existing lease agreement.
So what are the problems? In one recent example, a tenant whose lease agreement had been inherited in exactly this manner requested to extend the lease agreement for a further period equal to the initial lease under the same terms.
The property investor was naturally inclined to simply sign the agreement, only to be told that the agreement in place was one which had been purchased at a local stationary store. Such agreements are notorious in professional circles for being out of date and often in contravention of rental legislation and provincial guidelines.
In breach of law
The property investor, in the old agreement, had taken on a long list of unnecessary obligations while he was also in breach of the law on a number of points.
He had also taken on some risks that could have presented significant financial risk considering the age of the property, the nature of the tenant and the duration for which the tenant had resided at the property.
For one, there had been no written inspection on commencement date for this tenant. This put the investor in a situation in which he could not lay claim for any damages caused directly by the tenant at the end of the lease period.
New agreement signed
Ordinarily, with proper procedure and adherence with Clause 5, Section (7) of the Rental Housing Act, the landlord would be able to claim for damages from the deposit, if such damage should occur, on the basis of a joint inspection of the property both on the start and the end of the lease period.
This is just one example of how a landlord may assume risks and responsibilities when taking over an existing tenant lease. In this case, it was fortunate that the tenant, landlord relationship was amicable.
The tenant agreed to enter into a new agreement based on the fact that the new agreement was current with local legislation and actually served to improve his rights as a tenant.
Necessary evil?
So why did the previous owner enter such a lease in the first place? After all, he had agreed to be bound by it when entering into the agreement.
The answer stems from two common perceptions that prevail amongst property investors. Firstly, there is the prevailing perception that tenancy in a buy-to-let investment is a by-product of the property investing business — a necessary evil, if you like.
Secondly, there's the belief that the letting agent takes care of the letting part, which means it's not necessary for the property investor to understand it. While many "gurus" often suggest the "hands-off" approach, making buying the focus of property investing, good management and understanding of the letting business increase profitability and therefore return on investment.
Each year an investor holds a property without due attention to the letting and management thereof is another year of letting risk — which means property investors need to learn more than just purchasing strategies, but also about the letting business and its consequences.
This information is provided by The Property Investor Network.

“But this can happen all too easily without a well-written sale agreement,” says Hano Jacobs, CEO of the Realty 1 International Property Group. “In fact we recently came across an instance where a seller tried to remove the wooden cottage-pane windows and doors before the buyer moved in, and claimed that he was entitled to take them because they were not part of the original structure of the house but a later addition.
“Of course this is an extreme example, but the issue of what is a fixture and what is not has always been a thorny one, and carries the potential for serious disputes between buyers and sellers that can easily cause a sale to be cancelled or at the least really sour the buyer’s enthusiasm about his new property.”
In general, he notes, prospective buyers viewing homes for sale will simply assume that anything that appears permanently fixed in place - including mirrors, ceiling fans, eye-level ovens and air conditioners – is included in the sale.
Sellers, on the other hand, may quite genuinely believe they have a right to remove such non-structural items to their new homes, as well as “loose” items such as water features, pot plants, curtains, bar stools, pool cleaners, TV aerials and even swimming pool and borehole pumps.
However, says Jacobs, it is obviously unfair to put a property on show complete with all the trimmings only to remove these after the sale, or to replace quality items with cheap alternatives. “What is more, this could have major implications in terms of the new Consumer Protection Act, which entitles buyers to withdraw from any transaction they believe has been based on false advertising or misrepresentation.”
“Consequently, our advice to sellers is to go through their homes before putting them on show and remove any and all items they do not want to include in the sale. In addition, we advise buyers who are viewing homes for sale to ask whether specific items they really like are included in the sale or not – and to ensure that these are individually written into the sale agreement.
“This way, both parties are far more likely to end up with a deal they feel is transparent and satisfactory.”

Places to visit, around Bethulie

A few Bethulians enjoying a Sunday Carvery/Buffet at the Forever Resorts Restaurant at Gariep Dam. An ideal place to visit for a great meal

and loads of space for the kids to play

Waschbank River Lodge, situated between the towns of Gariep Dam and Norvalspont, is loctaed on the banks of the Orange River. Offering superb accommodation and restaurant facilities. Great for lunches, sunset drinks, dinners and good times, with good friends. Well worth a visit.

Places of interest in Bethulie

Gariep Dam. Gariep is derived from the San meaning "red water". The decision to site the dam wall near Novals Pont was a disappointment for Bethulie as it was hoped that it would be close to Bethulie. A delegation met the Minister to discuss the impact of this decision as it meant that the Bethulie district would lose some 60% of its land area and it would necessitate the construction of a new road and rail link. The dam measures 360 km2 and has a shoreline of 435km. The Oviston project feeds water via a tunnel some 80km long to the Fish River. Construction was completed in 1972 and the official opening took place on March 04 1972. The name change from Hendrik Verwoerd Dam to Gariep Dam took effect on 01 April 1995.

Louw Wepener Monument. Kommandant Wepener will be remembered for his bravery in battle. The South African Defence Force honoured him by way of the "Louw Wepener Award" for bravery for its members. Wepener fought in the 6th and 7th eastern border wars and in defiance of the British, supported the Freestaters in their skirmishes with the Basothos. He would have settled in the Free State had it not been under British control. Instead he settled in De Nek between Aliwal North and Jamestown. A monument in his honour was erected here. In 1862 he bought the farm "Constantia" situated near Bethulie where he was later buried.

Venter Farm: JJ (Koos) Venter, 3 times acting President of the Orange Free State and Member of Parliament during the 80's settled on the farm "Broekpoort". His remains lie buried at Elim, a portion of Broekpoort. Remnants of his residence are still seen today on the farm. He was involved in the establishment of the first Reformed Church in the Orange Free State at Reddersburg and was also one of the founders of the Bethulie Reformed Church.

Memorial Cemetry. The construction of the Gariep Dam necessitated the relocation of the concentration camp cemetry as it was calculated that when the dam was at its highest, the cemetry would be under water. The remains of the 1714 dead were reburied in a mass grave after each ones remains had been separately stored in uniform white caskets. The headstones of each grave were placed on a wall of rememberance. The mother and child statues together with the plaques from the obelisk were also relocated. The memorial was inaugurated by the Hon CJ Swart in 1966.

Water reservoir on which two white mules are painted was built during the Anglo Boer War by the English Wiltshire Regiment to water their horses. The area also served as a depot for the supply of horses.

Hand water pump located in front of the public library is an example of pumps which were used by households. It was donated by Mr Pieter Coetzee in 1976 to symbolise the dominating role which water played in the history of Bethulie.

Concentration camp. Betwenn 4800-5000 people were interned at the largest site. During the thirteen month existence of this camp, a total od 1714 people (women and children) perished. Numerous monuments are located around Bethulie in memory of those who died here.

Migrant farmer stock camps occupied the environs during the period 1809-1832 as evidenced by Colonel Collins during a visit to the district in 1809

Remnants of a Rice fort site can still be seen today at it's position on a hill, northwest of the town. This dates back to the Anglo Boer War siege of Bethulie. Two other forts were also positioned around the town.

Local Dam. The first cement wall, some 5 metres high, was erected in the ravine in 1892, but was unsuccessful. It was rebuilt to completion in 1921. 

Train bridge. The building of the Gariep Dam necessitaed the destruction of the old bridge crossing the Orange River and diverting the railroad to cross via the Hennie Steyn bridge. A new station east of Bethulie was built together with this bridge spanning the poort alongside the loacal dam. This train bridge was completed in 1970.

Batlhapin and the burial ground

Roman Catholic Church Residence. The house was purchased from a Mr Gunn in 1937. A chapel was built inside the house. After World War 2, German priests were sent here from the internment camps to be placed under house arrest.

Mynhardt Residence, where Patrick Mynhardt. actor and author of "Boy from Bethulie" grew up. He lived here until the age of 14.

Some of Patrick Mynhardt's personal belongings as well as certain stage memorabilia found a final resting place in Bethulie's Dorpshuis Twee.

2 Pellissier Street was the site of Dr Mynhardt's nursing home.

Pellissier House was built for Reverend Jean Pierre Pellissier, a missionary working in Bethulie during the period 1833-1867. It was erected by a French missionary, C Gosselin who previously lived in Basutoland (Lesotho). The woodwork was fashioned from willow originating from the banks of the Orange River, whilst the pitched roof was covered with reeds. The original house had 7 rooms with the front door facing East. The flat roofed area was added on in stages between 1852-1856. The private cemetry holds the remains of the Reverend Pellissier, his wife, his father, 4 of his children and some grandchildren. Today this building is home to the Pellissier Museum.

The Ox Wagon Monument was erected to coincide with the symbolic ox wagon trek of 1938. The Louis Trichardt wagon arrived in Bethulie on October 13th 1938. A cairn was built to commemorate the event and forms the base of the monument. The statue encompassing a wagon and the oxen was made from smelted spent cartidge cases by HJJ Myburgh who unveilled the statue in 1940. Sadly the oxen were stolen in 2005 whilst the wagon remains in the care of the local museum.

Oudefontein Voortrekker Monument. Festivals celebrating the Day of the Vow were held at Oudefontein during the period 1916-1965. In 1938 to commemorate the symbolic ox wagon trek a cairn was built. The wheel on site was made by HJJ Myburgh who also made the ox wagon replica. The monument was transferred to Bethulie in 1971.

Tswana Chief Lephoi was the leader of a group of BaTlaping refugees who settled at Bethulie in 1832. A plaque is situated on the site where Lephoi's great hut stood in 1833.

The old Power Station was built in 1937 and supplied Bethulie with electricity until 1964 when electrical power was thereafter supplied from Bloemfontein.

The Police Station's original section was built in 1907.

The Masonic Lodge, known as the Alan B Gordon Lodge is one of the oldest surviving lodges in the Free State. It was established in 1911 and the building was erected in 1920.

Site of the orphanage. Many children were orphaned after the war which prompted the Dutch Reformed Church to build an orphanage on the church grounds. Some of the blue gum trees seen today in this vicinity were planted by orphans. The orphans were later relocated to an orphanage at Ladybrand.

Dutch Reformed Church, 1887. The church was inaugurated in 1887 and declared a national monument in 1987. The original steeple was built from brick but as a consequence of construction failure was replaced in 1906 with a lesser steeple constructed with zinc. The zinc was replaced with sheet iron in 1985.

1st Dutch Reformed Church, 1864. The building is currently serving as the church hall and was inaugurated as the church in 1864. This is the 2nd oldest building in Bethulie and has been declared a national monument. During the Anglo Boer War the building was used to house British troops. In later years the building also served as a school and as the town hall.

Cenotaph was erected in memory of those from Bethulie and surrounding district who gave their lives for their country durinf WW1 and WW2. The unveiling took place on 14 March 1945. The MOTHS has until recently held a Remembrance Day Ceremony at 11 o'clock on the 11th day of the 11th month to remember not only those who fell in the world wars but also to honour those who perished during the wars in Korea, Vietnam and on our own borders.

Protea Store. Trading from these premises dates back to 1903 when the brothers de Bruyn traded as general dealers.

St Peters Church was inaugurated in 1928. It was north facing. A new building facing west was erected in 1940 on the same site. A brass cross, dating 1602 emanating from St Mark's church in Florence, Italy was donated to Ds Glover and is housed here.

The Post Office has been housed in Joubert Street since it's origin in 1828. The Post Office, as in days gone by, is the heart throb of the town. The building is a typical example of the architecture of it's time. Changes have occurred over the years but it still boasts one of the most amazing gables.

The Methodist Church was built in 1877 by Mr P Waugh. The initial building costs were estimated at 1,973 pounds. The corner stone was laid on 23rd March 1877 and the first service was held on the 13th July 1878 by Rev S D Venter. The church was also used as a school for the children from the concentration camp during the Anglo-Boer war. Today it is a private residence.

Hearse garage situated at 40 Collin Street was built in 1907 when the town acquired its first hearse. Prior to that caskets were physically carried up the hill to the cemetery.

Anglican Manse was built in 1916 and currently forms part of "Huis Uitkoms", the old age home in Bethulie.

Dutch Reformed Church in Africa was inaugurated on the 27th April 1930. The address was delivered by Reverent G Pellissier, a grandchild of the missionary. The pulpit and other material from the original mission church were used in this building.

The Reformed Church was designed by architect Gerhard Moerdijk. It was inaugurated in 1982. The original building included a tower which was subsequently demolished in 1985 due to construction failure.

The old Railway Station. The railroad linking East London to Bethulie was constructed in 1892. As a result, the passenger terminal and several of the other buildings were commissioned later in 1894. It was here that women and children held captive during the Anglo-Boer war were made to disembark and to journey on foot to the concentration camp some 2 miles away. The first child to perish in Bethulie as a consequence of the concentration camp policy died in the corrugated iron building at this station. The old station was closed in 1970 with the rerouting of the railroad and the construction of a new station built east of Bethulie.

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Van Riebeeck Memorial plaque commemorates the tercentennial anniversary of Jan Van Riebeeck's landing at the Cape of Good Hope.

The horse monument is a tribute to the role the horse played in South Africa's history. The horse faces south, from where western civilisation arrived. Sculptured by Laura Rautenbach, this statue was unveiled on the 23rd April 1982. The stone forming the base of the statue was mined in the vicinity of the Hennie Steyn Bridge

Pellissier Secondary School was built in 1921. By 1936 the number of pupils had grown to 150.

Pellissier Primary School was opened in 1904 by Sir Hamilton Goold-Adams. The first headmaster, a Mr J Baikie, hailed from Scotland.

Interesting people from Bethulie

JACQUES LOOTS

An actor who featured in many South African movies and also in South African sitcoms such as "Kooperasie Stories" as Genis and in "Orkney Snork Nie" as Oupa van Tonder. At one stage he was also a teacher at an Afrikaans school that was started at Thomson's Falls in Kenya that was called Van Riebeeck School. During his later days he owned and ran a coffee and bookshop "Die Bookwinkel" in Bethulie