NEW HOMEOWNERS
WeLCOMe TO OuR neWeST CroyDoniTe! a
very warm welcome
SoMe inTereSTinG STaTiSTiCS:
We’ve had four transfer registrations since January 2026, with another two in the process of transfer.
• Laurette esterhuyse - 29 Gemini Lane
An Interesting Fact
BY Craig Hart
You will recall that the COCT (City of Cape Town) did repair
work on a servitude that runs between Taurus and Pisces
Lane on the left side of aquarius Lane on Saturday, 11 april.
historical pipeline infrastructure
• 1927 installation: Workers laid the initial 810mm diameter pipeline.
• 1950 expansion: Teams installed a second 840mm adjacent pipeline 23 years later.
• Capacity increase: The dual-line configuration significantly boosted fluid transport volume.
• Structural ageing: The original pipeline asset is now 99 years old.
• Secondary asset: The adjacent 840mm pipeline has reached 76 years of service.
getting to know The Maintenance Manager
eDDie BoUCher
eddie Boucher attended an agricultural high school in Kroonstad in the Free State. he is the son of a farming family that has been farming in South africa for six generations and continues to do so in the present day. after completing school, eddie studied agriculture and Geohydrology and holds a BSc agriculture and a postgraduate honours degree.
While studying and after completing his studies, e ddie played professional rugby for the Griffons and the Boland Cavaliers.
The majority of his life has been spent on a farm, and he has been involved in agriculture for 25 years, with 13 of those years in the wine industry (viticulture and wine making). he represented the Western Cape on the board of directors at the Southern africa agricultural Initiative for three years and served as CeO of The Wine Farmer, representing family-owned wineries.
his passion is soil preparation and water management, which is a very important part of any agricultural practice. he believes, even as a winemaker, that soil is the most important part of the process. everything you take from the soil needs to be returned.
eddie is married to Marica, an hR officer in Stellenbosch. They have two children together, a daughter, Qume, who is eight years old and a son, edward, who is three.
The 2026 Harvest
BY riKUS NEEtHLiNg
The 2026 Croydon wine grape harvest delivered a vintage marked by resilience, healthy yields, and exceptional fruit quality. after a cold winter and favourable spring conditions, the vineyards experienced even bud break and strong vine growth, setting the stage for an early harvest season. Many producers began picking grapes 10 to 14 days ahead of schedule due to warm, dry weather during summer.
Despite brief heatwaves and isolated rainfall during February and March, growers reported excellent berry concentration, balanced acidity, and promising tannin structure, particularly for Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage.
Overall, the 2026 Croydon harvest will be one of the most promising vintages in recent years.
OOM BEN IS RETIRING
Benjamin Bickerstedt van Zyl known affectionately as OOM Ben is retiring at the end of July 2026. Oom Ben commenced his almost two decades at Croydon vineyard estate in March 2008.
Come rain or sunshine, Monday to Friday Oom
Ben enters the gate @ 5h30 every morning … that is not a typo – 5h30 a.m.!! h e has overseen the construction of houses and the development of the vineyards virtually from the ground up, besides seeing families come and go and children grow up!
Oom Ben has been the backbone of the community and landscaping team and poured his heart and soul into Croydon. his commitment and dedication is commendable as he went over and above what was expected of him with his trademark steady guidance and friendly smile.
a few words from eddie Boucher who will be taking over the baton from Oom Ben.
On a personal note, Oom Ben was much more than a colleague for the short
months he was my mentor. When I first started here, I had eveRYThInG to learn and Oom Ben patiently took me under his wing. he taught me every single detail about operations on this estate, from the complex infrastructure hidden underground to the art of handling daily community challenges with grace. his wisdom, patience, and deep practical knowledge shaped exactly who I am today for Croydon vineyard estate.
deep and donate as a community in an effort to show Oom Ben how much we appreciated his commitment and dedication to Croydon.
Our goal is to present him with a collective community gift that reflects our immense gratitude. every contribution, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference.
Croydon will lose a little bit of itself without Oom Ben’s daily presence but we as a community wish Oom Ben nothing but a peaceful welldeserved retirement.
Donations can be made into the Croydon hOa nedbank account number 1088 061 664.
It is on this note that we would like to appeal to all homeowners and Residents alike to dig
Please reference your donation with your erf number and OOM Ben i.e. 3269 OOM Ben
You are also of course welcome to make your donation private and in that instance, you can refrain from including your erf number and just indicate as OOM Ben.
BEATING
THE WESTERN CAPES’S PROPERTY PRICES
WORDS tEbogo tSapE
While the Western Cape dominates headlines, Sa property prices keep soaring in one unexpected province. In December 2025, South a frican property prices experienced a massive shift as one northern province recorded a staggering 17.1% annual inflation rate. Driven by a booming demand for wildlife estate living, the Limpopo province is officially outpacing traditional real estate heavyweights like the Western Cape and Gauteng. a ccording to Statistics South a frica’s Residential Property Price Index (RPPI) for December 2025, the national property inflation rate accelerated to 7.5%. however, Limpopo completely shattered this national average, registering a 17.1% year-on-year
price increase to become the fastest-growing property market in the country.
Why Limpopo property prices are booming
This rapid growth is not a fluke, but rather the result of strong economic fundamentals and shifting lifestyle trends. Limpopo’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth previously led South africa in 2024, supported by robust mining, quarrying, and personal services sectors. additionally, a strong demand for unique bushveld and safari living spaces has been a major catalyst for this real estate surge. Towns like hoedspruit have become highly sought-after hotspots, offering a peaceful lifestyle, strong security, and close proximity to the Kruger national Park. In these specific lifestyle segments, secure estates dominate the market, pushing median prices in hoedspruit to around R3.5 million in 2025.
Western Cape & Gauteng remain heavyweights
Despite Limpopo’s explosive percentage growth, the Western Cape and Gauteng remain the primary contributors to the overall national inflation rate due to their massive market weights.
In December 2025, the Western Cape recorded a robust 10.9% year-on-year increase, single-handedly contributing 4.2 percentage points to the national rate.
Meanwhile, Gauteng managed a modest 4.7% rise, contributing 1.7 percentage points to the national index.
The table on the previous page outlines the performance of all South a frican provinces, highlighting the year-on-year percentage changes for December 2025. While the traditional urban hubs continue to anchor the market, Limpopo’s impressive rise highlights a growing appetite for high-value lifestyle properties outside of South africa’s major metropolitan centres.
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Security
072 349 8002
Security Supervisor
Rodney Mally
081 262 0301
security@croydon-estate.co.za
SecureRite Armed Response
0860 103 099
021 851 3374
All hours
Xone Command Centre
021 816 1234
Office hours only
HOA Office
021 843 3610
Office hours only
COCT Water & Sanitation
086 010 3089
WhatsApp 063 407 3699
Cape Town Municipality
021 467 1614
Eskom
086 0037 566
Account Number 9230515300
Metro Police & Traffic Services
086 076 5424
Macassar Police
021 857 1000
Macassar Fire Brigade
021 444 6790
Cape Town Fire Control 021 590 1900
Ambulance
10177 (Western Cape Government)
084 124 (ER24)
082 911 (Netcare)
Vergelegen Medi Clinic
021 850 9000
021 851 3399
Hottentots Holland Hospital
021 850 4700
Helderberg Home Nursing Services
021 852 6290
072 293 4797 (Emergency)
PlumbStar Plumbing
071 196 4911
Mark Wainwright
Electrician
072 512 9237
Willie Goosen
Snake Catcher
079 189 3807
Justin Collocot 067 244 6972
Jozaa van Niekerk