Simbithi Eco-Estate Newsletter February 2024

Ho-Ho-HoooW LovELY!

FROM THE General manaGer

Dear Residents,

Some exciting news to kick the year off: a joint effort between Primo Properties and Campbell Properties Group netted a record R32 million sale for Simbithi. Congratulations to the property practitioners involved. This record-setting sale speaks directly to our mission to be recognised as the pre-eminent residential eco-estate in Southern Africa. The year also began with a significant rain event in mid-January, which caused minor damage to Estate infrastructure.While our team continues to assess damage and attend to clean-up operations, we would like to remind homeowners of the importance of conducting regular maintenance to your installed attenuation systems. This includes regular maintenance and cleaning of gutters, downpipes, v-drains, attenuation chambers and, where appropriate, inspection of retaining systems to ensure all is functioning as designed. As always, prevention is better than cure.

Happy New Year! From the team and I, all the best for 2024.

Remedial work will continue below the Guineafowl Dam and the entrance to Cormorant Dam.

FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER

Contractors, welcome back to Simbithi! Residents, a reminder that our roadways will become busier during working hours. We respectfully ask all contractors, suppliers and residents to adhere to our speed limit within the Estate. This will ensure everyone who calls Simbithi home, including our wildlife, are not harmed by a speeding vehicle.

Finally, we look forward to seeing you at our budget meetings later this month. We will share dates, soon.

Have a great month.

Marc Mc Clure

FROM THE Club General Manager

Dear Members,

If I have not seen you yet, welcome back! From my side, sincerest thanks for the warm welcome back to Simbithi. It may have started off a bit gloomy and rainy, but I am sure that 2024 is going to be the best year yet.

Let’s get straight to it: the 2023 season was solid, despite us losing several days of potential revenue due to inclement weather, especially on the course. That said, results show that we had an increase in members playing golf last December, as compared to previous years.

Our food and beverage results are also pleasing; a relatively late start and early end in comparison to 2022. Well done to the Club team for all your hard work during season.

I’m sure you are all just as excited as we are to finally be on site for our new sports complex. Phase one officially kicked off in mid-January, when contractors returned to the Estate. By the time you read this, the 10 days of securing the site would have passed and work on the platforms underway. As we have shared, project timelines take us to September this year, if all

goes according to schedule. Of course, we will keep you updated on progress as the project advances.

While construction is underway, please keep in mind:

1. A section of the Club’s parking lot, on the top left as you enter, will be cordoned off to create a safe space for contractor vehicles. Please drive carefully.

2. The tennis courts are out of bounds during construction.

To round off, some good news about our new fleet of golf carts! Forty new carts should be gleaming at the Club by the time this is published. This is certainly going to improve the golfing experience at Simbithi.

This year, we promise to bring you exceptional service, incredible events and the very best of #TheSimbithiExperience.

Craig Nell

General Enquiries 032 946 8360/1 enquiries@simbithi.com

Access Control 032 946 8372/92 access@simbithi.com OR access1@simbithi.com

Accounts 032 946 8383 finance@simbithi.com

Building Control 032 946 8381/66 bca@simbithi.com

Control Room 032 946 8373/4/5 controlroom@simbithi.com

Facilities & Maintenance 032 946 8380 facilities@simbithi.com

Finance Manager 032 946 8368 fm@simbithi.com

Environmental & Landscaping 032 946 8382 environmental@simbithi.com

General Manager’s Office 032 946 8364 gm@simbithi.com

Marketing & Communications 032 946 8386 marketing@simbithi.com Technical Manager 032 946 8384 tm@simbithi.com

8379 compliance@simbithi.com Security Manager 032 946 8365 dysan@simbithi.com

Heron Pizzeria 032 946 5423 foodbev4@gmail.com Connect with us via WhatsApp: 073 156 1378. Join our Broadcast Lists by sending us your name & address

Jeff Leaver: Chairman

Clive Mc Creadie: Vice-Chairman HOA

Andrew Mackenzie

Louis Boshoff

Gavin Dunlop

Lisa Southey

Margi Lilienfeld

Frank Bradford: Vice-Chairman SCC EXCO

Director Marketing & Communications board8@simbithi.com

Director Security board4@simbithi.com

Director Finance & IT board3@simbithi.com

Director Design Review Committee board5@simbithi.com

Director Technical & Maintenance board7@simbithi.com

Director Human Resources board9@simbithi.com

Director Environmental board6@simbithi.com

Director Simbithi Country Club board2@simbithi.com

John Gowans

Director Legal & Appeals board1@simbithi.com

The Board of Directors are your elected representatives who volunteer their time and expertise without remuneration.

Approaching a Director should be your last resort.

Introduc I ng our KZN Rive R C R ab (Potamonautes sidneyi)

Words Margi LiLienfeLd

Recently, while walking along the Nsimbi trail, I spotted a dark, reddishbrown carapace, partly obscured by leaf litter. Carefully moving the leaves

aside unveiled a stunning adult KZN River Crab, Potamonautes sidneyi , eyes on stalks staring rigidly at me while it slowly raised its pincers before moving sideways and backwards towards the base of a nearby Waterberry tree.

I had to move quickly to pick it up and gently turn it over in my hand to establish whether it was a girl or boy.

The wide abdomen tucked under the thorax indicated female, whereas a narrow, pointed abdomen would have confirmed it was male. This crab species mates on dry land and the female carries her eggs and later her young under her broad abdomen till they are fully formed miniature crabs. She then releases them into quiet pools near the banks of our local streams and wetlands.

addition, they eat plants, algae and detritus, providing an essential role in breaking down dead animal and plant matter into smaller particles that in turn feed the fresh-water filter feeders in our streams and wetlands.

As juveniles, these crabs live in the water and are primarily carnivorous. In

This helps to cleanse our water and recycle nutrients within the myriad food webs of this complex habitat.

Interestingly, a study in Lake Sibaya found that juvenile KZN River crabs were feeding on an invasive alien gastropod, adding even more value to the essential ecological services these crabs provide.

As they mature, the crabs spend more and more time on land and adults are commonly referred to as “Land Crabs” by many people in KZN. The KZN River Crab occurs from the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains to the coast and is also found in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, as well as in Eswatini and Mozambique. It is the most common freshwater crab of South Africa. They dig burrows into the sides of rivers or streams or under rocks in wet areas and are most active after rain and at night.

Our KZN River Crabs are good indicators of environmental health as, just like our stunning dragonflies, they rely on both good quality fresh water and healthy vegetation. Both species have life stages that live in and out of the water and thus provide a monitoring link between terrestrial and aquatic environments.

Utilising energy from different trophic levels in the food chain, they are in turn eaten by Water Mongooses and Cape Clawless Otters.

It is a positive sign that we appear to have a growing population of these crabs on Simbithi Eco-Estate. A world of wonder lies hidden in our Simbithi streams and in our leaf litter and is easily found by a child or adult, preferably together, bending down to explore.

R6,495,000 | 320m2

LoveLy! Ho-Ho-Hooow

It is always a joy to spend an evening with our Simbithi family. Our annual Christmas Night Market was a wonderful affair, with everything from gifts to trinkets and treats to clothes on sale. Clinton Philander roused the crowd with his soulful renditions of a few Christmas carols. Thank you for joining us!

EVENTS

Well Done,

Harry!

One of our own recently flew the Simbithi flag high, and we are very proud of him. Resident Harry Clayton was placed second at the Nomads SA U15 Championship. He is presently #5 on the GOLFRSA U15 ranking.

the Most WonD-Woof-fUl time of the Year

Christmas is not just for humans – at least, not on an Estate like ours where all sorts of families are celebrated. A group of residents brought their doggie children (and grandchildren) to the dog park on the northern half of the Estate to share treats in celebration of a wonderful year. Thank you to Pamela White for these adorable photographs.

Hi, I'm Rachel Kitchen, pet parent to Bailey, my Lab, and Astrid, my cat. I'm passionate about animals and run BLUE GINGER PET SITTING. With over 3 years of experience, I'm also studying to be an animal behaviorist. Ask me about references –I've got stories to share! BALLLITO AND SURROUNDING AREAS R250 P/ DAY PLUS TRAVELLING COSTS INCLUDES DOG WALKS

Well Done, Team!

At the end of 2023, the HOA team gathered in the courtyard for a boerie roll and a reflection of the year and, of course, to honour members of our team.

People’s Choice, and Security Manager Dysan Parasaraman who won Employee of the Year.

Well done to Natasha Binneman, Executive Assistant to the General Manager and Board of Directors, whose colleagues voted her

Our newly appointed Building Inspector Delvin Walstroom also ended the year well, completing his Introduction to Safety Management Training Course (SAMTRAC).

Jack and Mr. Sparkles on the ( christmas) Job

By the time the first week of December rolls around, homes (and shelves) across the world are preparing for the arrival of their respective elves. Here at SEEHOA, our Elfie trots into the Welcome Centre to make all sorts of Christmassy demands. For one adorable little man and his elf, Mr. Sparkles, it was a

month of fun and learning values like kindness and sharing. Daily, Mr. Sparkles gave resident Jack du Preez a special task, which Mommy, Ashley du Preez, and Daddy, Eric du Preez, helped with.

One of the tasks was to bake a batch of chocolate muffins for the Simbithi security team. Master Jack diligently whipped up batter, helped Mommy clean up the

mess, and then visited each of our gates to share the chocolatey goodness.

Of course, our officers were thrilled!

Thank you, Jack, for being such a wonderful resident and showing our officers some Christmas love.

Somewhere over the

Rainbow

… skies are blue!

And, blue they certainly were when resident, Barry Tuck, caught this picturesque rainbow over Simbithi. An omen of good things to come this year? We certainly think so!

Merry Christmas, Mai NT e N a NC e!

A few photographs of our Simbithi Country Club maintenance team enjoying their Christmas party.

Thank you for all you do, team.

Domestic alarm systems

At Simbithi, we consider security a shared responsibility that requires our collective input, vigilance and care. For this reason, we encourage you to consider installing an intruder detection system in your home, which you may connect to our 24-hour

Control Room. The alarm system would immediately alert our Control Room of an intrusion to your property, upon which officers would respond.

If you’d like to install a system, please note:

• The cost for the system would be per individual quotations against your specific requirements. Your quote must exclude radio transmitters, as a radio frequency transmitter must be purchased from SEEHOA before installation.

• Alarm transmissions on the system must be on radio data, on Simbithi’s frequency.

• No external, audible sirens may be installed outside the home, as this would disturb neighbouring residents.

If you would like to chat further, please contact our Security Manager, Dysan Parasaraman: dysan@simbithi.com.

It’s All I n the

Ma ST e R pla N !

Following years of diligent work by our management team and executive committee, it was gratifying to witness the breaking of ground on ERF1144 on Sagila Lane. This, of course, is where our new sports complex will be built. One last time, take a look at this piece of land. In nine months’ time, if all goes according to schedule, you’ll be able to play bowls, squash, Padel, tennis and swim here!