Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Dune site in historic area up for auction
Unusual Macassar lot offers the potential for sand mining and property development
A VACANT dune site in the historic area of Macassar will be auctioned this month – the first time a property of this kind has been brought to market by Rawson Auctions Western Cape.
This is according to Tanya Jovanovski, franchisee of Rawson Auctions Western Cape, who says the vacant dune on Macassar beach measures 5.2249 hectares.
“Land in Macassar is valuable owing to a combination of factors: the scarcity of plots such as this on the market, the historical value of the land, the opportunity the area offers for mining operations and property development, and the town’s proximity to Strand and Somerset West.”
Jovanovski says Macassar has attracted international interest as it is “the site of a kramat regarded as the holiest area in South Africa by followers of Islam”. The kramat is the burial place of Sheikh Yusuf, an Indonesian Muslim of noble descent exiled to the Cape of Good Hope in 1693, where he established Islam.
“He died in 1699, and his original followers were buried next to and around the sacred shrine.”
She says the Indonesian government has provided funds for the development of the area as a tourist attraction, and the erection of an Islamic college next to the kramat was planned a few years ago. Subsequently, the world-renowned professional boxer Mohammed Ali and Yusuf Islam, the singer previously known as Cat Stevens, visited the area to donate funds to the project. The college has been temporarily established in Gordon’s Bay.
In 2016, the Turkish government also provided funds earmarked for the development of the area.
“A few years ago the area saw the construction of a sand mine to harvest building sand,” Jovanovski adds. “Since then developers and investors have approached property owners in the area to purchase their land as they believe it will be used for larger-scale mining projects in the future. It is estimated the current sand mines will not be able to deliver enough building sand to an industry with an ever-growing need.”
Jovanovski believes other developments in and around the area will further boost its value. “The Western Cape government plans to connect Baden Powell Drive with Beach Road in Strand,” she says. “This route will enable tourists and residents to travel along the coastline, from one side of False Bay to the other – namely from Kleinmond to Simon’s Town – without losing sight of the ocean. The route will also provide access to the land on offer from the sea side of the dune.”
She says the current Hartland Properties’ development on a Somerset West site owned by AECI is just 2km away from the vacant dune to be auctioned. “High-cost development is taking place on the AECI site, with the cheapest one-bedroomed property now selling for R1.5 million to R1.8m. I believe in the near future pressure will be put on the government to rezone the dunes area to accommodate these types of development.
“Taking all these factors into account, it is my view that this land will increase in value, and that the property on offer therefore represents a
Sacred Muslim