A piece of bushveld up for grabs
If you have ever wanted to live in the bush, or visit your holiday home there regularly, Mjejane offers just the place, writes Michelle Funke
SIPPING cocktails overlooking beautiful bushveld scenery, watching herds of elephants and a wide variety of other game meander down to the river to drink, is something usually only associated with upmarket lodges. However, Mjejane Game Reserve, which is set on 4,000ha of pristine bushveld along the banks of the Crocodile River directly opposite the Kruger National Park, is offering buyers the opportunity to own a piece of bushveld heaven in one of its five development nodes.
Mjejane Game Reserve forms part of the Greater Kruger area and falls under Kruger Park’s conservation management, and it is in the process of being proclaimed as a contract park with SANParks. It allows for direct access via a lowwater bridge to the road network of the Kruger National Park, one of the largest biospheres in the world. This bridge is situated in the area of the original Nellmapius Drift where the old transport road between Delagoa Bay and Lydenburg crossed over the Crocodile River. The first goods transported along the Nellmapius Road reached the gold fields on 12 February 1876, and a rest station was later established on the farm Ludwichs Lust, now known as Mjejane Game Reserve.
Since incorporation into the greater Kruger Park in mid-2008, many animals have migrated across the river to establish new territories and sample new feeding grounds. Huge herds of buffalo, for example, can be seen on Mjejane, as well as elephant, black and white rhino, giraffe and a host of antelope species.
As part of one of the largest community land agreements yet in SA, Mjejane Game Reserve has been developed in a joint venture between local investors and the Mjejane community. Chief Lugedlane passed the responsibility for its conservation on to future generations and today his vision is reality. Mjejane River Lodge was the first step in a greater development plan to create both employment and small business opportunities for the local land owners. Mjejane Game Reserve has recently opened up the first two phases of its development plan, where buyers can purchase full title properties.
Martin Heyneke, GM of Mjejane Game Reserve, says that the development plan is centred on creating opportunities for previously disadvantaged communities. “The development of Mjejane has been approved by the Land Claims Commission, whereby only 20% of the land within the reserve was sold off for development in the five nodes,” says Heyneke. “The Mjejane community has a 49% share in the development company through its Lugedlane trust, and there are ongoing employment and financial benefits for the community from the reserve. The reserve already has 130 permanent employees from the community, excluding construction and security. The development nodes are set to create even more employment opportunities through products and services that people within the Mjejane community can provide to homeowners.”
The beauty of the reserve is enhanced by the 11km of river frontage along the Crocodile River. It is here where 66 freehold stands, which measure approximately 2,400m², are available for development in the first development node, aptly named Riverview. Heyneke says that to date, 80 of these stands have been sold, and a number of these units have already been completed and are being used as holiday homes or as fractional ownership units.
The second development node, named Bushlands, has 75 freehold development sites available. The first 54 stands are smaller, each measuring in the region of 3,200m², situated behind the Riverview stands and are fully serviced. There are also 21 1ha sites on offer, which are ideally suited to the development of corporate lodges.
Heyneke explains that while only qualified field guides are allowed to traverse the reserve, homeowners will have the right to buy their own open safari vehicle or game viewing vehicle, although they will need a field guide qualification to drive it around the reserve. Alternatively, he says, they could employ the services of a qualified field guide.
Talking about the architectural style of the homes, Heyneke says that there are strict guidelines in place to ensure the properties blend as seamlessly as possible with the natural environment. Landscaped gardens are not permitted, and only indigenous plants can be planted.
Buyers can expect to pay monthly levies in the region of R3,300/month, while building costs will be between R7,000/m² and R10,000/m². “The environmental impact of the construction is very closely monitored,” says Heyneke, who notes that there are also strict construction guidelines in place to ensure the environment is disturbed as little as possible during the building process.
Mjejane Game Reserve is set to become one of the country’s premier wilderness estates, as well as setting the benchmark for future utilisation of community-owned land, via ecotourism. Price: Riverview stands from approximately R2.7m Bushlands stands from approximately R1m 1ha stands from about R2.5m Contact: Mjejane Lifestyle 087 231 1594 info@mjejanelifestyle.co.za