Estate development to create more jobs
Work on multi-facility retirement village at Val de Vie under way
VAL DE Vie estate has created thousands of temporary and permanent jobs since 2005 and is set to create thousands more with the development of a retirement village, according to Martin Venter, the chief executive and founder of the Val de Vie group of companies.
Val de Vie estate, situated within the Paarl-Franschhoek valley, was rated by market research group New World Wealth as the top residential estate in South Africa for three years in a row (2015, 2016 and 2017) and has the reputation of being the safest estate in Africa.
Venter, speaking at the launch of Val de Vie Evergreen, one of the first retirement villages set within a greater estate in South Africa, said the first phases of the greater estate had been completed. More than 1 000 families were living on Val de Vie.
He said the first phases of the retirement section of the Evergreen development would start soon.
“We have commenced with pre-sales. It is going quite well. I think the difference with the whole lifestyle thing is that we offer great lifestyle, and we offer a product at a much cheaper price, due to the life rights model. For all the investors (owners), we are making a lifetime commitment.”
He said when he originally bought the farm, even before construction of the estate began, he started the Val de Vie Foundation, a charity organisation, and invested in a housing scheme for all the workers at that stage.
“It’s a very large cornerstone of the Val de Vie investments group of companies to make a highly sustainable and positive socio-economic input in the surrounding community. So everywhere we develop, that’s our main focus, and we always invest in that first, even before we start making profits, and we are here for the longer term.”
Venter said the group supported various non-governmental organisations, and focused on housing.
“On the socio-economic upliftment side, we are focused on housing, education and an incubation farm surrounding the estate for farm skills development. On the job creation side, since about 2005, when we commenced with the first phases of construction up to now and going forward for the next five to 10 years, (we will have created) up to 6 000 temporary construction jobs and 4 000 permanent jobs in landscaping, maintenance, domestic services, the golf course, among others.
“The Val de Vie Foundation focuses on long-term sustainable and positive socio-economic upliftment, for instance, our skills development programme and social housing programmes. We have a