In a nutshell
Distance from the big city? The nearest city is Gqeberha (265 km), and GraaffReinet is halfway between George (350 km) and Bloemfontein (430 km).
Average rainfall This part of the Karoo gets rain year-round; the average rainfall is 512 mm per year. January and February are the wettest months, with an average of three rainy days each.
Average temperature January and February are the hottest months with an average of 28 °C. In June and July, the average daytime temperature is 16 °C and at night the temperature drops to 7 °C.
Shops The town has a surprising number of shops, including two large Spar stores, a Pick n Pay, Mr Price, Clicks, Truworths, Sheet Street and Foschini. All the large banks have branches, and there are a few car dealerships and tyre fitment centres.
Hospitals, retirement facilities and schools The locals we spoke to were complimentary about the Midlands Provincial Hospital. There are a few retirement and care facilities in town. Union Pre-, Prep and High School, and Volkskool are excellent schools.
Nearest Woolies
(Ouch! – Eds.)
Gqeberha (265 km)
Municipality Graaff-Reinet is the largest town in the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality. It previously had a DA mayor and chief whip under a coalition government, but the ANC retook control of the council in June 2022. During Platteland’s visit, residents were preparing for protest action against the municipality and mayor.
Festival The annual Stoep Tasting Wine Weekend – 25–28 May 2023 – attracts many of the country’s best wineries and wine brands to Graaff-Reinet’s stoeps.
stoeptasting.co.za
General information The GraaffReinet Tourism Office website offers comprehensive visitor information.
graaffreinet.co.za 049 892 4248
Mexico, the heart of the industry. A man named Gawie Venter had big dreams to fill the gap in the market with a product made from Graaff-Reinet’s agaves. They built an enormous factory and distillery just outside the town in 1997, and farmers in the area, excited about the potential boom for business, planted even more agaves.
“When the Mexicans heard about these plans, a few paid the town a visit. They were not happy. They said we were not allowed to call our product tequila because it’s unique to Mexico – like Champagne is to France. They make their spirit from Agave tequilana, and the plant in South Africa is Agave americana.”
Mr Venter’s Reinet Distillers encountered a few other challenges too, and before a drop was distilled the business was liquidated. Three other owners subsequently tried to save the company, but in 2008 they finally closed the factory.
“In the meantime, hundreds of people have tried to turn agave into liquor,” Tim says. “But it is arduous, back-breaking work. And it takes 20 years for the plant to mature before you can harvest it. The part that’s used to make the spirit is the heart of the plant, called a piña,
Spanish for pineapple, because that’s what it resembles after the leaves have been cut off. The piñas
are baked in huge ovens before they’re crushed to extract the juice, which is then fermented with yeast and water. The biggest challenge >