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From newbies to locals within a few short years – a platteland couple share their story…

‘ Ithink we should get out of this place as soon as possible,” said Piet du Plessis to his wife when they drove along the dirt road through Nieu-Bethesda for the first time. Suzette, on the other hand, was thinking to herself: I could live here. “As we came down the pass, I just knew. Don’t ask me how. I had stars in my eyes when we drove through the town. Piet thought the place was too quiet, and he never wanted to take a drive here, even when we lived in Cradock at one stage.

But when we bought a four-wheel drive vehicle, I was able to persuade him.”

A year later, in 2007, the Pretoria couple bought a holiday home in this Karoo village nestled at the foot of the Sneeuberg mountains, the source of the Sundays River. For the next three years, they’d escape to Nieu-Bethesda whenever they got the chance and when Piet retired in 2010, it was he who suggested that they move there permanently. These days, they’re no longer considered newbies; they’re regarded as locals. “I think that after 10 years it’s safe to say you can start making your presence felt,” says Suzette with a chuckle.

The previous owner of the house had already made renovations, but the couple soon realised there wouldn’t be enough space for their growing family of three children with their spouses and three grandchildren. “Our kids and grandkids are more than happy to drive all the way here. Our oldest grandchild is already a teenager and we were wondering when he would start getting tired of visiting Ouma and Oupa in this small town. But he still enjoys it and he loves riding his bike in the streets,” says Suzette.

It was time to renovate – but also stay true to the simplicity of the house and its surroundings. It was precisely the home’s lack of pretension that appealed to Suzette. >>

More light and space

As you pull up outside the long white house with its old-world façade, you’re aware of lots of trees and the mountains. In winter, the pavements are green and horses graze here. It reminds her of the English countryside, says Suzette.

The house is so close to the street that people sometimes think it’s a restaurant, and peek in through the windows. “I tell them it isn’t, but they’re welcome to look inside.”

The front door opens onto a dark, hushed hallway with bedrooms on either side. The deeper you go, the lighter it gets until the hallway leads out into an open-plan area with large windows and sliding doors. It’s divided into a lounge, living room, study and kitchen.

The scullery and pantry are in a separate room.

“We wanted to create as much space as possible, but without deviating from the local building style. The house had a large stoep when we bought it,” says Suzette.

“We enclosed a section of it and added another bedroom, bathroom and living room. A stoep was added to the back of the house and the original one on the side was retained.”

The end result is four bedrooms and four bathrooms and much more light streaming in through the huge windows and doors at the back.

Suzette and Piet spend most of their time in the east-facing back part of the house as it’s relatively sheltered from the wind and cold, and in summer the trees provide shade. The view from here – as was the plan with the large new windows – is of the lovely garden, the handiwork of Suzette and her gardener Romeo Jacobus. >>

In the garden

“The climate here makes gardening a challenge – we have hot, dry summers and bitterly cold winters. The frost decimates the garden every year and when spring arrives, the plants have to sprout all over again.

That’s why there’s such a huge contrast between the seasons.” But Suzette says that this increases your awareness of the cycle of life. “Experiencing it is therapeutic and healing.”

Suzette and Romeo take care of a 5 000m² space. “Gardening is hard work but so satisfying. Romeo is as diligent a gardener as I am; he plants, prunes, makes compost... We work well together.

“Someone once said that when you live in NieuBethesda, you have to like stones. I had quite a few stone paths built to divide the garden into ‘rooms’.”

Suzette realised she shouldn’t tamper with existing shrubs or trees that had proven their worth in these conditions. “There were many rose bushes that were thriving; I kept the white

‘Icebergs’. The hardy Liriope, irises and

Hellebore were also doing well.”

Unfortunately, the monkeys steal fruit from the fruit trees, and the succulents and even the Agave get damaged by the frost. Suzette had more luck with Echeveria, which she gets from Obesa Nursery in Graaff-Reinet. “That place is a must-visit!

“Hardy Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, thyme, origanum and sage do well here and I use them abundantly for cooking. They are resilient.”

Just like Suzette and Piet who put down roots here and are thriving on what this part of the world has to offer.

WHO LIVES HERE? Suzette and Piet du Plessis WHERE Nieu-Bethesda SIZE 328m2

The floor in the large study consists of recycled Oregon pine from the old cinema in GraaffReinet. The sofa and antique wooden cupboard are heirlooms; the kelim on the couch was bought at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

The dresser in the dining area displays a collection of blue-and-white Spode porcelain.

This corner of the living room is home to an antique desk and a coal bucket that belonged to Suzette’s grandmother. The couch is covered with linen previously used as living room curtains by Suzette’s mom.

Irises thrive in NieuBethesda and local gardeners love to exchange the different colours with each other. Amber glass vase from Mr Price Home

Green chairs from Lemon Tree Interior; table from Colonial Antiques One of the smaller changes was the acquisition of Suzette’s dream stove: an Aga for the bitter winters when temperatures easily drop below zero. As luck would have it, there was a farmer who wanted to get rid of his. “I told Piet he could sell my BMW coupé and buy the stove for me. In any case, driving that car on the dusty, stony roads in this town wasn’t a good idea.” The stove was restored and now keeps the house warm and cosy all winter long.

Over the years, Suzette has accumulated an impressive collection of her beloved blue-and-white crockery. >>

The living room was previously an open stoep. The dark structure was once part of an old donkey boiler on the outside of the house that was chopped open with great difficulty to make a fireplace – which then didn’t work. Morsø closed-combustion stove from Metelerkamps in Knysna

The sketch above the door to the pantry and scullery is of the couple’s son Jean, who died in a car accident in 1999. It was done by Frans Boekkooi, a local artist.

A counter separates the dining area and kitchen. Suzette and Piet enjoy the sociable open-plan layout, especially when the entire family visits for the holidays.

When the weather is good, the family loves to dine on the side stoep. Paint colour Plascon Ewa

A bedroom and bathroom were added for when their children spend the Christmas and Easter holidays in NieuBethesda. The embroidered fabric comes from Suzette’s large vintage collection. Painting by Michael Heyns

Local carpenter Attie Nel made huge windows for the back of the house, according to the couple’s specifications; they now enjoy a view of the garden. It’s a sunny space in winter and in summer the old Ficus tree provides welcome shade. Flowers by Jacques Müller Design

Suzette made the bedspreads in the guest room from her mom’s old Sanderson curtains. The painting above the beds was done by a friend and the plates were bought at Memory Lane in Somerset West many years ago.

A flock of 23 Meatmasters (a cross between Dorper and Damara sheep) are Piet’s pets; they’re perfectly suited to the extreme climate.

A gravel path leads from the back stoep to the garden.

The couple gets leiwater on Wednesday mornings and then the entire garden is flood-irrigated. Suzette says she’s eternally grateful for Nieu-Bethesda’s water supply, which comes from a constant spring.

The side stoep is sheltered from the cold southerly wind and in summer the Prunus provides shade for this cosy nook.

Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris)