Thursday 22 April 2004

This site will be updated on 29 April  2004 at 17:30

Business - Sakenuus

• Courtrai Auto shines
• Luxury estate, polo field on the cards for Paarl South
• Cape Wine Academy restructures
• Fair Trade workshop
• Tenders asked for De Poort

Courtrai Auto shines

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THE Paarl Kia dealer, Courtrai Auto, was recently selected as the top Kia dealership in the country according to their Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI).

While being evaluated by their clients the dealership obtained a grade of 94,8%.

Two of their salespersons were also listed among the top ten sales personnel for the same period.

Johannes Osche (92,4%) and Morné  Klopper (92%) were awarded the third

MEESTERS. Kia Paarl spog tans met van Suid-Afrika se top verkoopslui. Van links is Jaco Kotze (verkoopsbestuurder) by Morné Klopper (sesde plek op die nasionale ranglys vir Kia-verkoopslui) en Johannes Osche (derde op die nasionale ranglys vir Kia-verkoopslui).

and sixth place respectively in the evaluations.

The evaluations, done by the clients, rated the quality of the dealership, the salespersons of the dealership as well as the service provided by the dealership. Kia's national CSI is currently 88,1%.

Other Kia dealerships that performed well were George, Port Elizabeth and Sandton. Ermelo, Cape Town and Bloemfontein received top marks for their service.

FOLLOWING the successof Boschenmeer and Pearl Valley, a third large property development of R240 million is planned on the Paarl/Wemmershoek road south of Paarl.

The Kliprug property, currently used mainly for the mining of sand and stone, has been purchased by a Gauteng developer and is to become a residential development within a wine estate, with a polo club as its main feature.

It borders on the Pearl Valley golfing estate.

The property of 210 hectares, currently dotted with quarries, will be rehabilitated and 70% will be planted with vineyards, fynbos, grazing and a polo field. There will also be trout dams, a winery, restaurant and guesthouse.

The residential component will consist of 389 housing units on 42 hectares, with erf sizes ranging from 800 to 1500 square metres.

Other phases include a group housing development of 18 units, a retirement village of 143 units and a private school.

The retirement village will have a frail care centre, library, bowling green and croquet field.

According to developer Martin Venter, MD of Gatekeeper Private Equity in Pretoria, purchasers will be able to sit on the verandah overlooking vineyards and sip wines from the estate, which will be marketed as "Dans le Vigne" (in the vineyard).

Homeowners will receive an annual wine quota. They plan to concentrate on Bordeaux style wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, as well as the white wine Chenin Blanc.

"We are planning a world class equestrian centre where horses can be stabled permanently and expect the polo facilities to prove popular, also with visitors from the northern hemisphere during the summer season November to February."

Other facilities planned for the project are a gymnasium, squash courts, clay tennis courts and a 25m swimming pool.

The "interactive estate" will have 24 hour internet access for each house at a nominal cost.

There will be strict security consisting of a pallisade fence, electronic gate control and 24 hour patrols by mounted guards.

Gatekeeper Private Equity is a black empowerment company chaired by Max Sisulu and focuses on long term property development projects.

Financing will be done through investors and one of the larger investment banks.

THE Cape Wine Academy (CWA) has been restructured in order to play a stronger role in supporting the South African tourist industry, while reaching a broader audience through "edu-tainment", it was announced by CWA board member William Marais.

He stressed that in no way would the CWA's traditional function diminish. 

 The organisation will continue to offer accredited academic wine courses from beginners' modules through to the Cape Masters in Wine, as well as training for the hospitality industry.

 Marais said the restructure had been prompted by the continued expansion of the Cape's wine industry, the ongoing launch of new wineries, the opening up of new wine growing areas and the surge in wine tourism. 

 "By offering academic courses, as well as modules for a broader public that use entertainment as a teaching mechanism, we believe we can promote a culture of wine.

 Marilyn Cooper (CWM), until now the Gauteng manager of the Academy, assumes the role of national academic head.

 "Reinier Matthee, an attorney has been appointed managing director to run the institution as a business. For enquiries call 809-7597.

SOCIAL responsibility and the expansion of international market access are major challenges to producers in the South African agricultural industry. In this regard the use of the Fair Trade brand name is much sought after.

The SA Agri Academy (SAAA) will be bringing information on the Fair Trade brand name to producers during an information session on 1 June and a three-day workshop from 2 to 4 June, both to be held at Elsenburg, Stellenbosch.

Contact Retha Venter at tel 855-4472, cell 084-306-3508, fax 855-2722 or email fairtrade@ agriacademy.co.za for more information.

 Information is also available on the website of SAAA (www.agriacademy.co.za)

THE De Poort Village Project has invited proposals for the the design and master plan of a proposed heritage village in Paarl South. Architects and engineers have been invited to submit concepts for this village to commemorate the prosperous wagonmaking period in Paarl's history. Tenderers will be required to attend a briefing session on Monday 26 April at 16:00 in the auditorium of the Casidra Building, 22 Louw Street, Paarl South.

Tender documents will be available at the briefing at a cost of R100.

The submission date for tenders is Monday 17 May.

Enquiries at 863-3902.

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