Roodeplaat – from farmland to country style living
- Posted by Rudolph van den Berg in News on Property
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The former agricultural area around the Roodeplaat Dam, situated just north-east of the City of Tshwane, has over the past few decades succumbed to the pressure for extension of the city.
While the Roodeplaat Dam was built in the 1950’s to provide water for agricultural purposes for the surrounding farmland, it soon also became popular for fishing and as a resort for water sports and recreation.
Gradually farm owners started to subdivide their farms into small holdings of 2, 4, 8 and 16 hectares, often dividing the portions amongst family members. These small holdings were also bought by investors for later development, as well as many professional and corporate people with a view of retirement. This subdivision of farmland into portions caused the haphazard numbering of plots, which makes it so difficult for visitors to find a so-called street address until this day.
But, since the turn of the century, this former peri-urban area has become increasingly popular for more upmarket, rural living. Then part of the newly formed Nokeng tsa Taemane local municipality, subdivision into as small as 1 hectare smallholdings, became increasingly popular.
In this time several security estates, some bordering the water’s edge, started to be developed as well. Add the building of a well-known private school, and this previously agricultural farming area now really started to flourish. Today – now being part of the Tshwane Metropolitan City – hundreds of families enjoy the country lifestyle on their erfen or plots in the security estates around the Roodeplaat Dam.
Until this day it is often the peaceful bushveld atmosphere, with lots of trees and a rich birdlife, that attracts potential buyers to the Roodeplaat area, which includes portions of the original farms like Kameeldrift, Derdepoort, Leeuwfontein, Kameelfontein, Rynoue, Pumulani, Buffelsdrift and Zeekoegat.
Although not much formal farming is nowadays being done in the area, most of the land here is still zoned for agricultural use, making it difficult for potential developers who have to go through the time consuming process of rezoning the land.
Yet it is obvious….this former agricultural farmland consisting of smallholdings, plots, security estates and new developments, is a very popular destination for particularly nature lovers.