The estate

 

The Estate is owned by Albertus de Wet. He has an Honours degree in Agricultural Economy from the University of Stellenbosch.

His wife, Cecilia, is a clinical psychologist with a D.Phil. (Psychology) from Stellenbosch University. She has spent more than 20 years working at the local children's home. She also loves singing and is a member of the well-known Libertas Choir of Stellenbosch.

They have two sons, Deter and Wéan. Deter is busy with a M.Sc. in Mathematics at the University of Stellenbosch and Wéan with a M.Tech. in Electronic Engineering at the Cape Technikon.

The estate is situated right next to the Breede River, at the base of Zandberg (“Sand Mountain”), approximately 15 km from Robertson. This town is situated in the Western Cape, South Africa, about 1½ hour from Cape Town. The estate lies in the area known as Le Chasseur, well known for its white wines, especially Chardonnay. The estate comprises two adjacent farms, of which the larger is just over 1200 ha.

About 85 % of the total area of the estate is still in its natural condition and a variety of wild life still exists there. The more common species are antelope, steenbok, pheasants and guinea fowls. There are predators like the African lynx and even cheetahs in the mountainous areas.

 

History

The estate has a long history stretching back to the 19th century. Documentation left from those days is not abundant, but it seems that Jakobus and Gerhardus de Wet obtained land to establish the estate in 1881. Today sees the fifth generation of De Wets on the farm. The area where the estate is now situated originally consisted of a number of smaller pieces of land. These had such diverse names as Laughing Waters, Windhoek, Voorspoed, Die Gwharries and Claris World.