Prospective purchasers of farms for sale South Africa will be interested in the political, social and economic conditions in the country. This can never be foretold certainly. There country does have a high crime rate and naked racism on the statute book. It also has a poor reputation in the world and is situated at the southern end of a continent well known for chaos and corruption. Despite these facts the country does not appear to be doing too badly in the context of world history.
There have been no terrorist activities since the former terrorists were voted into government. When terrorists bombed London and New York South Africans went about their business as usual. China may have been threatened by the SARS virus, but a man who fell seriously ill in China returned home to world class medical treatment paid for by his private medical insurance scheme. Similar private medical treatment was unavailable in China.
Diversity is an important element in social stability. There are cohesive groups within the country that retain tribal or cultural identity. A number of different tribes South African of Indian descent, people of mixed ancestry, Dutch settlers and English settlers have all retained a language and some sort of cultural identity. Hopefully they provide checks and balances to extremism.
Geologically the land is stable and there have been no earthquakes or tsunamis within living memory. Beneath the earth there is a treasure trove of valuable minerals ranging from platinum to rare earth. Though Australia and New Zealand have recently been wracked by storms and floods, the Republic has continued with it sunny skies and seasonal rains that are sufficient.
The most likely threat from the climate is drought. These alternate with periods of good rainfall. Many agriculturalists in arid areas have adapted their practices to the environment, so that they can cope well with dry conditions. For example in the arid Karroo areas sheep live off vegetation that survives in dry conditions.
Farms in the Eastern part of the country exploit the higher rainfall to grow crops of timber and sugar cane. Many other enterprises such as dairy, poultry, citrus and vegetables are maintain in this well populated part of the country. The topography is undulating with hills tumbling from the high Drakensberg mountain range down to the Indian Ocean.
West of the Drakensberg, at higher altitudes the rich high veld regions have arable farms. Maize, sunflowers, beans, wheat and other crops are grown in these fertile areas with good summer rains. The productive farms that surround the big cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria have ready markets for livestock and vegetable crops.
The diversity of human, animal and plant populations is reflected in the diversity of agricultural properties available. Around Cape Town there are many ‘old’ wine estates established since the seventeenth century. Along the south eastern coastal areas there are extensive wheat farms that lie beneath beautiful mountain ranges. Dairy and vegetable operations also thrive in these well watered parts of the country.
Prices vary with location and productive capacity. As a broad rule of thumb one might expect to pay between one and five million American dollars for a viable establishment. It will have a comfortable home, several cottages, ongoing operations and possibly a swimming pool. It will offer a reasonable income and enviable quality of life. No farming enterprise is without its challenges but farms for sale in South Africa are well worth investigation.
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