One of the largest privately held conservation properties in the Eastern Cape has been put up for sale. Selling Agent, Bass Property Group (www.BassPropertyGroup.co.za).
The property is located approximately 18 kilometers inland from Kei Mouth. Its status as a gazetted reserve, a designation under South African law, links the land to long-term conservation management and places it in an asset class that has attracted increasing interest from investors seeking protected land. Listings of this scale are uncommon, and declared reserves rarely change, making the sale a notable event in the regional market.
Scale and Settings
Size is the most distinguishing feature of the reserve. It has an extent of approximately 26 kilometers and a perimeter of approximately 81 kilometers along the Kei River, encompassing distinct open expanses of wooded shore, river banks and wooded banks, known for its biodiversity and its remoteness. The diverse terrain supports a mix of habitats ranging from valley grassland to dense dense forest, which sustains the reserve's wildlife throughout the season.
That foresight is relative. King Fellow Airport in East London, which has direct flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town, is about an hour away by road, placing the reserve within comfortable reach of major centres, while preserving the solitude that defines the Wild Coast.
wildlife
Buffalo, giraffe, leopard, zebra, blue wildebeest, eland and impala as well as a variety of birds are found in the reserve. Populations of spiral horned antelope such as nyala, kudu and bushbuck are abundant and well established. Taytaba has a long record of regulated, quota-based wildlife use within South Africa's conservation framework, and its established game population will allow a new owner to continue managed conservation operations without a long recovery period.
infrastructure
The main lodge has eight en-suite bedrooms and a shared entertainment area. The property also included an abattoir and workshop, along with several other farm dwellings that could house staff or be developed to accommodate guests. The airstrip at the site will need to be upgraded before it can be used, although this does open up the possibility of fly-in access by road from East London. Together, the existing buildings give the buyer a working base from which to operate or further develop the reserve.
How can it be purchased
The land is made up of 26 parts in five titles. It can be bought as a single holding or, the agent says, divided between multiple owners as the development progresses. This structure is part of what they expect will determine who comes forward.
“Tiyataba is the kind of large land parcel that rarely comes on the open market in South Africa,” said Hanley Bassingthwaite, principal of Bass Property Group. “Its main strength is flexibility. It can serve as a single-owner reserve or as the basis for a shared development between multiple owners.”
price
The reserve is listed at a nominal R145 million (about US$8.9 million). The agent attributes this figure to the property's size, biodiversity and the range of ownership options it allows.
“Twenty-six kilometers of riverbank and 13,000 hectares of established habitat took generations to form and cannot be replicated,” said Joshua Bassingthwaite, principal of the firm.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Bass Property Group.
media Contact:
Hanley Bassingthwaighte
hanlie@basspropertygroup.co.za
+27 83 659 8287
joshua bassingthwaighte
joshua@basspropertygroup.co.za
+27 83 233 2488
About Bass Property Group:
Bass Property Group is a real estate agency based in East London, South Africa, dealing in residential, commercial and conservation property. It is led by Principals Hanley and Joshua Bassingthwaighte.