Only in Africa...

A historic and once thriving farm in KwaZulu-Natal has been left derelict by its owner…

Transport minister S’bu Ndebele who made headlines for accepting a Mercedes Benz from government contractors bought the Beauliea farm for R1,9 million six years ago on auction.
Ravenor Nicholson, the brother of Judge Chris Nicholson was the former owner…

The farmhouse is now a shell of its former self. Ndebele said he had been unable to attend the farm because he ‘devoted’ all his time to his job as premier and could also not afford to hire a farm manager…

The farm located in Richmond in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands once boasted a dairy farm producing 80 000 litres of milk a day and employed 150 staff- Nicholson also produced oranges, timber and vegetables. The farm had been in the Nicholson family for 153 years. He said he found the state of the farm ‘deeply disappointing’

Dilapidated buildings and rusted agricultural implements scatter the property. However Ndebele told the Sunday Times that when he bought the farm ‘it’ had already collapsed and that is why it was on auction…

'Ndebele told us our misery would be over…'We’re very sad at the current state of this farm' said a farm worker who declined to be named…
Neighbouring farmers have expressed disappointment saying the state of the farm is devaluing neighbouring properties…

The farm’s once abundant fields are now choked with weeds -Vandals have trashed the farms two homesteads..

Ndebele said he was ‘happy to have an investment in property’ and ‘happy to pay the bond’ and would attend to the farm when his political career was over…

The award-winning property once feature in Home and Garden magazines in the past… (Time Magazine)