Newsletter

Dear Owner,

This newsletter serves to inform you of all the happenings at the estate!

Over the past number of months, there has been progress on most of the matters. Please see all the news under the respective headings below.

Furthermore, we are very pleased to report that progress is being made in getting all of our owners to pay their Estate levies. In this regard, if you are not sure of the status of your account please contact, Ben Pretorius (Managing Agent) for details.

It saddens me to inform you that Mackey Macdonald has resigned as Estate Supervisor. Both Mackey and Rina have made a big contribution and they will be missed.

The setting up of an Estate website is also progressing well, and details will be communicated once it is up and running.

Please take note of the following matters:

It gives us
great pleasure to
announce that we have
eventually managed to
purchase a golf cart
which will be used by
Security in order to
patrol the Estate. The
full cost of the golf cart
will be recovered from
Breed Security over a
period of time, and it will
surely result in more
effective security cover.
We request all residents
to advise the Body
Corporate should they
witness any acts of
reckless driving, or
abuse of the vehicle.

At this point in time, discussions are taking place with Breed Security regarding the upgrading of uniforms. It is anticipated that the guards will take on a more professional look, and this will be backed up by a more direct "meet and greet" approach to vehicles entering the Estate. The Body Corporate would appreciate that any incidents of unprofessional behavior from guards, be reported directly to Breed Security;
the following contact details being relevant:

info@global-clocking.co.za

Dawid Breed Cell: 082 562 4016
Shaun Cell: 082 074 0855
Office Tel : 015307 7323

We kindly request all residents, and their guests, to adhere to the Estate rules regarding noise and littering of this area. There have also been a number of incidents, where the facilities have been used for inappropriate behavior, and the Managing Agent and Security personnel have been instructed to be on the lookout, and to take firm action against offenders. Should the facilities continue to be misused, consideration will have to be given towards locking them and only allowing access to pre-authorized users?

The security company cannot be held responsible for the loss and/or safeguarding of documentation or parcels left at the gate for collection. Should there be a need to have any documents, or parcels delivered, we advise residents to kindly arrange for such items to be delivered at the Breed Security office. Office Tel: 015-3077323

Gertjie du Plessis

Maintenance is an ongoing task due to general wear and tear, as well as vandalism. As the Estate assets are rapidly approaching 10 years old, there are a number of areas requiring attention, and the Body Corporate will attend to them as funds become available. The maintenance of Estate infrastructure, is in a way, an insurance policy against major future costs, should something be allowed to deteriorate beyond repair. In this regard, the regular payment of levies helps to make maintenance possible!

The following areas have been identified for maintenance in the near future:

• Guard house
  • Roof needs attention
  • Loose and cracked floor tiles
  • Repair and varnish of wooden doors and window frames.
• Repainting of boundary walls and palisades
• Club house
  • Replace wooden doors at pool area with steel doors and frames
  • Replace cracked and loose floor tiles
  • Repair and varnish wooden doors and window frames.
  • Repair cracked walls

All the above tasks will be prioritized and attended to within the financial means of the Estate. The maintenance of the roads in Golden Acres is the responsibility of the Greater Tzaneen Municipality and members of the Body Corporate are regularly in contact with them; this matter, however, has still not been resolved.
Ockie Bierman

The Architectural Committee has, since it’s revitalization during the course of last year, largely focused on the development of a proper building plan approval / construction system. Procedures and guidelines were developed to assist owners in building their dream house in our lovely estate.

The success of the above endeavor will, in future, largely depend on the cooperation of all owners. The Committee will also endeavor to build up proper records of all constructed houses in the estate as well as communal buildings and structures belonging to the GAEHOA. These records will be kept in a property registry under the administration of our Managing Agent, Mr. Ben Pretorius. All appropriate building guidelines, documents, and forms for new houses will also be available from the office of Mr. Pretorius, currently situated at the club house.

Several new dwellings were completed during the course of last year, of which only two owners followed the new Architectural Committees rules regarding obtaining a GAE occupation certificate prior to moving in into their newly constructed houses. This requirement will be strictly applied in future; THIS IS A CRITICAL POINT.

Building plans for six new houses have been approved since July 2013, of which four houses are currently under construction. A major concern to the Committee is the owners that don’t complete their houses in the agreed time period. Such owners are advised to formally agree alternative arrangements with the Committee.

Owners with undeveloped properties are advised to confirm the development rights on their property with the Committee, with special reference to the right of double level development, and Estate Agents are to be notified accordingly.

GOLDEN ACRES ESTATE HOA
P.O BOX 677
TZANEEN 0850
TEL: 015 307 3816 FAX: 086 578 1193

HOA OFFICES at the Clubhouse: Mon thru to Friday: 9:00am to 1:00pm.

1.GOLDEN ACRES ESTATE HOA MANAGEMENT & STAFF
Estate Manager: Ben Pretorius
Accounts : Ruth Mkhari
Other Staff : Andrew Ngobeni, Girly Maake, Sello Mabapa and Jan Moloto

2.GOLDEN ACRES ESTATE HOA

The purpose of the Home Owners Association, in conjunction with the Managing Agent, is to oversee the effective running of the Estate. This includes providing for the upkeep of all the Common Areas, which incorporates the swimming pool, Clubhouse, Squash court, Gymnasium, boundary walls/ palisades, nature trails and the future waterfront development, as well as the park areas and sidewalks.

Under the direction of the HOA, the Managing Agent ensures that all aspects of Estate Management are attended to, including financial management, security, and the cleaning of stands. The Golden Acres HOA Directors produce the newsletter, and will maintain the website.

All of the 136 stands within Phase 1 are required, by law, to pay levies of R650 per month, in advance. In Phase 2, development will proceed within the next month or so. Several stands, within this phase, are currently in the market, and this will increase the levy paying stands to 200.

A new account was opened in September 2013 into which levy payments need to be made. The account is Absa account number 4081896569, at the Tzaneen branch .The old banking account will be closed as from the end of February 2014. Those owners who are still behind on their levies must please pay up before the end of February 2014 as legal action is extremely costly, and the HOA Directors will not hesitate to follow such a course of action. There is no excuse for the non-payment of levies as all owners agree to this when they purchase property within the development.

Our Estate is definitely the premier development in town, and this will become more evident as the waterfront plans start to “take shape” (watch this space)!

“What does all this mean to me?” you might ask. If you own a home in Golden Acres, it means that you are automatically a member of the home owner association, and you are legally obliged to pay the levies as determined at the AGM.

Golden Acres Estate is run by the Board of Directors who were voted in at the Annual General Meeting which was held in August 2013. The current Board serves for a two year period, and the Board appointed Ben Pretorius as the Managing Agent. The Board receives absolutely no remuneration for the time that they give towards endeavoring to ensure that the Estate is well managed, so the appeal is that all owners provide their full support.

Please contact the Golden Acres HOA office at the Clubhouse for issues concerning the facilities, staff, questions about exterior improvements, or general neighborhood inquiries. If your question relates to the status of your Golden Acres levy account, please provide your stand number, and not your street address only, as this may result in the customer service representative giving you the wrong information.

I hope this helps in clearing up some of the confusion, but if you still have questions, please refer them to the Managing Agent.

The following driving and parking regulations exist within the Estate:

1. Vehicles should not exceed 30 km per hour within the estate.
2. Vehicles shall not obstruct the safe, free-flow of moving vehicular traffic or other vehicle or pedestrians into or out of parking spaces on public streets, or private roads.
3. No vehicles shall be parked in violation of any posted sign.
4. All vehicles shall be parked wholly within designated lines, where applicable
5. No vehicles shall be parked on any grassy or landscaped area.
6. Vehicles may not be parked within 10 feet on either side of an electrical box.
7. No Vehicle may be parked in a manner which blocks any portion of the side walk. Even partial obstruction of the sidewalk is considered an obstruction and is prohibited.

We hope you have found the newsletter informative; contributions to future editions would be appreciated.

Regards

Dewald Pretorius
Chairman
Golden Acres HOA

(Ps: Thanks to Tony Wright for his assistance in the wording of the content.)