Next To A Lagoon And A Milkwood Forest

Nestled in pristine surroundings, the Slabberts’ sandstone holiday home in the Overberg is completely off the grid.

- Marie Opperman

At Wortelgat, between the ocean and the Kleinrivier lagoon, lies a family getaway perfect for relaxing and making memories. This is where Stellenbosch residents Joritha and Roelou Slabbert head to whenever they need to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

Their home is special – not just because it is completely off the grid, but also because it was designed to blend in with its gorgeous natural surroundings.

“We love coming here – summer or winter,” says Joritha of her rustic home surrounded by the gnarled trunks of milkwood trees and with a fabulous view of misty blue mountains in the distance.

“This place is precious to me. I love sitting and reading on the veranda and we all gather around the table for hours on end,” she says. “The best thing about the house is the family time it affords us. Our boys – Daniel, Janneman and Martin – play cards or board games and we also go jogging or cycling. We don’t even have a TV here.”

Wortelgat, an exclusive development near Stanford, is managed by the Wortelgat Outreach Trust and also offers conference facilities. There are about 25 private properties which all stretch down to the lagoon. “Since it’s a conservation area, it is an unspoilt corner of the Overberg,” says Joritha. “Sometimes we see a caracal or a bushbuck and we often hear fish eagles calling.”

Electricity and water

Roelou visited Wortelgat as a student and immediately fell in love with its pristine natural beauty, Joritha says. The couple bought their property in 1995 and built on it in 2017.