Experience all the creature comforts at beautiful De Zeekoe in Oudtshoorn

Surviving recent drought and COVID-19, Oudtshoorn’s farmers and accommodation establishments are looking ahead to better times. Brian Berkman stayed at a fine example of Klein Karoo hospitality outside the town.

- Brian Berkman

Coming off the back of an 88-month long drought in the Klein Karoo, Manie Potgieter of De Zeekoe in Oudtshoorn says it is only since December 2022 that they have had proper rain.

That Oudtshoorn looks gloriously green is a blessing for a Klein Karoo town better known for its many sunshine and dry days. Even in winter, when temperatures can drop like a stone, there are warm, sunny spells. In summer, of course, temperatures can rocket, but this is something Karoo residents and accommodation vendors expect, and for which they provide solutions.

Although his farm is based in the global epicentre of ostrich production, Potgieter tells Farmer’s Weekly that he decided against raising ostriches, as the risks, and the impact of avian flu, are too great.

“We do better with lucerne and wheat and also have Bonsmara cattle,” he says.

And now that their dam is full, they are planting extensively. “We can get between R5 000/t and R5 500/t for first-grade lucerne,” he says.

De Zeekoe is the accommodation and hospitality offering on Zeekoegat farm, only 7km outside Oudtshoorn. Some rooms, like number 23 where Farmer’s Weekly stayed, gaze onto the Olifants River, flowing again after the long drought, and onwards to the magnificent and wide-open vistas of the Outeniqua and Swartberg mountains.

The birdlife in the reeds along the riverbank is special. Lodging in and around the main building is on a bed-and-breakfast basis, while stone cottages, nearer the farm dam, are luxurious self-catering units with private pools.