Farmer hands over R30 million village to his 150 workers

Photo Cred: On File | Supplied

The village was secretly developed with the intent to give the new homes to the 150 farm-workers who would inherit the land.

This is all thanks to the owners of the farm, David and Elaine Potter, who resolved to create an environment that would leave their workers better off than when they joined the farm. The Potters, philanthropists who run a charitable foundation, spent years planning the staff village on their table-grape farm in the hope of meaningful social upliftment.

David was born in East London, South Africa in 1943 and brought up in Cape Town. In 1963 he took up a Beit scholarship to read Natural Sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge and in 1966 was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to study for a doctorate in mathematical physics at Imperial College London where he was subsequently appointed to the staff.

As an academic during the 1970s he taught at the University of London and at the University of California, consulted and wrote a number of academic papers and a book on the use of computers in physics but always knew his heart and home were in South Africa, where his ultimate goal has always been to make a difference!

The Potters started a foundation in 1999 to uplift South Africans but quickly found out that government, inequality and corruption were a huge problem, so they changed their focus to mainly assist civil society and education with their own projects.

Our initial aim was to improve education and access to education in Africa, but our experience was that this was often hampered by failures of governance – of inequality and corruption. Hence, we also provided grants to help the growth of civil society to create a platform upon which education could flourish and be effective. In 2015 our focus was revised to two main areas: Education and Civil Society. We aim to give 90% of our support to the main areas of Education and Civil Society.

David and his wife have been planning the farm village for years and are now ready to give the land away, located between Paarl and Franschhoek, to their 150 farm-workers who will all receive title deeds to the cottages they built on a 4ha site with millionaire views of the surrounding mountains!

There are 22 two and three-bedroom houses and the village’s infrastructure was also improved to include a modern design complete with a crèche, aftercare, sports field and a community entertainment centre.

The Sunday Times reported that the couple persevered through near-endless government bureaucracy while trying to get the necessary planning permission and sign off to donate the land and rezone it for housing purposes.

The Potters bought the farm in the early 1990s but had always planned to create an environment that would leave their staff better off than when they joined the farm.

“The [purchase] came at a time when we could see the changes going on everywhere, and there was an essential need to help and change the living conditions of many of the workers. They are a kind of forgotten group in a way. They are not fully into the cash economy even though their history goes back centuries.”

The move has stunned the 150 staff from the farm who are now going to be neighbours with billionaires Johann Rupert, Richard Branson and Analjit Singh!

“They look like guesthouses – we were in tears,” said Diane Fraser, one of the soon-to-be homeowners. “I would never be able to buy my own house.”

Fraser, 50, who lives with a daughter and two granddaughters, said the village development had transformed her life beyond domestic comforts. As a former farmworker supervisor, she now works full-time at the village crèche.

Paul Morris, a farm worker who has been working on the farm for 30 years, said that the farm workers will look after it.

“We thank the Potters for opening their hearts, and we really appreciate the gift of our new houses,” he said.

“It is a huge opportunity for us.”

But the Potters have encouraged the workers to use it as a space to support and uplift each other in the community. Potter believes that the creation of the village could lead to future generations forging their own paths in the world. By giving the families a space to thrive, they will be able to focus on building their dreams through education, dedication and hard work!