The Visual International Group comprises of a number of companies and trusts, and which entities focus mainly on property development projects and related business activities in South Africa. The Head Office is at 23 Kleinplaas, Hohenhort Street, Stellenberg – in Cape Town.
The principals of the company are experienced property developers. Some of their better known projects, some of which were developed by Visual, are the following:
- The development of N1 City, with Syfrets. This is a commercial development of approximately 220 000 m², alongside the N1 Freeway in Cape Town. The N1 City development amounted to more than R2 billion.
- Imperial Bank Terraces at the Tyger Waterfront in Bellville. This is an office and retail development of more than 4500m². The development amounted to ±R80 million.
- Western Province Park in Goodwood. This is a light industrial park adjacent to Grand West Casino in Cape Town, developed on approximately 25 hectares for ±R400 million.
- Boschenmeer Golf Estate in Paarl. This 27 hole golf estate adjacent to the Berg River in Paarl, was developed for ±R300 million.
- Myburgh Park in Langebaan. Myburgh Park is a village of more than 900 fully serviced erven, which was developed between Langebaan and the West Coast National Park for high net worth families. Most of the houses have been built, are all architect designed, and most of them have a sea view.
- The company is busy with the development of Stellendale Village, a security village of ±1500 homes and a commercial component, situated on the Stellenbosch Arterial Road in Kuils River, Cape Town. The homes are currently being sold for prices ranging from R350000 to R690000.
- The company recently completed the development of Edward 142, a four storey office building in the Tyger Valley area of Bellville.
- Furthermore, the company is busy with the development of Signal Hill Fly Fishing Village in Machadodorp in Mpumalanga. This is a security village, focused on the Gauteng recreational market.
- At present Visual is busy with the development of La Retreat Security Village near the central business district of Durbanville – for completion by the middle of 2009. This is a project of ±R22 million.
Visual International was formed in 1992 under the management of Charles K Robertson, who is still the managing director. He holds a PhD in Education and a MCom in Economics, both from the University of Stellenbosch.
Peter E Grobbelaar, Project Director of Visual, was involved with the establishment of and was responsible as senior project manager for the development of the apartment buildings at the V&A Waterfront Company in Cape Town. He holds a BSc in Building Science from the University of Cape Town, and has more than 25 years of property development and building management experience.
Grant Noble, Financial Manager of Visual, is involved in all aspects of financial management, property management, customer relationships and information technology management. He has more than six years of experience in financial and property management, and holds a BCom degree in Accounting and Business Management from the University of Stellenbosch.
The Visual International Group has a number of development properties in stock, some of which are in the process of being zoned for development purposes. The most important of these properties are:
- Old Stellendale with some 240 zoned single residential erven which are ready to be developed, and which are immediately adjacent to the ±300 houses already completed in Stellendale Village.
- Stellendale 2, with a further ±980 building opportunities for houses and apartments. Stellendale 2 is an extension of Stellendale Village.
- Land for a small retail centre, service station and garden centre outside Stellendale Village.
- Visual has a 50% share in a company which owns the land and plans to commence with development during the latter part of 2009, of ±70 single and double storey housing units in King Arthur Security Village in the Blue Downs area of the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town.
- Furthermore, the Visual Group has a 50% share in a company which owns ±52 hectares adjacent to Atlantis in the Western Cape. This property is in the process of being rezoned for a new commercial and business park, with the intention of primarily servicing the Atlantis residential suburbs and the Atlantis industrial node.
- And Visual has a 50% share in a company, with a 20% share in another company, and which owns ±400 hectares – an extension of the Ocean View Heights suburb between Struisbaai and Agulhas. At present this property is part of an area which the Municipality wishes to include into the urban area of the Struisbaai/Agulhas Municipality, in order for it to developable.
The Visual Group continues to diversify by investing in a variety of already built properties, most of which were developed by companies in the Group. These properties are rented to corporations and individuals. Examples are:
- 2 Offices in a prestige grade office building, Edward 142, in the Tyger Valley area of the Western Cape.
- 32 Houses in a modern security village, Stellendale Village, which is situated in Kuils River in the Western Cape.
- A 50% share in the New Durban Road node, in Bellville in the Western Cape. This is a strategically situated site with redevelopment potential and rights. Presently Auto Pedigree (Imperial Group) and Chemical Specialities are the tenants.
The Visual Group has a 50% share in a company which owns approximately 150 covered and open parking bays in the Tyger Waterfront area of Tyger Valley in Cape Town. Some of these are being let on a monthly basis, and the open bays are generally being managed as an hourly public parking facility.
Building work on the 130 Bishopscourt houses in Stellendale Village is expected to be complete by November 2008. All of these have been sold, other than the last ±20 houses which are in various stages of negotiation and sale.
The Government is desirous of assimilating houses for low income group families into middle to high income group residential projects. Stellendale Village is the first project in the Western Cape Province where subsidised (i.e. GAP) houses are being fully integrated in and evenly spread throughout a larger private sector project. Earlier this year Visual concluded a development agreement with the Department of Local Government and Housing of the Western Cape Province for the development of 140 affordable houses in Stellendale Village. In terms of this agreement Visual International received ±5 hectares of land, and which now is a part of the Group’s Stellendale 2 project. In exchange for this land, Visual will develop 105 GAP houses which are being sold for R350000 each and 35 GAP houses which will be sold for R250000 each.
The application and consultation processes for the approval of Visual’s Stellendale 2 project was commenced with at the beginning of 2007. Fortunately no one objected to the application, and we hope to receive the necessary rezoning, sub divisional and environmental approvals before the end of this year – for ±980 residential housing units. We plan, at the beginning of 2009, to commence with selling and development work of the first phase of Stellendale 2, i.e. ±80 apartments and houses with total selling prices ranging from R450 000 to R600 000. And ±12 apartments/houses (15%) of this first phase of 80 will be GAP units, to be sold for a total of R350000 each. Visual is therefore well placed in the current difficult market conditions.
During 2007 the principals of Visual wrote an environmental policy for the Group, both for its development and for its building works. This led to the company having had a carbon footprint study done for its Stellendale 2 project, and which study seems to be one of the first of its kind to have been done for a residential project of this nature in South Africa. The outcomes of this study now enable the principals of the Visual Group to make strategic decisions about the nature of Stellendale 2, and in so doing to be at the cutting edge of the new greening approach towards property development.
Visual International appointed a consultant to assist with and to do the scoring for the operative entities in the Group, in terms of a Black Economic Empowerment rating. These entities were first scored for the 2006/2007 financial year, and achieved reasonable scores. However, the scores for all of these have improved for the 2007/2008 financial year – scores of 3 and 4 were achieved.
The principals of the Visual International Group subscribe to the principles of the Judeo Christian faith; and against this background Visual continues to be actively involved in various projects of a socio-economic nature. An example is the funding and supporting of, and the partnering with a cement brick manufacturing business, operated by a previously disadvantaged community in a shanty town area of Cape Town. The Visual Group makes regular monthly financial contributions to a fairly large number of persons and organisations, in order to further a variety of worthy causes of a socio-economic nature; and it ensures that such funding is well managed and that it achieves the intended purposes.
Towards the end of 2007 Visual International received the prestigious award for the Housing project of the year, over R80 000 per unit, 2007, from the Southern African Housing Foundation. This award was given to Visual for its Stellendale Village project in Kuils River, in recognition for assembling a top class development team who have collectively conceptualised and implemented the development with an innovative, high quality yet affordable security development.
Since the second half of 2007 the Visual International Group has been investigating the possibility to establish a new business – to develop, operate and own/co-own small power stations, with the intention to sell power to big users such as mines, factories, farms and municipalities. Some strategic relationships have subsequently been formed with both local and international participants, for the development of this new business; and it is expected that the first power plant will be operative during 2011.
The principals of the Visual International Group are aware of the fact that the companies’ activities can impact in a number of ways on various people and organisations, all of whom the Group regards as its stakeholders. It tries to act responsibly towards all of its stakeholders, including the general public.
All of the work done by and for the Group entities are done by a team of independent individuals, contractors, consultants, banks and other companies
