Back to the future

I thought that I would have a little fun and came up with this

Its 2012, two years after South Africa have won the football world cup on home soil, the B.E.E Protea’s as well as the Springboks are ranked number one in the world, beating all with consummate ease, the Rand/Dollar exchange rate is 16 to 1 in South Africa’s favour and the white population has tripled with all the ex-patriots/economic mercenaries flocking back to the country from England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to earn rands and going over to the UK for cheap holidays to buy electronic goods and have there babies there. The country has recently found the worlds largest oil reserves in the little town of “Net een windpomp wat werkfontein” and the new restaurant opened in Clarens called “Sosumi” leads the world in mopani worm/beetroot and garlic cuisine and is jointly run by great friends and local entrepreneurs Mr Bruce Weyers and Mr Michael Scheepers. Ok so I am exaggerating a tad. “But it could happen”

What is sure, is that in 2012 Clarens will be 100 years old and in a mere three years time what will Clarens look like? If we look at the last six years the pace of change in the village has been phenomenal and if the pace continues then it is possible that Clarens will be completely changed and perhaps even I will be complaining about development and the “bloody tourists”. I thought it would be fun to make a few predictions regards Clarens in 2009 and in 2012 you can look at this blog and see if I was “Nostradamus” like in my predictions or I fell flat on my face, like most soothsayers usually do. I mean lets be honest how many of these people who predict the future and events are filthy rich? If I had a superpower like that I would be the wealthiest person in the world, “buy oil”, “sell oil” bet on who will win the world cup, the list is endless.

1) The Clarens Golf and Trout estate will almost double in size as there will be another 150 houses built on the course that is adjacent to the Fouriesburg road. And you will be allowed to fish on the estate. The local conservancy will grow from strength to strength with the promised fees that residents pay each year to ensure the sustainability of the Ranger project.


2) The Royal Maluti Golf course will have been re-sold at least three times to investors who initially believe it’s a great idea, but who soon come to the conclusion that being so close to the Lesotho border with marauding hordes on the doorstep is in fact not such a excellent “selling point”. The one house on it will have to be re-built on a weekly basis due to the bricks cement etc ending up across the Caledon river


3) Main street will see a upsurge in retail development with stand or homeowners selling there properties at huge profits (even more so than now), there will be at least one more filling station near to the bottom of main street, the two stands across the road from Valley cats are perfect for that.

4) The new 70 roomed Protea hotel will be such a success in bringing in international coach tours for 1 or 2 day stays that a petition from shop owners will be handed in to the municipality to ensure that there will be at least one more hotel bringing in busloads of cash. Another four story 120 roomed multi million rand hotel will be built opposite the square, with the chrome, glass and lime coloured structure being welcomed unanimously by all residents, ‘Even Nancy”

5) The water, electricity and sewage systems will not only work but actually surpass what is needed for the newly declared mini-city and the municipality will provide world class service to all residents of the village. All roads will be tarred and the streetlights will work


6) The houses on the golf course perched up on the hill as well as the houses on Eagles view will not have slipped down the mountain as predicted by the village doomsayers, however the dormant volcano Mt Horeb will create a scare when in 2010 wisps of smoke are seen to emerge from it by a local prone to exaggeration, the local Afrikaans newspaper that usually takes this persons word as gospel will spread panic with reports from a local geologist that the end of the world is nigh. On proper inspection it is found that two sheep herders where actually having a Braai and all those that left town in a panic come back to find the editor of the local Afrikaans newspaper and the geologist tarred and feathered

7) A younger generation of residents will sit on important decision-making structures in the village (sorry mini-city) and projects that are usually just talked about at monthly meetings will actually get done.

8) The entrance wall of the village will be changed after repeated attempts to have it upgraded over the last 25 years, this due to the younger generation taking over the committee that was setting up its 49th sub-committee on the subject.

9) The square will still not be utilized to the advantage of the village (sorry mini-city) and will look exactly as it does today.

10) The Clarens Mountain Estate’s first phase will be sold out and the second phase will become such in demand that prices will soar and it will become the premier property hot spot in the country.


Well that’s it, see you in 2012 to see if any or all of the 10 predictions came true.










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