DWARSVLEI | WOOL
Above: The Karoo Winter Wool Festival takes place on the Van Lingen family’ s farm, Dwarsvlei.
that, he was also a famed thoroughbred horse breeder and reputed to have had the largest stud, not only in South Africa but in the Southern Hemisphere, with around 700 horses spread over three farms: Dwarsvlei, Kalkfontein and Rietfontein.
Until recently, the latter belonged to golfing legend Gary Player, also known for breeding thoroughbred horses. On Dwarsvlei, Nourse stabled about 200 broodmares. Nourse also established Merino and Jersey cattle studs and apparently also bred purebred chickens. Furthermore, he developed extensive vegetable gardens and fruit orchards that supplied Middelburg.
In 1944, the farm was sold to Nourbet Erleigh, also a mining magnate.
John van Lingen bought Dwarsvlei in 1963 and has farmed it ever since. As both previous owners lived in Johannesburg, John van Lingen and his family were the first to live permanently at the homestead.
Continuing the thoroughbred tradition, he also ran race-horses for Erleigh for 15 years, while further expanding the Merino stud. Later, an irrigation farm called Temple Farm on the Orange River Scheme was purchased. It
40 GROND TOT MOND JUN 2026