“ It started 12 years ago , when Thesen Islands was coming to completion . I sat there and thought about what I could do with the rest of my life ?”
Dr Mulder , true to himself and devoted to developing the lives of the people of his country and Knysna , looked at the status quo in the South African rural settlement , and immediately tailored his business according to what the country ’ s rural developments and settlements lacked .
“ I made a few sums upon researching about what is happening around the country . I found that 44 % of the people in South Africa lived in rural areas . I looked at how humankind settled around the world and I identified a rural settlement in the Eastern Cape where I could change the lives of the people .”
We add Value to the People Dr Mulder looked at some of the fruits that his business venture would bear for the people nearby Thornhill , and realised that with a bit of environmental sensitivity as well as the socio-economic development , his venture would be of great benefit to the 3000 people who reside in this semirural village .
“ The village is 30km away from Port Elizabeth and Jeffreys Bay and there is no sustainable job security at all . And after many talks and engagements with the community they ( community ) told me that all they want is dignity and some work .”
“ To dare is to risk losing your foothold for a moment . Not to dare , is to risk losing yourself .”
“ We created a trust and a percentage of all our sales are being invested into the trust for the benefit of the community . Even in the future , when I ’ ve passed away , the community will be able to benefit from the farm because I intend on getting a portion of the sale profits of our properties given to the people in the form of investment into the trust . So , we ' ve created a continuous income stream for the community .”
For Crossways , Dr Mulder drew inspiration from the successes of Thesen Islands and its contribution to the economic development in Knysna . During the construction of the Island , building more than 100 houses a year , Dr
8 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine