October 2015

Everyone loves a good ghost story and as Halloween approaches we thought we’d take a tour of some of SA’s haunted properties.

With Halloween thoughts inevitably turn to spooky costumes, trick or treat events and ghostly tales. While there are numerous famous (or infamous depending on your point of view) properties and places around the world, South Africa also plays host to a number of its own ‘haunted’ venues. The following are just a few of the South African properties which have earned a reputation for their otherworldly qualities.

Kempton Park Hospital, Johannesburg:
This building wouldn’t look out of place on a horror movie set. Closed a day after Christmas in 1996, Kempton Park Hospital has earned a reputation for being one of the creepiest places in Johannesburg. Inexplicably, although the hospital was closed, much of the equipment, beds, furnishings and numerous patient files were simply left behind. Broken wheel chairs litter the overgrown sidewalks, rusted operating tables have been discarded in dank operating theatres, broken lights hang down from the ceiling – and ghosts reportedly walk the halls. The hospital has become a popular ghost hunting venue over the years. Whether or not the ghosts will remain if the hospital is refurbished, as is supposedly set to happen, remains to be seen.

Photo credit: Dale Goodwin – MyJozi
Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town:
It’s not surprising that the Castle of Good Hope (which is actually a fort) makes the list. Built by the Dutch East India Company in 1666, the castle is South Africa’s oldest surviving colonial building. Many notable events unfolded at the castle over the years and numerous prisoners were kept under lock and key in the castle’s cramped, dark cells. A number of inexplicable events are said to have occurred in and around the castle. The bell apparently rings of its own accord in the bell tower, a black dog rushes visitors and then disappears, screams have been heard and Lady Anne Barnard, the colony’s former first lady likes to show up for the odd party – even though she’s been dead for centuries.

Rudd House, Kimberley:
Rudd House has earned a reputation as one of the most paranormally active houses in South Africa. The house was built in the 1870’s by H.P Rudd, Chairman of the De Beers Company for his family. A beautiful home, it features wrap-around verandas, period columns and a tin roof. The house was passed down to various members of the Rudd family and expanded extensively. It was eventually donated and turned into a museum – reportedly because the family could no longer tolerate the many unusual events which occurred within the house. A baby has been heard wailing, a ghostly woman has been spotted on the balcony, silverware has rattled of its own accord and one caretaker reported hearing plates crashing in the pantry, night after night. So spooky was the house that a renowned paranormal investigator undertook to investigate it. He recorded several manifestations and orbs during his studies. Today, the house can be visited by appointment – if you dare.

Richly House, Port Elizabeth:
With 109 years of history behind it, there’s little wonder Richly House in Port Elizabeth has a few skeletons in the closet. A fairly unassuming property, Richly House has been used for various purposes including a nursing home and a brothel. Visitors have reported hearing the cries of a child and have encountered a nun, an old man who has a tendency to cause trouble in the kitchen and a woman and child dressed in clothes from yesteryear. Although the ghosts seem to take no notice of visitors for the most part, one ghost has been known to try and strangle staff in the domestic quarters.

Africana Library, Kimberley:
Completed in 1868, the old Kimberly Library, now the Africana Library, still sports many original architectural features including beautiful spiral staircases. The library reportedly houses one of the largest and most valuable collections of old books and manuscripts in the world. You might not want to peruse these books on your own though. Legend has it that a former librarian, Bertrand Dyer, committed suicide when a book pricing scam he had concocted was discovered. Unable to bear the shame, he drank arsenic. Unfortunately for Dyer, it took three days for him to succumb. Visitors have reported seeing a man dressed in period clothing wondering the shelves. Books have also apparently crashed to the floor for no reason and teacups can often be heard “tinkling” around teatime.

Source: www.privateproperty.co.za

Parents whose grown children have left home to study, travel or move into their own homes, often find it difficult to sell their large family homes because of the memories and emotions attached to these properties.

Since middle-aged homeowners currently spend up to 50% of their incomes on housing costs, it stands to reason that most can achieve considerable savings by moving to a smaller property that is cheaper to run and easier to maintain.

Many of these ‘empty nesters’ also put off the decision because they feel that downscaling will entail a drastic change in lifestyle.

And then there is the daunting thought of the move itself and having to decide which of their accumulated ‘treasures’ to keep and which to let go of.

However they may find the whole process easier to deal with if they can think of it not so much as downsizing, but rather as ‘downshifting’ to an easier, more secure and less costly lifestyle, as a reward for years of hard work.

For a start, they will no longer have to worry about the increasing costs of owning and maintaining a large home, or about having to replace or repair major components such as the roof, wiring or plumbing as the property ages.

Secondly, they will have the opportunity to choose a home that not only offers them a higher level of personal security, but also a higher level of convenience, such as no stairs, or large shower stalls instead of bath tubs, or wider doors and passages.

In addition, moving may mean they can, at last, afford some of those luxury features or new technologies they promised themselves they would have ‘someday’, or have more money to spend on hobbies, travel or even a new business.

Moreover, the sooner they sell, the less chance there is that they will have to make a forced sale due to ill health, or just the lack of energy or agility to keep a big home in good condition.

And of course, the younger they are when they decide to make a move, the easier it will be to get settled in their new home, make new friends and develop new interests.

However, perhaps the most compelling reason to downscale is the difference it can make to one’s lifestyle after retirement.

It has been calculated that most South Africans who have been in corporate employment and are obliged to retire at 60 or 65 will receive a monthly pension equal to less than a third of the final salary they were making, unless they start making additional private provision for their retirement well in advance.

And one of the pillars of such financial planning is to pay off debts, including home loans, as early as possible while still earning, and then divert any and all spare cash into more investments or savings for retirement.

Since middle-aged homeowners currently spend up to 50% of their incomes on housing costs, it stands to reason that most can achieve considerable savings by moving to a smaller property that is cheaper to run and easier to maintain, even if their actual home loan repayment is not that much lower.

These savings can then be used to help them get ‘free and clear’ of all debts before retirement, or added to a nest egg that will help them maintain their standard of living in retirement.

However, empty-nesters who are contemplating a move need to keep a close watch on the property market in their area, and pick a time to sell when prices are rising or, at the least, stable.

And this, of course, is where the advice and help of an experienced and trusted local estate agent is invaluable.

The physical transition from a larger property to a smaller space can be made easier with some forward planning.

Here are tips from relocation experts:
– Think about where you will place furniture and other items in your new home, and carefully cut down your possessions to those for which you know there will be a specific space in your new home. Don’t leave things to the last minute, give yourself time to visualise your new lifestyle and think carefully about your choices.
– Never move with things on the off chance that you will find room for them, and don’t rent a storage facility for any overflow. Now is also the time for grown children to claim any items they want from the family home, or let them go.
– If you have trouble parting with certain items, consider donating them to a children’s home, hospice or animal shelter, or having an auctioneer or second-hand dealer sell them to raise cash for your favourite charity.
– Scan any papers and photographs you want to keep and save them on a few CDs or memory sticks, or ‘in the Cloud’ for future reference.
– Maximise the space available in your new home. A spare bedroom can easily do double duty as a study, for example, and a wall-hung screen will take up much less space than a TV on a stand. Similarly, why not digitise your music collection so you can ditch the bulky hi-fi?
– Use the internet to explore innovative storage solutions, such as additional cupboard space above the existing kitchen units, double hanging rails in clothes cupboards, bookcases below counter overhangs, and hundreds of other clever ideas for keeping smaller spaces uncluttered.

Source: www.property24.com