Francois Schoeman took over the reins of Zimbali Estate in January this year as the newly appointed CEO and with over 20 years’ experience in the commercial and property management arena and is aiming to utilise his business acumen to take this estate, in essence a fully-fledged business, to even greater heights and regain its place at the top of the development rankings in South Africa with both national and international recognition.
From its inception Zimbali Estate has always been focussed on living in harmony with nature with close to 100 hectares of the 456-hectare estate dedicated to conservation, well established and highly diverse coastal forests, flourishing wildlife populations (inclusive of threatened or protected species and apex predators), and a pristine coastline.
In terms of future-proofing, many existing facilities within the estate were recently upgraded in order to remain relevant to lifestyle requirements, align to modern lifestyle requirements and protect property values. Several new projects were also undertaken which included improving the existing indigenous Zimbali Estate Nursery by adding a retail section for Zimbali Estate residents to purchase plants; enhancing the Bee Management Project with new catcher boxes and hives as this assists with population distribution and their associated pollination services on the estate, and completing an Environmental Precinct’ for residents and their guests to enjoy.
In the marketing campaign for the rebranding of Zimbali Estate the estate’s natural assets were well highlighted, but in addition to this was the reminder of how exceptional Zimbali’s amenities are and how they augment a sophisticated lifestyle. The estate boasts seven restaurants on site plus multiple facilities aligned with beach, forest and golf experiences providing for a balanced lifestyle as well as family enjoyment.
Zimbali’s Estate is on an upward drive not only to remain relevant as the foremost ‘eco-estate’, but also to stand out as a worldclass venue to attract and host exceptional events, the first of which is the BCX SuperSport Shootout, South Africa’s Premier Golf and Lifestyle event, which will be held on 16-19 November with national TV coverage.