These minutes will be put to the Forum for adoption at its next meeting. The PDF is the official record. This page is a summary.
Download the minutes (PDF) or view them in Google Drive.
Meeting details
| Date | Tuesday, 16 September 2026 |
| Venue | Hester Dorothea Conference Centre, Genadendal |
| Convened by | Michael Haupt (W2DF) and Stalin Govender (TWKM Economic Development) |
| Next meeting | November 2026. Date, venue, and agenda to be confirmed. |
Who attended
Twelve people attended. They came from:
- Theewaterskloof Municipality, Economic Development
- Western Cape Department of Agriculture, including Landcare
- the Rotary Club of Greyton
- Adventure Hub Greyton
- the Genadendal Mission Museum
- the Genadendal Transformasie Komitee
- The Oaks and the Caledon North Farmers’ Association
- commercial farming and guesthouses in the Greyton area
- tour guiding in Genadendal
The full attendance list is in the PDF.
What the Forum agreed
- The Forum is called the Ward 2 Business and Community Development Forum, or W2DF for short.
- It works at ward level and treats the valley as one area. It covers Genadendal, Greyton, Bereaville, Voorstekraal, Boschmanskloof, and the surrounding farms. It is neither a Greyton forum nor a Genadendal forum.
- The Forum is run by the community. Theewaterskloof Municipality (TWKM) gives administrative support at first: minutes, contact lists, and venues.
- The Forum meets every two months.
- The Transformasie Komitee takes part as a stakeholder. The Komitee’s 8-sector plan will be brought to the Forum and considered alongside the Forum’s priorities.
- Future proposals should involve the communities they affect from the start.
Five priorities
The Forum agreed five development priorities. Their final order and a champion for each will be confirmed at the November meeting.
- Tourism development across the whole valley. Topics raised: heritage, nature, and conservation tourism; weddings and events in Genadendal; trained tour guides; the lack of a working tourism office in the ward; and delays with tourism transport permits.
- Education and skills development. Farms and tourism need more skilled workers, including mechanics, machine operators, and people with computer and hospitality skills. The Department of Agriculture described the Elsenburg qualifications at NQF levels 3 and 4, which it funds. Applicants must find a host farm for the practical part. The meeting also raised the need for life skills and violence prevention.
- Agriculture and food sovereignty. Topics raised: community gardens lying fallow, water resources, mentorship between commercial and emerging farmers, farming linked to tourism, and SETA-funded training.
- Conservation and environment, as a priority of its own. Topics raised: clearing invasive plants, restoring indigenous vegetation, and a possible Overberg leopard corridor.
- Business development and local procurement. The aim is to build local supply chains so that more money is spent and kept in the ward.
See the Forum priorities page for where related work is listed on this site.
Other matters discussed
- Land tenure. The meeting discussed the unresolved TRANCRAA process for Farm 39, which involves the proposed transfer of about 4,800 hectares to a Communal Property Association. Other platforms already deal with this process, and the Forum will avoid duplicating them. It will take practical planning matters, such as land use, zoning, and building plans, to the municipality’s operational officials.
- Opportunities for the valley. Michael Haupt presented ideas on water and catchment management, an Overberg leopard corridor, the valley as a bioregion, and a proposed application of about R1.4 million to the Western Cape Tourism Growth Fund.
- Community inclusion. Participants from Genadendal said affected communities should be involved from the start of a proposal, and not only after it has been written. The meeting agreed.
- Overberg Business Networking Forum. The province has started a wider networking forum for the Overberg. Ward 2 members are invited, and Ward 2 matters can be taken there for support.
- Municipal services. Concerns were raised about building-plan approvals, sewage, and maintenance. The Forum will work with operational managers on these matters.
Actions
| No. | Action | Responsible | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Send out the minutes and collect attendees’ email addresses | Stalin Govender / TWKM | Before the next meeting |
| 2 | Invite Busisiwe Fadana to present provincial tourism plans | Stalin Govender | November meeting |
| 3 | Raise tourism transport-permit delays with DEDAT | Stalin Govender | Next DEDAT session |
| 4 | List Adventure Hub Greyton on the TWKM website as a tourism information point | Stalin Govender / Manfred Britz | To be confirmed |
| 5 | Compile a list of skills needed by farmers and tourism operators | Guy Emslie / Stalin Govender | Before the next meeting |
| 6 | Share information on Elsenburg qualifications, applications, host farms, and dates | Elsenburg and CapeNature representatives | Before the next meeting |
| 7 | Invite the TWKM Town Planning Manager to a meeting | Stalin Govender | To be confirmed |
| 8 | Send the Tourism Growth Fund proposal and leopard corridor concept in writing to the Transformasie Komitee | Michael Haupt | Immediately |
| 9 | Share the Tourism Growth Fund concept note with TWKM management | Stalin Govender | When received from Michael Haupt |
| 10 | Identify a champion for each priority | All members | November meeting |
| 11 | Schedule the November meeting and set the two-monthly cycle | Stalin Govender / Michael Haupt | October 2026 |
For the November meeting
- Confirm the priorities and name a champion for each.
- Review progress on the actions above.
- Hear the provincial tourism update.
- Consider the skills-needs list.
- Consider how the Forum relates to the Transformasie Komitee’s 8-sector plan.
- Decide on further practical projects.