This section holds big ideas for Ward 2. They show what the valley could build if we worked together.
None of these ideas have been agreed upon, but they distill much of the thinking and conversations going on in the zeitgeist. Nobody has signed up for them yet, and some of the people and organisations they mention have not yet been asked, so please don’t share publicly. Each idea will be tabled at the next Forum meeting, where anyone can question it, change it, or reject it.
How ideas are handled
- Tabled first. Every idea on this page goes to a Forum meeting before anything is done about it.
- Everyone affected is asked. The Forum agreed at its first meeting that affected communities should be involved from the start. Any organisation or person named in an idea gets the chance to respond, and their response is added to the page.
- Land and tenure go to the Komitee. Ideas that touch Farm 39, TRANCRAA, land tenure, or the mission settlement go to the Transformasie Komitee first.
- Ideas can change. Each page shows when it was last updated and what is still open.
The ideas
Valley of Grace Learning Campus
A learning campus that gives every young person in the ward a path from school into study or work in the valley. To be tabled at the November 2026 meeting.
Restoring the River: Water Skills at the Learning Campus
A core theme for the Learning Campus: training young people to restore the Riviersonderend catchment and to be paid for the water it gives, once others have checked the results. To be tabled with the Learning Campus at the November 2026 meeting.
From Water Access to Water Agency
An idea to move the valley’s water question from access to agency: regenerating the flow its land gives the Riviersonderend, being paid for it, and easing what Theewaterskloof Dam must send downstream. Kwaxala wants to help turn water rights into rights to regenerate flow. To be tabled at the November 2026 meeting.
Valley of Grace Heritage Trail
An application to the Western Cape Tourism Growth Fund for a heritage trail linking Greyton and the mission settlements, with trained community guides. Being shared with the Transformasie Komitee. To be tabled at the November 2026 meeting.
Valley of Grace Agri-Heritage Co-operative
A primary co-operative of valley growers that would share one brand, a farm shop, and visitor experiences, and work with government through the Overberg district plan. To be tabled at the November 2026 meeting.
Starting a Co-operative in the Valley: A Suggested Route
A suggested route for any group in the valley that wants to form a co-operative: legal steps, training to national standards, skills funds and grants, B-BBEE, and joining other co-operatives for bigger contracts. To be tabled at the November 2026 meeting.
The Yearly Valley Survey
A yearly household survey that would let the valley speak to government and investors with one voice, using its own numbers on what each village has to offer. To be tabled at the November 2026 meeting.
The Overberg Leopard Corridor
A proposed visitor plan for the mountains above the valley, built around the Cape leopard and the work of tracking it. Goes to the Transformasie Komitee in writing first, then to a Forum meeting.
Ridge to River to Table: Investing in the Whole Valley
A proposal to invest in the valley as one place, joining water, the leopard corridor, agri-heritage tourism, and learning under one shared support layer, with blended finance. To be discussed with Ranyaka at the end of October and tabled at the November 2026 meeting.
How these fit together
All nine ideas serve the Forum’s long-term goal for 2038 and its five priorities.
Have your say
To comment on an idea, suggest a change, or put forward a new one, contact the moderators or raise it at the next Forum meeting.