MAY 2025

MESSAGE FROM THE ESTATE MANAGER

Dear Fourways Gardens Residents,

As the cooler weather settled over Johannesburg, we embraced the calm of April’s long weekends after a bustling start to the year. With the long weekends already a fading memory, the estate is picking up pace, and we’re entering a season full of energy and momentum.

April was a month of connection and celebration. Easter and Passover brought reflection and joy for many in our community. On Sunday, 13 April, our Easter Egg Hunt drew crowds of excited families to the Park. Sponsored by Century 21 Fourways, the event featured a fun run organised by the Fourways Road Runners, plenty of marshmallow eggs, popcorn and bonus marshmallow eggs at the sponsor’s Gazebo! We also had vibrant activities for kids, including face painting, crafts, a bubble bounce house, and a popular white jumping castle and ball pit. Thank you to everyone who joined us in making it a joyful day!

The easing rains also gave our maintenance team a much-needed break in the weather, and they made good use of it, attending to pothole repairs across the estate and carrying out key upkeep tasks. Another significant milestone was distributing the 2025/2026 Budget to owners. Thank you to everyone who engaged with this process. With the budget now approved, we’re ready to forge ahead with some of the key projects planned for the year ahead, including the next phase of the River Project.

We’re thrilled to introduce Gavin, who joined the HOA team on Tuesday, 01 April 2025. As our new Operations Coordinator for Maintenance and Architecture, Gavin has hit the ground running. With a robust background in agriculture, construction, and estate operations, he brings a wealth of experience and energy to the role. We’re delighted to have him on board!

We’re pleased to share more exciting news from the HOA team: Francois Grobler has been promoted to Events and Communication Manager. Many of you will know Francois from his time managing the Clubhouse restaurant, where he quickly became a well-known and familiar presence. His enthusiasm for this community and service soon led him to a new role, supporting the then Events and Communication Manager. In this position, Francois truly found his stride, dedicating himself to learning, developing new skills, and growing within the team. Over the past few months, while under consideration for this promotion, Francois has already begun to shape our communications and events with a fresh perspective and renewed energy. His creativity, commitment, and initiative have made a tangible impact, and we’re excited to see how this continues to evolve under his leadership.

Please join us in congratulating Francois on this well-deserved promotion. We’re proud of all he has achieved so far and confident that he will continue to make a lasting, positive contribution to our community. Thank you, Francois, for the passion and dedication you’ve brought to your work – we wish you every success in your new role.

We also have a new staff member joining our security management team! Following extensive engagement, 24/7 has implemented a restructured security management team. Ricardo Naidoo remains on our security management complement, with Devann Oberholzer taking the reins as the Security Manager. Devann joins us with experience in security management at similarly premier security estates, and we are confident that residents will appreciate his approachability and professionalism.

Budget 2025/2026: Planning with purpose

This year’s budget reflects a careful balance of operational excellence and long-term sustainability. With a 6% increase in total income, we have focused on meaningful investments across several key areas. These include:

• The Maintenance Budget has been significantly boosted (up 135%) to support proactive repairs and infrastructure improvements, ensuring our roads, communal areas, and facilities remain in top shape.
• Environmental care remains a high priority, and funds have been increased for landscape management and the second phase rollout of the River Project.
• Security continues to be a cornerstone of our estate, with a 3.7% increase in the operational budget and a significant increase in security Capex – investing in technology upgrades and infrastructure to keep us at the cutting edge of secure living. With careful consideration, we were able to incorporate the latest security enhancement (drone surveillance) into the existing security operational budget without requiring additional expenditure!
• Services and OHS allocations have also increased, enhancing safety, service delivery, and day-to-day operations.

We remain committed to transparent governance and fiscal responsibility while striving to improve our estate’s appeal and facilities continuously.

We’ve got a lively May in store!

Highlights include:

• EcoKids with Dr. Joseph Ndou from Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo. Expect tree planting, hands-on activities, and engaging talks focused on bees and trees – an essential step in educating and involving our younger residents in environmental stewardship. This is a timely reminder of the importance of bees with World Bee Day coming up on Tuesday, 20 May 2025. EcoKids participants will get a backpack, cap and badge, in addition to snacks and the prizes to be won in the fun games planned!
• Movie Night returns with an outdoor screening the whole family will enjoy. Bring your picnic baskets, blankets, camping chairs and jackets, and join us under the stars for our outdoor screening of The Lion King (live action) and enjoy an evening of community, popcorn and more!
• Mother’s Day celebrations are also on the horizon, with something special in store from The Gardens Bistro!
• Our regular events, such as Quiz Night and the Monthly Draw, will also make an appearance, and please diarise the SANBS Blood Drive on Saturday, 10 May 2025.
  

Before closing off this month’s letter, I’d like to take the opportunity to remind everyone that Mother’s Day is around the corner, so it’s best to start shopping for thoughtful gifts before it’s too late! Let’s celebrate those who hold a special place in our lives- mothers and mother figures- who are our first nurturers, our lifelong supporters, and often the quiet heroes behind our successes. Whether by birth, choice, or circumstance, these incredible women shape our values, guide us with wisdom, and love us unconditionally. Let’s make a point of recognising their strength, patience, and the immeasurable impact they have on our hearts and homes.

Thank you, as always, for your continued involvement and support. Fourways Gardens is more than just a place to live – it’s a community built on connection, care, and shared pride. Let’s keep making it extraordinary, together.

Warm regards,

Charlene Marlin