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Daniel de Wet, at the helm of Building and Architectural Compliance at Kingswood Golf Estate for the past 14 years, retires at the end of January 2026
The changing of the guard
The BUZZard picked his brain – not only for a brief overview on building operations at KGE, but also for him to share some highlights during his career here. Dan’s history with the estate entails his overseeing building activities and homeowners’ needs since 2011, with a veritable bird’s-eye view of these operations from his office at the gatehouse.
And on the subject, he has also been instrumental in supervising the management of Kingswood’s resident wildlife. ‘When I first arrived and looked out through my office window, there was nothing but the golf course. Panning to the right, one could see three or four houses under construction in Phase 3A.
No construction work was taking place at Phase 3B and Phase 4 at the time. Today, 3B is almost fully built with just five vacant sites.’
Facts, figures, and seasonal reminders.
Current statistics on the past few months’ development at KGE’s Phases 1–4 as follows:
Phases 1–3
Vacant sites 30
Building sites 4
Completed sites 561
Future predictions for the Kingswood Cross equate 12, Kingswood Court 12, and Kingswood Village 55, with numbers for the erf next to the community centre/ clubhouse site yet to be confirmed.
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Phase 4
Vacant sites 56
Building sites 13
Completed sites 86
Dan reminds us that most builders and their crews down tools for a month-long seasonal break on Friday, 12 December. Pressing work required earlier in the new year may kick off as early as 5 January, but most builders will only start operations again by Monday, the 12th.
‘Contractors are obliged to cordon off their building sites to ensure that there is no access to anyone, at any time, during this month. No construction work is allowed over the festive season, the only exception being emergency work as required,’ he explains. ‘Such emergencies may include electrical problems or issues relating to water supply, for example burst pipes that may damage the interiors of homes and impact water bills.
Please report any such issues to Kingswood Security at 087 537 9733, who will then contact the relevant person.’
Landing in the deep end
When reminiscing about his early years at the helm, having arrived in George from his previous home town of Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), Dan says he was thrown in at the proverbial deep end. ‘Initially, I had to teach myself because my predecessor, Rory Waterson, who was on his way to Canada, did not have sufficient time to hand over properly. So, I simply had to dive in and familiarise myself with the systems and figure out many other situations. ‘Fortunately for me, Roelof van Heerden, who had been involved at Kingswood for a while, was an excellent source of assistance, along with Lize van Heerden.’
Meet the new guy
Taking over the baton come 19 January is Andries Wolmarans – and with Dan in the saddle until endJan 2026, there won’t be a repeat of this deep-end scenario. ‘I have absolutely no doubt that Andries is the right guy for the job,’ says Dan. To summarise, Andries is a highly skilled and detail-oriented professional senior architectural technologist and building compliance specialist with over 12 years of experience, spanning residential, commercial, and institutional design.
As a principal and former business owner, he has led architectural teams, overseen technical documentation, and maintained strong working relationships with engineers, contractors, and municipal authorities.
His background reflects both creative design acumen and rigorous technical discipline, ensuring that every project he tackles achieves aesthetic appeal, functionality, and full regulatory compliance. When catching up with Andries briefly as he was wrapping up seasonal work, he told The BUZZard that he was immensely excited about this new chapter in his life and career at Kingswood and was looking forward to working with the HOA and its respective teams.
Dan says he sat in on the interviews with Andries and other applicants and describes him as ‘the best candidate by far’, adding that his current position as architectural technician saw him involved with much work at Mossel Bay’s Hartland Estate. ‘Incidentally, this giant development in our neighbouring town also bought several springboks from us.’
All about the animals
Anyone who has brushed shoulders with Dan over the years will know that he has an inherent love for animals, including the tame and the wild and the birds – if not so much the Egyptian geese … ‘At the time of my arrival, there was nothing at Phase 3B or 4 but bush and a gravel road. I was blessed to spot a caracal and lots of bushbuck. Once, I even saw a Cape clawless otter with pups on the riverbed at the low-water bridge entering Phase 4.
‘The only sad thing for me has been witnessing how Egyptian geese have been commandeering the water bodies, chasing away most of the indigenous water birds such as the White-Faced Whistling Ducks and Yellow-billed Ducks.’ But perhaps Dan’s most significant legacy is the springboks that placed Kingswood so firmly on the ‘golf estate with resident herd’ map. He had previously homed springboks on a smallholding in Port Elizabeth to save them from the drought-ravaged Kirkwood area.
‘When seeing springbok flourishing at Mossel Bay Golf Course, I realised that Kingswood would be an ideal home for these emblematic antelope,’ Dan explained in a previous edition.
He started the process of getting the necessary permissions from KGE trustees and applied to CapeNature for permits to move game – no mean feat, as criteria are very strict. Kingswood resident Etienne Maree then, from his farm in the Uniondale district, relocated two rams and four ewes to the estate. Later, pro golfer Hennie Otto donated more rams and four ewes that helped form two herds, one on the north and one on the south of the estate. ‘We started with 12 buck – six from Etienne and six from Hennie.
Over the years, the herd increased to 80, and a bachelor herd formed as in nature. When our agreement with Hennie ended, he removed the 32 buck he was entitled to. ‘Subsequently, we’ve sold 12 rams to a resident on George Airport Road, as he wanted them to create the ambience that comes with these beautiful antelope. Our herd currently stands at 34, and that includes the black baby born here earlier this year. He has now turned into a beautiful bronze specimen!’
End of the Dan era
Dan’s biggest concern, now reaching the end of his illustrious Kingswood career, is the continuous drought and the effect it has had on the wildlife, as well as the golf course, its waterways, and dams. Speaking to The BUZZard during the first week of December, he said: ‘I’ve never seen our dams at their current levels, and I’m extremely concerned.
The grass carp – a sterilised fish species that eats weeds to ensure that waterways remain healthy – may struggle to survive when the water temperature rises due to a lack of rain and depth of the dams.’ Most fortunately, this dire situation was ameliorated when KGE received nearly 40mm of rain from Friday night 5 December through to Saturday morning.
Grateful for this relief, Dan turned a little philosophical when pondering his own retirement: ‘I’ll turn 78 next year, so the time has come to call it a day. I’m considering moving to Gordon’s Bay to live with my daughter … the only deterrent being the wind!’ Dan recently travelled to Australia where he visited his son and daughter in Adelaide, and brother in Brisbane. ‘It’s a pristine place where everything works – you can really see where your rates and taxes are going! ‘But South Africa remains my home and I’ll always cherish my time at Kingswood. I’m indebted to everyone who contributed to my years at Kingswood – there are too many to mention, but it has meant the world to me.’ Email daniel@kingswood.co.za with queries on building or alterations, or call Dan on 086 172 7170 if you spot animals in distress.
From the CEO
The CEO of Kingswood Golf Estate, Willem Jacobs, had the following to say about Dan: ‘It is a privilege to honour Dan de Wet as he concludes an exceptional 14-year chapter of dedicated service to our community. Dan’s leadership, deep knowledge of our estate, and unwavering commitment to both residents and our wildlife have left an indelible mark on Kingswood.
‘His steady presence at the helm of building and architectural compliance has guided us through years of growth, development, and change, always with integrity, calm authority, and a genuine love for the estate he helped shape. ‘As Dan enters his well-deserved retirement, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for his remarkable contribution and wish him abundant health, joy, and fulfilment in the next chapter of his journey.
