Auction - 4 093ha Karoo Livestock and Agave Farm near Murraysburg, Central Karoo, Western Cape.

Onsite and Online Auction

Date : Friday, 30 October 2026

Time : 11:00 - 13:00

Venue : On farm - Oulton 156, Murraysburg, Western Cape(Please request Pin location from agents)

Online : Swiftvee

Overview

A rare opportunity to acquire a genuinely large-scale Karoo farm of approximately 4 094 hectares, offered on auction and situated roughly 10 kilometres from the town of Murraysburg in the Central Karoo. This is classic Great Karoo country of wide, open sweetveld plains broken by flat-topped koppies, mountain slopes and escarpment ridges, with long, uninterrupted views across the surrounding landscape to distant ranges.

What sets this property apart is that it is far more than grazing land. Alongside a working extensive livestock unit of 30 camps with drinking troughs, the farm carries approximately 20 hectares of established agave, from which premium American oak Reposado is already being distilled by Rocco Torro. It also holds an exceptional frost-free pocket where citrus was once grown, an unspoilt mountain kloof that has seen almost no human traffic, and a historic 15-metre concrete dam wall high in the mountains feeding a stone furrow down to the lands.

The Land

The property extends to approximately 4 093.87 hectares registered, placing it firmly in the category of large commercial Karoo farms that seldom come available. The veld is grass and sweetveld grassland, a grazing type particularly prized in this region because it remains palatable and nutritious through the dry winter months, allowing livestock to be carried year-round without heavy dependence on supplementary feed.

The terrain combines broad open grazing plains with elevated tablelands, mountain slopes, rocky ridges and escarpment edges that give the farm both natural shelter for stock and outstanding long-distance views. Indigenous trees occur naturally across the property and the wider area, including sweet thorn (soetdoring), wild olive (olienhout), wolf thorn (wolfdoring) and lemon thorn (lemoendoring). Approximately 20 hectares of arable land is available, currently dryland with no irrigation in place. The property is zoned and rated for agriculture.

Grazing, Camps and Carrying Capacity

The farm is divided into 30 camps, served by drinking troughs, which allows for a properly managed rotational grazing system across the extent of the property. The official average carrying capacity for the area is 18.8 hectares per large stock unit. The veld on this farm has, however, been improved to such an extent that it is already being farmed at approximately 13 hectares per large stock unit, which equates to a working figure of roughly 315 large stock units, or a substantially larger small stock equivalent for a sheep-based operation. That improvement represents years of careful veld management and is one of the most valuable and least visible assets an incoming owner acquires.

Average annual rainfall in the area is in the region of 330 millimetres per annum. Sheep kraals and handling pens are in place, reflecting the farm’s history as a small stock unit in a district long established for merino wool and mutton production. No livestock is included in the sale, although the availability of cattle or other stock can be discussed directly with the auctioneer. There are no delivery contracts and no lease agreements in place, so the farm is available for immediate own use.

Agave and the Rocco Torro Connection

Approximately 20 hectares of the property is under agave (garingbome), the giant Karoo agave from which premium South African agave spirit is produced. Fruit from this farm is already being distilled into Reposado matured in American oak by Rocco Torro, the award-winning agave spirit distillery based in Graaff-Reinet, some 89 kilometres away along the R63.

This is a genuinely unusual asset on a Karoo farm. Agave is exceptionally drought-hardy, requires no irrigation and thrives in exactly the conditions that make conventional cropping marginal in this region, which makes it a natural fit for the local climate and a diversification of income away from pure livestock. An incoming owner inherits an established planting and an existing route to market in a fast-growing premium spirits category. Any supply arrangement, pricing and future harvesting terms should be confirmed with the seller and the distillery.

Water, the Mountain Dam and Services

Water is reticulated to drinking troughs throughout all the farm, which is the single most important piece of infrastructure on a farm of this scale in the Karoo. High in the mountains stands a concrete dam wall of roughly 15 metres, with a stone furrow running down from it to the lands below. This is a substantial and characterful piece of old Karoo water engineering that is currently in need of repair, and restoring it offers real scope to expand the irrigated or cultivated area of the farm.

The farm has no Eskom electricity supply and therefore operates off grid. For many buyers this is part of the appeal, as it removes monthly utility accounts entirely and lends itself to a modern solar and battery installation sized to the homestead and water pumping requirements. Prospective buyers should satisfy themselves as to all water infrastructure, including sources, pumping equipment, reticulation, the dam wall and the furrow, before the sale.

Windpoort and the Frost-Free Pocket

The area known as Windpoort holds an exceptional frost-free pocket, a genuine rarity at this altitude in the Karoo. Oranges and lemons were successfully grown here in the past, and although the trees were ultimately destroyed by kudu, the microclimate that made that possible remains. For a buyer willing to fence properly against game, this is an obvious opportunity to re-establish citrus, subtropical fruit or high-value horticulture in a district where such conditions are almost unheard of.

The Kloof, Natural Features and Tourism Potential

The farm includes an unspoilt natural kloof, a gorge so seldom visited that very few people have ever set foot in it, and where abseiling has already been done. In an era where authentic, untouched landscape is increasingly scarce, a private kloof of this character is a considerable asset for adventure tourism, guided hiking or simply for the privilege of owning something genuinely wild.

The mountains also hold an area where kersbos occurs naturally, a plant long valued in traditional Karoo medicine. Together with the indigenous tree species found across the property, the varied topography and the abundant game, these features give the farm meaningful potential for eco-tourism, hunting and guest accommodation, subject to the necessary approvals.

Buildings and Improvements

The improvements comprise a main homestead, a storeroom and three labourers’ cottages, together with sheep kraals and pens. The cottages and buildings require maintenance and should be viewed as a sound structural base to be refurbished rather than as turnkey accommodation, which is reflected in the opportunity the auction presents.

Important Notes for Prospective Purchasers

Kudus are present in numbers on the farm and are currently breaking the existing fences daily. Any incoming owner should budget for game-proof fencing where stock control or cultivation matters most, particularly around the frost-free lands and any replanted orchards. Equally, the presence of kudu in these numbers is precisely what underpins the farm’s hunting and game potential.

Purchasers must satisfy themselves as to the condition, position and extent of all fences, internal roads and water infrastructure on the property before bidding. A possible servitude registration is in place, and the title deed and surveyor-general diagrams should be examined to establish its exact nature, position and effect. Value added tax is payable on the purchase price in addition to the bid price.

Location and Lifestyle

Murraysburg lies on the tarred R63 in the far north-east of the Western Cape, forming part of the Beaufort West Local Municipality within the Central Karoo District. The town sits at roughly 1 200 metres above sea level in the foothills of the Sneeuberg, giving the district a crisp, dry climate with warm summers and cold, clear winters.

Graaff-Reinet is approximately 89 kilometres to the south-east along the R63 over the Ouberg Pass, while the N1 national route is reached some 42 kilometres to the north-west, placing the farm within comfortable reach of the main north-south artery between Cape Town and Gauteng. Gqeberha is roughly 345 kilometres away and Cape Town roughly 620 kilometres by road. The surrounding region is well known to travelers for Nieu-Bethesda, the Camdeboo National Park and the Sneeuberg mountains, and the district attracts eco-tourists and hunters alongside its established farming community.

The Opportunity

For a commercial farmer, this is scale. Just over 4 000 hectares of improved sweetveld grazing, fully camped with water to troughs, offers an established extensive livestock platform that can be run as a stand-alone unit or absorbed into a neighbouring operation to lift overall carrying capacity in a single transaction.

Beyond livestock, few Karoo farms offer this many separate income streams in one title. Established agave already feeding a premium distillery, a frost-free pocket with a proven citrus history, a mountain dam and furrow awaiting restoration, a private kloof with adventure tourism appeal and strong game numbers together make a compelling case for a diversified operation. The property equally suits a buyer seeking a restored off-grid Karoo homestead surrounded by thousands of hectares of open country, or a long-term land-banking proposition in an established agricultural district.