05 Dec 2013 Indian billionaire buys three Franschhoek farms
Singh, who has become a frequent visitor to the lush food-and-wine region of Franschhoek in the Western Cape over the past few years, is ranked 87th on Forbes’ list of India’s richest people, with an estimated fortune of US$725m.
He is the nonexecutive chairman of Vodafone India as well as the founder and chairman of the listed Max India Group, whose interests include life insurance and private health care.
Through various private companies, the Singh family has recently ventured into the hospitality arena, with an exclusive wellness resort in Dehradun in northern India due to open soon.
This expertise is now being applied to the Franschhoek farms Dieu Donné, Von Ortloff and Klein Dassenberg, purchased over the past year for roughly R80m.
The building of a lavish guesthouse and spa is under way, with extensive landscaping by top garden designer Franchesca Watson.
“We are at the early stages of planning, but the current intention is to develop high-end hospitality and wine tourism projects on these farms,” says Hector de Galard, president of business operations at Max Ventures.
“Mr Singh’s visits to SA led him to fall in love with the country and also eventually to realise the business potential of its wine industry. He believes SA’s wines are among the best in the world.”