{"id":831401,"date":"2025-07-20T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=831401"},"modified":"2025-07-18T14:07:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T12:07:18","slug":"french-towns-where-south-africans-are-buying-castles-houses-and-running-successful-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/831401\/french-towns-where-south-africans-are-buying-castles-houses-and-running-successful-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"French towns where South Africans are buying castles, houses, and running successful businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In France\u2019s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, South Africans are emerging in historic towns like Tardes, Aubusson, and Boussac. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are buying up old homes and ch\u00e2teaux and running successful businesses that bring an African touch to rural France. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One notable example is Ch\u00e2teau de Montflour, a restored 15th-century castle in the commune of Tardes, in the Creuse department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France, now managed by Carel Nolte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ch\u00e2teau de Montflour was restored by South Africans Christo and the late Elby Lindeque. Nolte explained<\/a><\/strong> that Christo, who built a successful motor industry business in South Africa, wasn\u2019t looking to retire but rather to live differently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they bought the ch\u00e2teau, it had been uninhabited for nearly 80 years. “There was very little inside,” Nolte said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPart of the building is listed, so permissions were needed. French bureaucracy is tough, but it\u2019s also rooted in their passion for protecting heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the ch\u00e2teau has five guest suites, hosts bridge tournaments and media influencers, and provides a calm retreat in the countryside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the Lindeques are far from the only ones in the area. South Africans have been steadily moving into the area, particularly in nearby Boussac and Aubusson, where Nolte estimates around 30 South African families now own homes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boussac is a small light industrial town situated by the banks of the Petite Creuse river, some 40km northeast of Gu\u00e9re. Its population is around 1,263.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aubusson is situated in the southern part of the d\u00e9partement, at the confluence of the rivers Creuse and Beauze, and has a population of 3,036.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aubusson is well known for its tapestries and carpets, which have been famous worldwide since the 14th century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Africans in these towns either renovate properties to resell or live in them during the European summer. Others have restored properties that they now run as boutique hotels and guesthouses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French are becoming more supportive<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Aubusson, France<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cSome have bought and renovated small one-bedroom places, others have acquired larger estates. Most don\u2019t live here permanently, some stay for summer, but they\u2019ve added a great deal to the region,\u201d Nolte said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that South African entrepreneurs have opened stores and studios in the towns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a remarkable artist, Ardren Diederik, who works in bronze and has a foundry here. He ships his work across Europe and back to South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Louis Jansen van Vuuren is another South African author and artist living in the region. \u201cThen there\u2019s Sunel Kotze, who used to run a business in Stellenbosch and now runs a successful venture here too,\u201d said Nolte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ch\u00e2teau de Montflour actively promotes these small businesses by sending guests to visit their studios and shops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe hosted a bridge group that went to Ardren\u2019s studio. Guests don\u2019t just come here to sleep and eat, they engage with the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nolte added that the French love the South African touch. The d\u00e9cor is a mix of quirky South African pieces and French heritage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a shared history, and Christo\u2019s surname helps open doors. The locals are very accepting, especially when you make an effort to speak French.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are some challenges. Nolte said that labour is expensive in France, which is why Christo ended up doing so much of the work of the ch\u00e2teau himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut the French government is becoming more supportive, helping South Africans navigate visas and business red tape. There\u2019s even a French-South African business chamber helping foster ties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ch\u00e2teau is now expanding into weddings and small events. \u201cIt\u2019s probably cheaper to have a wedding here than on a wine farm in Stellenbosch,\u201d Nolte said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ch\u00e2teau de Montflour also embraces food culture. Guests are welcomed with a South African-style braai mixed with French cuisine from local markets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether it’s walking through the gardens, exploring historic towns, or just relaxing, the place is magical,\u201d Nolte added. As for the language barrier, Nolte highlighted that it\u2019s not a dealbreaker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTechnology helps a lot. Locals appreciate the effort, even when your French isn\u2019t great. It\u2019s about attitude. If you\u2019ve got South African grit and humour, you\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nolte added that the South Africans in Nouvelle-Aquitaine aren\u2019t running away from home; they simply share their talents in a new setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re passionate about South Africa and still involved back home. But here, they\u2019re showing the French what\u2019s possible, and that is how South Africans thrive wherever they go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Ch\u00e2teau de Montflour<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Africans are buying up old homes and ch\u00e2teaux and running successful businesses in historic towns in France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":831501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[18849,23125,6103,23126,9687],"class_list":["post-831401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-biznews","tag-chateau-de-montflour","tag-france","tag-nouvelle-aquitaine-region","tag-south-africans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=831401"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":831669,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831401\/revisions\/831669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/831501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=831401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=831401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=831401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}