Remarkable Contributions

Rita van der Merwe

Rita van der Merwe, beloved late wife of Izak, was the matriarchal core of VDMV Property Holdings.

Always ready with support for Izak and the family, she helped nurture the company from its inception in 2003, watching it grow from a hobby to a flourishing family business.

Rita held a special seat at trustee meetings, from where she kept abreast of VDMV’s many innovative property developments. With her generous nature and joyful love of life, she brought a gentleness to the boardroom.

She is remembered with great fondness.

Jeanne Green

34+ years is an exceptional amount of time to spend in any one place, particularly a place of work. This is Jeanne Green’s remarkable achievement.

By now, this is exactly what Jeanne Green has done.

Jeanne is the personal assistant to our founder, Izak van der Merwe, a position that she has held since 1989 when he was a Sanlam and Professional Provident Society (PPS) Financial Adviser.

Jeanne played an integral part in the foundation phase of what is known as VDMV Property Holdings today. She assisted Izak with the sourcing of new clients and together, with diligence and hard work, they built a solid business. Izak bought his first industrial property in 2002, setting the cornerstone for the creation of the current prosperous company.

Over the years, as more properties were added to the portfolio and the company grew, Jeanne has managed all the required administration, with aplomb and great skill.

In 2020, Jeanne was awarded shareholder equity in the company in recognition of her loyalty and key role within the organisation.

‘It has been a huge honour to work with Izak all these years and to be a part of the VDMV family. Years of memories, experiences, steep learning curves, fun, challenges and building incredible friendships’, says Jeanne.

Thank you Jeanne, for your unwavering devotion and commitment to the company and the team.

Fredrika van der Merwe

Fredrika is the eldest daughter of the Van der Merwe family.

Art was always Frederika’s passion which resulted in her decision to study a Fine Arts degree at the University of Stellenbosch.

In 2003, Izak bought his first industrial property which marked the start of VDMV Property Holdings. Fredrika joined the family business and managed the residential portfolio (rentals and maintenance). In later years, she was also involved with the industrial properties. However, the arts remained her true calling and eventually she left VDMV to follow her passion.

The company is grateful for her valuable past contributions.

Vera Strauss

Vera Strauss joined VDMV Property Holdings in 2018 as the new Property Portfolio Manager. Bringing with her a wealth of knowledge and experience gained throughout her working career.

Vera spent six years with VDMV Property Holdings. On 26 May 2024, despite incredible bravery, she lost her battle to cancer and passed away.

The constant truth was her pure and kind heart. Vera always had a passion to help the next person, regardless of whether she was busy or had her own things to tend to. She was a force of nature, with vibrance, warmth and compassion that shone from her soul. She brought a certain calm to the team and made it feel like no issue, situation or problem could not be handled.

It was an enormous privilege to have known her and worked beside her.

A legacy of kindness, strength and compassion remains and she will continue to be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.