OWEN Dormehl, founder of South Africa's fast-growing Dormehl Phalane Property Group (DPG), is a very happy man today - one of his self-owned franchises, Dormehl Phalane Moot in Pretoria, has taken the company's coveted National Franchise of the Year award. This was presented at the property group's 17th National Awards, held from March 10 to 13 at the Tshikwalo Game Lodge, in the Dinokeng Game Reserve in Gauteng.
Making Owen grin even more is the fact that two of the 11-member franchise's property practitioners were named among DPG's Big Five of the year. Moot's Maryke de Beer placed third for the Agent of the Year 2025 award, behind top agent Brendon Bosch, of DPG Pinetown, and second-placed Ruth Goodman, of DPG Barrydale. Yolanda Honiball of Dormehl Gary Mann Vaal was in fourth position and Moot's Gerrie Coetzee was fifth.
Established 10 years ago, Moot placed seventh nationally at last year's awards ceremony, but is no stranger to the top spot. The franchise first won the DPG National Franchise of the Year trophy in 2021. That was the same year Owen was named Agent of the Year.
This year the Moot franchise, based in Moulton Avenue in Waverley, took a heap of top awards, which were presented at a two-part ceremony. The first lot of trophies and prizes were handed out at a breakfast, with a Safari dress-code, held under dappled shade of acacia trees; and the remainder of the awards were handed out at a formal supper-and-dance event in the Tshikwalo Lodge's fairy-light-strewn functions room.
Besides being named as DPG's National Franchise of the Year, Moot also took the trophy for top franchise in Gauteng, having achieved the highest commission registered for 2025 in that region. Moot was also named Commercial and Industrial Franchise of the Year; and Farms and Smallholdings Franchise of the Year.
Moot's Maryke de Beer received the award for Commercial and Industrial Broker of the Year. She also took the award for having registered the highest commission in 2025 for the Gauteng region, with colleague Gerrie Coetzee in third place in this category, behind Dormehl Gary Mann Vaal's Yolanda Honiball.
Coetzee took the trophy for Farms and Smallholdings Agent of the Year. He was also among winners of special 'millionaire certificates' for sales milestones since inception, having sold property totalling R75 million. This category was topped by DPG Howick's Liane Aadnesgaard, who raked in a total of R375million in sales.
Additionally, the Moot franchise received two awards from Rothmann Attorneys (for top supporting office and Owen as top supporting agent); two from Van der Hoff Inc (for top supporting office and Welma Deysel as top supporting agent) and one from Pestana Attorneys (top supporting office).
Moot also placed second, after Dormehl Gary Mann Vaal, for the Ooba Award for the office with the highest rand value and/or units granted.
To say Owen is proud of his Moot team, and all agents in the group for that matter, is something of an understatement. He has high praise for Moot, attributing the franchise's success this year to dedication and a good diversity of agents, among them graduates who are experts in commercial and industrial property, farms and smallholdings.
Highlighting agents Maryke and Gerrie, Owen says Maryke is a very conscientious worker, meticulous at following through with everything, who spent up to five months securing one big deal that helped elevate her high on the year-end chart of top property practitioners. Maryke started with Dormehl Phalane 17 years ago, at DPG Westville, then moved to Centurion and, over the past five years or so, has been a dedicated member of the Moot franchise.
"Maryke is like a dog with a bone - she doesn't let go," Owen says, with a laugh.
Gerrie, says Owen, has been with Moot only 18 months but has made great strides. He has a strong financial background, having previously moved in the world of insurance, and, explains Owen, is appreciated by clients for his business savvy and deft ability to put a good business plan together. Gerrie also has a great network of strong contacts.
Owen owns five Dormehl Phalane franchises - Moot, Upper Highway, A Team in Westville, Queensburgh and Durban North - plus has a share in the DPG Umhlanga franchise.
He says the plan for the company is to recruit more staff and welcome more franchises - particularly in Gauteng, Western Cape and Northern Cape - now that a current priority of securing qualifications and compliancy across the group has largely been achieved, with much thanks to Freda Kooij's FK Consulting.
He also talks highly of the ongoing benefits of the DPG Ed-u-cate Academy, the company's online library of training sessions which cover various topics and are held live twice monthly by Nicolene Hamaty of the Real Estate Training Institute. These training sessions are recorded for access at any time by DPG members.
Owen says that the company is also excited about having secured a number of potentially lucrative new developments which could open doors to great ongoing sales.
And talking of doors, it was Owen who decided a blue door should be the dominant logo for the company: "I wanted a logo with an association to homes, but something different. A door signifies entry to a new beginning..."
When the company was established in 2009, Owen and wife Amanda, Kevin Delport, Glynnis Dirksen and Charles Alterskye - all five of them shareholders at the time - came up with the DPG slogan: "Knock on our blue door - discover passion!"
Owen believes passion remains important in the property business which, he admits, can be hard work, but which he believes offers rich rewards if one fully applies oneself.
Passion, he says, is evident in most of his company's agents, most particularly Dormehl Gary Mann Vaal's Yolanda Honiball, who he sees as a particularly bright star "and I would not be surprised to see her as DPG's top agent within the next year or two".
Owen also singles out A-Team's Christy du Preez and DPG Queensburgh's young Andile Ndimande and Dale Hayne as names to keep watching - and he continually lauds DPG Pinetown's Brendon Bosch for his uncanny ability to be DPG's top agent almost every year. He praises Brendon for his achievements, citing him as a perfect example of what a great agent should be - professional, dedicated, humble, caring, and willing to share knowledge and advice.
Owen says what drives him as a leader and agent is to be accountable, lead by example, and assist and motivate agents wherever possible. One of his greatest rewards in life, he says, is the satisfaction he gets from offering a leg-up to someone who may consider themselves down and out but, with motivation, then sets about achieving goals.
He has great respect for people who work tirelessly, showing loyalty and respect to both the brand and colleagues, and singles out Upper Highway manager, Jean Liversage, as "my right hand". He also applauds Dormehl Phalane Gauteng PA, Annelize Janse van Rensburg, who has been with DPG for 16 years.
Owen's highest respect, however, is reserved for wife Amanda, without whom, he says, "things would be a nightmare".
"I cannot emphasise enough how much my success is due to Amanda, who supports me through good and bad times, and is a constant source of encouragement. Not only does she handle finances, but deals with all sorts of things when I am away. She is my backbone. She constantly keeps me on my toes."
