26 February 2020
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www.thevillagenews.co.za
Schulphoek housing progress delayed Writer Raphael da Silva
G
overnment has committed itself to delivering housing opportunities on the Schulphoek site and we can no longer allow certain parts of the community to continue to delay the process, said Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements, Tertuis Simmers, at a meeting of the Greater Hermanus Stakeholders Forum (GHSF) on Sunday, 23 February. Work on the development of a Better Living housing project has been in progress since April 2019 when a 10-member working group was established to engage on the design principles and formulate a draft development framework. “Attempts to elect a Social Compact in Zwelihle,
whose duty it will be to represent the community during the development phase, have been frustrated by certain members of the community. Although there has been agreement all along in the GHSF meetings that a Better Living Model will be developed, we are now told by Zwelihle Renewal/Land Party that the area must rather be converted into serviced plots with electricity for people to build their own dwellings,” said Simmers. “It’s time that our communities realise that when they make a commitment, we expect them to honour it. You can’t renege on your commitments; the current fiscal environment does not allow for it. Nor can I entertain structures or organisations who claim to talk on behalf of the majority but actually represent a minority view. You do not have the legitimacy to talk on such a
platform. This is the reason why I want to engage with the broader community when I visit municipalities,” said the minister. According to him, the way in which information is carried across to communities often leads to a distortion of the facts. “I will not stand for that because as a government we have come here with a clear view of where we are heading. Why is it that the message of the government is being distorted? Why is it that an entire community must be held to ransom just because certain individuals or structures can’t get their way? I’m sick and tired of it because they are playing around with people’s lives,” added Simmers. A planned meeting on Sunday afternoon between the minister and the community of Zwelihle was cancelled after toyi-toying and
chanting residents occupied the community hall and stage, making it impossible for him to speak. According to the municipality’s housing demand database there are 3 445 people in Hermanus, 1 632 in Gansbaai, 689 in Stanford, 462 in Kleinmond and 571 in Hawston over the age of 35 years that are on the waiting list. These 6 799 or 61% of approximately 11 180 are given priority by government. The Schulphoek development plans for 7 500 housing opportunities, of which 50% will be reserved for the elderly, people with disabilities, child-headed households, those who have been on the waiting list the longest, and backyard dwellers. Some of the units will be reserved for young people between the ages of 18 – 35 to rent. The remaining units will be a combination of subsidised and open-market properties.
Urgent need for exclusion zone From P 1
A bronze whaler shark
According to Chivell, because no action has been forthcoming from the DEFF despite their numerous pleas, operators in Kleinbaai decided to resort to paying fishermen to stay out of the cage diving area, in an effort to keep the shark cage diving industry from imploding. “Over the last three years operators have paid out close to R900 000 to fishermen in a desperate attempt to keep the industry afloat. While we fully understand that fishermen can legally catch bronze whaler sharks, the minimal amount that they stand to lose by not fishing in the same area where we take our guests, cannot compare to the loss of an entire eco-tourism industry. If the capture and killing of these sharks continues in this small and specific area in which we operate, it will lead to companies closing and people losing their jobs.” The fishermen in turn argue that the shark demersal long-line fishing operations off the South Africa coastline are depleting the stocks and in turn affecting their livelihoods. Shark operators agree that the long-line operations are impacting the entire ecosystem. It also seems that, while local fishermen were happy to accept payment for not catching the sharks, fishermen from other parts learnt of the arrangement and are now trying to muscle in on the action and receive payment. This is not a feasible option as this, too, will in the long run be financially detrimental to the shark cage industry. According to an insider, the bronze whaler
PHOTO: Hennie Otto, SharkWatchSA.com sharks are caught for their meat, which is exported to Australia where it is served as food, while the fins are exported to China for the shark fin soup industry. It is not against the law to export either the meat or the fins. In China shark fin soup is seen as a delicacy and a bowl of soup can sell for as much as R1 500, while dried shark fins can reach up to R10 000 per kilogram. The taste of a bowl of shark fin soup is normally derived from chicken and ham broth. The shark fin, which has no taste, is added only for its texture. More than 73 million sharks are killed annually for their fins. “If urgent steps are not taken to create an exclusion zone near Gansbaai for the catching of bronze whaler sharks, the industry will sink. In Gansbaai the shark cage diving operators directly employ an estimated 250 people, and indirectly support more than 1 600 dependants. There are nine operators in the area, and they
host over 85 000 tourists annually,” comments Chivell. “Our companies invest millions in infrastructure and marketing that benefit the entire tourism industry in the Western Cape. We know that travellers base their decision on where to stay on the activities available in an area. Shark cage diving is one of those key activities. “The government is spending millions on Operation Phakisa to develop the ocean economy. Shark cage diving and boat-based whale watching are both non-consumptive industries. It is sad to think that we are sacrificing a billion-rand industry that plays a major role in employment and development in a small coastal town, for the sake of the probable R20 000 that shark fishermen will earn. We want the minister to declare an emergency exclusion zone before the stakeholder meeting is arranged so that we
can prevent any further losses,” he says. Bronze whaler sharks are found in temperate waters and are usually seen in active groups. Bronze whalers can grow up to 3.3m in length during their 25 to 30-year lifespan. They mature late, only able to reproduce at around 20 years of age, making them a vulnerable species. They are considered near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. To further add to the woes of the shark cage industry, two orcas named Port and Starboard have not only been predating great white sharks but have now also, for the first time, started attacking bronze whaler sharks. At the beginning of the month the first case of orcas killing a bronze whaler shark for its liver and heart was reported. The incident took place in the Walker Bay area.
