Hout Bay Harbour is a wreck, say fishers

Fishing communities in South Africa's small harbours face crumbling infrastructure and a shrinking future and their frustration is palpable. By Don Pinnock

- 

The smell of salt and diesel mingles with the stench of sewage in Hout Bay Harbour.

Boats bob at their moorings, their hulls patched and stained. Several have sunk. Behind them derelict buildings sag into disrepair, walkways crumble underfoot and a collapsed section of quay wall threatens to give way entirely.

This is the setting that greeted Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dion George when he arrived in Hout Bay on 30 April for his "Fishing for Freedom" imbizo. For the fishers and harbour tenants gathered to meet him, it wasn't just quotas or rights that dominated their concerns - it was the very ground beneath their feet.

"We don't have much more time," warned Sean Walker, a prominent figure in Hout Bay's fishing industry, speaking forcefully during the meeting. "This harbour is in a sorry state of repair. The facilities are falling apart. It's threatening not just businesses, but an entire working-class economy that's been holding on by its fingernails."

Walker's message was echoed by Justin Strong, a representative of the Hout Bay Harbour Tenants Association and longtime operator of the popular Snoekies fish restaurant. "I've been attending meetings like this for 15 years," Strong told George. "We've had millions spent on feasibility studies and spatial frameworks. But nothing from those plans has been implemented. Not one thing."

A litany of decay

The harbour’s problems read like a checklist of neglect:

• Raw sewage spilling onto public walkways;

• Broken lighting leaving common areas in darkness;

• Non-functional water and electricity services to the jetties;

• Unsecured derelict buildings left open to squatters;

• Collapsing quay walls;

• Illegal traders intimidating customers;

• Piles of uncollected waste;

• Public toilets either shuttered or lacking basic supplies; and