Hope for harbour growth
‘Exploring economic potential’
THE Portfolio Committee on Public Works is conducting oversight visits in small harbours along South Africa’s coast, including six Western Cape harbours.
Spokesperson Justice Molafo said the purpose of the visit was to gain insight into the management of small harbours by the Department of Public Works, together with Property Management Trading Entity.
This follows the City of Cape Town’s draft by-law proposal to allow the city council to regulate how the department manages the harbour functions, which is allocated to the local government in terms of the constitution.
The city council alleged that the harbours lacked professional management and maintenance, which resulted in, the “serious degradation of public assets, an increase in crime, and a failure to develop their economic potential”.
This week the committee will be visiting Stilbaai, Struisbaai, Arniston, Gansbaai and two harbours in the local city council’s jurisdiction, Gordon’s Bay and Kalk Bay.
Acting committee chairperson Freddie Adams said small harbours contained properties that were often leased to multinational businesses which could hold considerable value in tourist spots around Cape Town and parts of the West coast.
“Due to the history of the country, the development of fully functional small fishing harbours was skewed towards the Western Cape. The Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have been grossly neglected,” said Adams.
Adams said small harbours were not well managed and their job creation and local economic development potential have not been fully utilised.
Deputy mayor Ian Neilson confirmed that they were invited to visit Gordon’s Bay and Kalk Bay.
“The City welcomes the visit by the committee to see for themselves the conditions in the harbours and the need for a new management regime,” he said.
“The City and the Department of Public Works are engaging over the detail of the by-law and how it would be implemented. Other functions in these harbours, for example; customs, immigration, fishing management, would be regulated by other entities.”
About 15 public comments had been received regarding the city council’s bid to manage five small city harbours including; Gordon’s Bay, Granger Bay, Hout Bay, Kalk Bay and Murray’s Bay on Robben Island.