Now to rise from the ashes
OVER the long weekend, hundreds of tourists filled the restaurants and shops of Knysna — still reeling from one of South Africa’s most devastating fires.
Their rands will add to the millions set aside by the government and the insurance payout estimated at between R2-billion and R4-billion.
As many as 2 500 people lost their jobs as a result of the fires, and 400 beds in the accommodation industry were also lost in a town that relies heavily on tourism.
The Knysna local municipality is not wasting any time to rebuild, and it plans to “remove red tape” in the building industry.
Alan Winde, MEC for economic opportunities in the Western Cape, said they would “fast track planning approval for the rebuild”, and issue “blanket demolition permits” for entire suburbs.
“Insurance companies pay rental, so you’ve got money to rent a place for eight months, but is that long enough to rebuild? That is why we have to speed up the process of approvals,” he said.
He said many people who lost their homes now rent rooms in guesthouses and places meant for tourists.
Building contractors with bakkies full of material weave between the fire engines that are heading into the hills to fight flare-ups.
Under a blanket of smoke Knysna has already started rebuilding, and the politicians hope that the expected “boom” can be managed to help thousands of unemployed locals.
Thin margins on timber production due to low rainfall in the southern Cape have driven many foresters out of an industry that has historically provided the bulk SEEING OPPORTUNITY: The Western Cape government wants to rebuild Knysna’s ruined economy along green lines of employment for Knysna.
With six months of recordbreaking drought and the fire that burnt through thousands of hectares of plantation, many forestry owners are taking the insurance payout and calling it quits.
Winde said he believed that the future of Knysna would be radically greener.
“We want to overlay innovation and green-tech. How do we encourage and incentivise water storage? We [will] make water tanks part of the rebuild to encourage rainwater collection.”
He added: “Maybe solar photo-voltaic with smart meters will be introduced so you can create your own energy and put it back into the grid. There is also greywater recycling.”
Tourism and green living would come together with a focus on eco-tourism: “Our job is to facilitate that. Can a forester be re-skilled as an eco-tourism operator?”
Winde said the reinvention of Knysna’s economy could see people’s skills being refocused to fit this vision.