Hout Bay crime wave scuttles yachties
CROWDED: From the deck of his trawler, Philip Rice overlooks one of the 13 wrecks in Hout Bay harbour ON the face of it the Labuschagne family are living the dream.
But their once carefree yacht home in the Hout Bay marina is turning into a high-security headache.
Not only are they under siege from criminals marauding through Hout Bay harbour, but the theft of key harbour infrastructure has left them stuck without power.
“I was warned about crime and the theft problem,” Labuschagne said this week. “I have had to put locks on my outboards and motion detectors on the deck.
“There are a lot of dodgylooking guys hanging around, and because there are no lights I have to go and fetch my son from the yacht club at night to discourage any chance of being mugged.”
In the two months the family have been living at the marina they have witnessed first-hand what many have been warning about for years — that one of South Africa’s finest fishing harbours is falling apart.
Hout Bay is one of several fishing harbours caught in the crossfire of an intergovernmental dispute. The authorities cannot decide who is responsible for managing such facilities, resulting in general neglect and increasing crime.
Maintenance is at an all-time low, with a staggering 13 vessels lying submerged or partly submerged in Hout Bay harbour.
There has been concern this year about thieves targeting key harbour infrastructure such as power cables and metal fittings.
Charles Moody, marina officer for the Hout Bay Yacht Club, said: “One of the biggest problems in the harbour is theft.”
He confirmed the marina’s fresh-water supply was affected when thieves stole the water pressure regulator two weeks ago, resulting in a burst pipe.
The light tower on the Northern Mole — an important navigational beacon — is now a rubbish dump filled with empty bottles and unidentified clutter.
Neither the Department of Public Works nor the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries responded to queries this week.
Earlier this year, Western Cape premier Helen Zille initiated an intergovernmental dispute with the national government regarding management of 12 fishing harbours in the province. She said the province was drafting new bylaws to enable local municipalities to take over harbour management.
One ray of hope is news that public works has obtained legal approval for the removal of the harbour’s submerged vessels.
Philip Rice, who lives aboard a Hout Bay trawler, said he had been mugged three times in four weeks.
He said the only long-term solution was to address social inequality in the Hout Bay area.
I was warned about crime . . . There are a lot of dodgy guys hanging around