P E O P L E A N D T H E C O A S T : C U LT U R E A N D H I S T O R Y
Our Coast: A National Heritage 2A
A
heritage is something that is passed down
from one generation to the next. When we
seals and birds, many of which were given strange names:
seals were called ‘sea wolves’ and gannets ‘mad geese’.
consider South Africa’s magnificent coast with all
How has it changed?
its beauty, wealth, diversity and history as a
Scientists have made many discoveries. First, taxonomists
national heritage it is a challenge to determine
set about describing and naming the abundance of life, then
what will be passed on to our children.
by experiment and observation they recorded the fascinating
biology and adaptations of these animals. Then came the
period of ecological work when scientists tackled whole eco-
Healing powers for the soul
The coast has a remarkable affect on people’s well-being. It has
systems. They traced energy transfer through the kelp forest
inhabitants and looked at the whole Benguela ecosystem,
sandy beaches and rocky shores, intertidal zonation, coral
the ability to relax, refresh and entertain one with its continual
reef ecology and the dynamics of estuaries. The migration of
variety, movement and smells. The soothing sound of distant
wading birds, whales and turtles have also been studied.
waves, the mewling of seagulls, the wind, the sun and beautiful
views, provide a perfect holiday venue. South Africa’s 3 200 km
of coastline is very varied, encompassing the subtropical
Maputaland coast with warm waters and dune forests, the
Wild Coast of rolling hills, aloes, intimate beaches and rugged
rocky promontories, the Garden Route with lagoons, Tsitsikamma forest with its refreshing walks and bathing, and the
Cape with its sharply contrasting mountains and sea. And then
there is the sparsely populated rugged west coast, hot during
the day, dry and yet frequently engulfed in fog banks that
envelop the kelp forests, saturating the air with the characteristic
smell of the sea. These are all experiences that have been
enjoyed in the past and uplift one today. The question is; will
the next generation be taught to appreciate and protect this
great outdoor and will it be as splendid in the next millennium?
Sustainable utilisation In recent years the importance and
impact of humans as part of the marine environment has been
highlighted. From being a curiosity and a source of food, fuel
and fertiliser our marine life has become a multi-billion Rand
source of income to the country and an essential source of
food and employment to a burgeoning population. Improved
methods of harvesting have led to over-exploitation of many
resources such as some fish, rock lobsters, whales and birds.
Due to the decline in the supply, management plans have had
to be implemented to ensure sustainable utilisation of marine
resources. To achieve this, it is essential to gain scientific
knowledge about population dynamics and to be able to
make informed predictions determining allowable catches
that will indeed be sustainable for many generations to come.
Education It is important to educate people of all ages and
Over the last three hundred years alone, how much has our
coastal heritage changed?
Natural Heritage
South Africa has an amazing diversity in the sea with over
10 000 species of marine plants and animals, many of which
are endemic (occurring only in this region). The fact that the
country is bathed by two mighty oceans with vastly different
characteristics, temperatures and currents has led to different
climates on land and three distinct biogeographical zones;
subtropical east coast, the intermediate south coast and the
cold temperate Namaqua zone of the west coast. On the west
coast cold water wells up from the depths, bringing fertilising
nutrients to the surface. The greatest amount of upwelling in the
walks of life so that they are aware, appreciate and care for
our coastal and marine life.
Cultural Heritage
Diverse people South Africa is a rich rainbow nation of many
cultures. Each group of people; stone age dwellers, KhoiSan, amaBantu, European explorers, those from India and
Malaysia, migrants from other parts of Africa and tourists of
the world have all contributed in their dress, customs, language,
cuisine and buildings. Take a look at the common names of
fishes or places, such as snoek, perlemoen, kreef, seneni (red
bait), poenskop, bokkoms (dried fish) and Port Elizabeth for
evidence of our diverse cultural heritage.
world, ten times that in California or Chile, occurs along the west
The history and influence of these peoples is a heritage to
coast and fuels rich plankton meadows, vast kelp forests, shoals
cherish and preserve.
of fishes and birds, seals and whales that feed on them.
Prehistory Archaeologists have in the last 100 years
Scientific discoveries The natural heritage of the country
discovered many caves and middens giving a clue to the life
was harvested in a small way by strandlopers and Khoi-San
style and gathering habits of stoneage people and strandlopers.
and there seemed to be an endless supply of fishes, whales,
Stone tools, rock paintings and bones all tell a story of life in
the past. Recent excavations of caves on Robberg Peninsula
huts and San reed huts in Namaqualand all remind us of our
at Plettenberg Bay have revealed how early Khoi-San people
diverse cultural heritage. It is important to recognise significant
spent the summer inland and moved to the coast in winter to
buildings and make sure that they are preserved. Lighthouses
find food along the shore. Fossil records also show how the
too, are of great interest and historical significance and, of
marine life itself has changed and evolved along with the
course, an essential safety measure for shipping.
changes of sea level that leave ancient raised shorelines many
kilometres inland. Huge bivalves, sabre-toothed cats, shortnecked giraffes and giant buffalo, with 3-metre horn-spans,
once roamed the coast-line and have left their fossilised
remains near Saldanha Bay.
Coastal development One of the potentially most-damaging
human influences on our coast is that of development as the
whole topography can be changed for ever. The tidal flow of
many estuaries has been obstructed by the building of weirs
and bridges, with the result that salt marshes and reed beds
Shipwrecks Early Portuguese explorers planted crosses at
dry up and change. Building of houses and roads on dune
significant points along the coast during their search for a
systems and even the stabilising of dunes have dramatically
passage to the east. The sheer coastline of South Africa and
changed adjacent beaches and their marine life. The south
the tempestuous seas have been an inhospitable challenge
coast of KwaZulu-Natal and developments around the eastern
to seafarers and fishers through the ages. Over 3000 ships
borders of the Cape Peninsula illustrate how high-rise flats and
have floundered along these shores and each tells a story.
hotels can destroy the views of older dwellings and create an
Accounts of the fate and survival of shipwrecked sailors have
artificial environment where the sea is confined by cement
been recorded in a number of books covering the early East
walls and lawns. In order to cater for all needs it is essential
Indiaman sailing ships, the disappearance of the Waratah and
to have management plans for the coast that identify areas to
the recent sinking of the Treasure. The Shipwreck museum at
be set aside as reserves with no development, areas for
Bredasdorp captures some of the drama and displays objects
recreation with controlled development, areas for industry,
salvaged from ship wrecks. Diving and looking for treasure
fisheries and commercial harbours as well as high density
around old shipwrecks can be a rewarding past-time. The
nodes for housing and hotels.
recent demise of the Apollo Sea, a Chinese ship that broke
up and sank near Dassen Island in 1994 brought only grief
and expense. Nothing was found of the 32 crew members
while the huge oil slick that enveloped the Cape coast and
nearby islands caused the death of thousands of penguins
and cost R25 million to clean up.
Buildings Different groups of people have left their mark
Everyone has seen changes Everyone who has spent any
time in South Africa will be able to cite changes and talk about
the good old days of swimming off the pier at the end of
Adderley Street or when fish were plentiful and crayfish could
be lifted out of knee-deep water at rustic Seapoint. But they
will also be able to marvel at amazing ships, sleek sailing
vessels, the transformation of once unattractive harbour areas
along the coast in the form of buildings. Some of these are
into vibrant waterfronts. Divers have greater access to the
protected as national monuments. The Cape Town castle
underwater world where photographers and scientists have
was once a fort on the seafront and is now a museum some
revealed wonders that were never dreamed of. We cannot
distance inland, due to reclamation of land along the foreshore.
turn back the clock but let us make sure that as we move
The old post house at Muizenberg, Rhode’s cottage at St.
into the future we take with us an attractive, viable, diverse,
James, fisher’s cottages around Agulhas and Arniston, Cape
living coastal heritage.
Dutch homesteads, 1820-settler dwellings and buildings at
Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth, Transkei dwellings, Zulu
Author: Margo Branch September 2000
FURTHER INFORMATION:
• South African Museum, P.O. Box 61, Cape Town Tel 021-24 3330 Fax 021-424 6716
• Port Elizabeth Museum P.O. Box 13147, Humewood Tel 041-561051 • Shipwreck Museum Bredasdorp
• Branch G. M., Griffiths C.L., Branch M. L. & Beckley L.E. 1994. Two Oceans A guide to the Marine Life of Southern Africa. David Philip, Cape Town.
• Kench J.E. 1984. The Coast of Southern Africa . Struik, CapeTown
RELATED FACTSHEETS:
• Lighthouses • Marine Biodiversity • Sustainable Use of Coastal Resources • Marine Protected Areas • Islands • Maputaland Coast • West Coast • Wild
Coast • Garden Route • Birds and Oil Spills
For more information, please contact: The Coastal Management Office, Marine and Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Private Bag X2,
Roggebaai 8012, Cape Town, South Africa. Tel: +27 (0)21 402-3208 Fax: +27 (0)21 418-2582 e-mail: czm@mcm.wcape.gov.za Website: http://sacoast.wcape.gov.za
P E O P L E A N D T H E C O A S T : C U LT U R E A N D H I S T O R Y
Strandlopers and Shell Middens 2A
T
he question is often asked, “Who are the
Strandlopers?” They include virtually all the
people who have roamed the coast, harvesting the
intertidal resources and feeding on stranded whales
Ancient dune formations of the west coast, especially those
with high calcium content derived from shell particles, have
preserved the remains of bones and stone artefacts for
500 000 years or more. Sandveld archaeology has made a
significant contribution to our understanding of the history of
and seals, but more especially the term was used for
humans in Africa. Scientists have discovered that the ratio
prehistoric Stone Age man and included the San
of the chemicals argonite to calcite in limpet shells is
(the Bushmen hunter-gatherers) and the Khoekhoe
determined by the temperature in which they were laid down.
(herders) but it is no longer used. The coast of South
Africa is littered with large mounds of shells. These
build up through several agents: by storm, by seagulls
and by humans. Shell middens are the accumulations
By examining the composition of limpet shells in middens they
have been able to confirm the last ice age and even discover
whether shells were harvested in winter or summer.
Early man on the west coast
of shells discarded where prehistoric people lived and
There is widespread agreement that people separated from
fed for extended periods. Shell middens may contain
their nearest relatives (the ancestors of today’s gorillas and
stone tools, shards of pottery, and even bits of bone,
chimpanzees) some 5-8 million years ago and that this occurred
fish hooks made of bone and stone sinkers. Some of
the oldest shell middens in the world, dating back
as much as 120 000 years, occur along the Cape
coast. Middens can provide valuable information
in Africa. The earliest stone tools were made about 2.5 million
years ago. At Langebaanweg a rich fossil site was revealed
during phosphate mining operations. Five million years ago
now-extinct bears, sabre-tooth cats, short-necked giraffes,
three-toed horses and a huge ostrich roamed the area. In
about changes in climate, animal and plant life and
addition there are deposits containing numerous fishes, a
the lifestyles of Strandlopers.
giant megatooth shark, frogs and tortoises, penguins, seals
and dolphins – evidence that the coast was nearby. Although
there were six species of hyena there is no sign of early
Excavating middens
humans in this part of the country at that time. At some time
between 1.5 and 0.5 million years ago people moved from
Digging holes in middens in search of interesting artefacts or
tropical Africa into the temperate regions. The Elandsfontein
skeletons is destructive as these cannot be reliably dated if the
site near Hopefield is clearly younger than Langebaanweg,
strata of the midden have been disturbed. Information can only
containing far fewer extinct forms but does include short
be gained by the careful excavation of middens, accompanied
necked giraffe, giant buffalo with a 3-m horn span and giant
by detailed recording, statistical analyses and the dating of the
baboons, hartebeest, zebras and springbok, as well as the
layers. Conservation of these important sources of information
skull and a few limb bones of ‘Saldanha man’. Archaeologists
is vital if we are to build up a larger picture of how our coast-
believe that the Elandsfontein watering hole was used
line has been used through prehistory.
between 700 000 and 400 000 years ago. Other sites like
this are common on the calcareous sand at Duinefontein,
Melkbos, Elands Bay, and Swartklip on the False Bay coast.
skeleton of a child was found and radiocarbon-dated at about
700 BC. The Nelson Bay cave may have been occupied as
early as 70 000 years ago, but the bulk of the remains come
‘Eve’s footprints’ on the sands of Langebaan
from about 800 to 3 000 years ago.
There are only four sets of fossilised human footprints in the
Like detectives, scientists used the evidence to determine
world. The oldest, 117 000-year-old footprints, dubbed ‘Eve’s
climate changes and information about the behaviour of
footprints’ because they are likely to have been made by a
people. During the great ice age the sea was probably about
woman, were discovered in 1995 at Langebaan. Because
80 km further offshore of Robberg so that the cave was
of the threat of erosion and vandalism the slab of rock
surrounded by grassland, where animals grazed. As the ice
containing the prints was pre-treated, carefully chiselled free
melted between 18 000 and 12 000 years ago the sea level
and transported to the SA Museum in Cape Town.
Exploiting shells – A first for South Africa
rose and people harvested seals, fish and countless shells
near the cave. This warming of the climate is further indicated
by the fact that the cold-water black mussels prevailed in lower
The earliest recognisable shell middens (as a result of human
strata of the midden and then about 8 000 years ago it was
collecting and disposal) are in South Africa. At Sea Harvest and
gradually replaced by the brown mussel, which is a warm-
Hoedjiespunt near Saldanha there are middens with shell, bone,
water creature. From evidence of limpet shell structure and
stone tools and ostrich-egg shell pieces that are more than
the size of seal pups it was deduced that these Strandlopers
40 000 and perhaps 100 000 years old. At Klaasies River
spent the summer inland and only harvested the shore in
Mouth near Humansdorp similar shell middens in large coastal
winter when game was less plentiful. The larger limpets were
caves have been dated to 100 000 to 120 000 years old.
gradually removed leaving much smaller shells in the upper
layers of the midden – is this an intriguing example of early
Peers cave
over-exploitation of marine resources?
Peers Cave overlooks the Fish Hoek valley on the Cape
Visvywers – ancient fish traps
Peninsula and was the site of a sensational find by Victor Peers
and his son Bertram in the 1920s – a complete skeleton,
Also along our coast are prehistoric fish traps known as
known as ‘Fish Hoek Man’. It was estimated to be some
‘visvywers’. These were constructed up to 2000 years ago
15 000 years old but unfortunately, because of their crude
and some are still in use today. They consist of a wall of
methods of extraction the levels of the cave deposits were
stone built to enclose a portion of bay. When the tide rises
disturbed, making precise dating impossible.
and floods over the wall the fish swim into the enclosure. As
the tide falls and the water seeps away between the rocks
Nelson Bay Cave at Robberg
Between 1964 and 1971 the Nelson Bay cave on the Robberg
Peninsula near Plettenberg Bay was fully recorded in a
scientifically controlled dig by the Universities of Cape Town,
Chicago (USA) and Louvain (Belgium). This commodious
Khoi-San residence is 20 m at the mouth and 30 m deep. A
the fish are trapped in the shallows and easily caught or
speared. All fish traps over 50 years old are protected by law.
These can be seen at Skipskop on the way to Cape Agulhas,
as well as at Stilbaai and elsewhere around the Cape coast.
What you can do
narrow cutting was made to plumb the full depth of the deposit
Be aware of the rich archaeological heritage buried beneath the
on its floor. In the upper layers over a million fish remains were
sandy landscape of the shore and on the floors of caves. It
found as well as the bones of seals, seabirds, antelope, wild
would be tragic if what nature has preserved for many millennia,
pig and buffalo. At deeper levels relicts of now-extinct species
people were to destroy in a few decades by driving over
such as the quagga, giant buffalo, and giant hartebeest were
dunes, building on shell middens, removing middens for the
discovered. Throughout the deposit were stone tools and
lime they contain or digging up artefacts without using proper
quartzite flakes used for cutting and scraping skins. The
methods and records.
Author: Margo Branch September 2000
FURTHER INFORMATION: • S.A Museum, P O Box 61, Cape Town. Tel (021) 4243330 Fax (021) 4246716
• Archaeology Dept. University of Cape Town, Rondebosch Cape Town. • Albany Museum, Grahamstown. • Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg.
RELATED FACTSHEETS: • Marine Fossils • Traditional Fishing Methods • Mussel Harvesting
For more information, please contact: The Coastal Management Office, Marine and Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Private Bag X2,
Roggebaai 8012, Cape Town, South Africa. Tel: +27 (0)21 402-3208 Fax: +27 (0)21 418-2582 e-mail: czm@mcm.wcape.gov.za Website: http://sacoast.wcape.gov.za
P E O P L E A N D T H E C O A S T : C U LT U R E A N D H I S T O R Y
Traditional Fishing Methods 2A
F
ish have been caught from the rivers of
crayfish are snapped up using stealth and fleetness
Southern Africa for as long as mankind has
of hand. Other shellfish and urchins are also
been in the area. Across the country, the discarded
harvested and many are used by sangomas
remnants of these catches built up in middens that
(traditional healers). Fish are usually caught in
archaeologists can now analyse to get a glimpse of
shallow bays, estuaries, lakes and lagoons. However
prehistoric fishing activities. Riverside middens of
only in the tropical regions of Southern Africa
early Khoi-San cultures frequently contain the
where people have tended to concentrate and
bones and scales of fishes and occasionally stone
where there are enough fish, have traditional
sinkers and fish hooks made of bone. On the coast
fishing activities endured. The best examples
the main catch has been mussels and limpets that
are found in the lowlands and estuaries of
were simply harvested at low tide with the help of
Mozambique and Maputaland, and the flood
a sharp rock or, in recent years, a metal blade or
plains of the Zambezi and Okavango rivers in
screwdriver. Crustaceans such as crabs and
Angola, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana.
Traditional fishing equipment
Fish drives
Fishers variously use a rod and line, bow and arrows, fishing
Groups of men and women often combine to drive fish into
spears and woven grass or reed scoops or plunge baskets
bays and backwaters where they can be easily caught in
and a range of fish traps. Following a long tradition, people
fonya thrust baskets. The amaThonga living on the Phongola
have learnt the behaviour of the fishes. The Thonga fishermen
floodplain have a number of cultural traditions involving fishing.
have built 80 or so fish kraals in the mouth of the estuary at
The children capture small fish with home-made seine nets
Kosi Bay. Each fish kraal consists of a stick fence that directs
and adults use valve fish traps. When the water is low the
the fish into a funnel-like reed trap. The central channel of the
headman, in consultation with sangomas,
estuary is kept free of fences so that the fish swim in on the
will organise a massive fonya drive
rising tide and then spread out into the estuary, and are
in which hundreds of people
trapped as the tide falls. The fishermen then spear the fish in
participate. Laughing and
the trap. In the Phongolo flood plain umono valve traps made
chatting, over 200
of reed are set into gaps in a stick barrier. A similar method is
employed on the Okavango river but there is no tidal flow to
bring the fish in and out, instead the Sintunga corral traps are
built with an opening on one side, where the fence curls
inwards making it difficult for fish to leave the trap. These
people also use large conical sikuku fish baskets into which
the fish swim. Some of the basket traps are quite simple in
design while others, that are left in the water, may have a
complex one-way valve, funnelling fish easily into the trap but
preventing them from escaping back to the entrance.
Fish are herded into shallow
water and caught in fonya
thrust baskets
Umona valve traps
set in a fence
people form a continuous line and wade through the waste-
bay. When the tide rises it tops the wall and many fish enter
deep water. Thrusting down with large conical ‘fonya’ baskets,
the bay to feed in the shallows. As the tide drops the water
they trap the fish being driven ahead of them into the shallows.
seeps away between the rocks leaving the fish trapped in a
The fish are removed through the hole in the top of the basket.
confined area where they can be speared. In some visvywers
On the Save river the people walk through the water holding
the stone kraal is almost solid and there is a palisade gate
a Hlengwe palisade fence of reeds and drive the fish before
where the water flows away.
them and into the shallows.
Conservation and traditional fishing
Flooding the floodplain for fish
Traditional fishing is not generally as damaging to the ecosystem
Along the eastern foot of the Lebombo Mountains in northern
and fish stocks as many forms of commercial fishing, but
Zululand, lies the Phongolo floodplain, covering over 120 km2.
increased populations and poverty can intensify fishing and have
Before the building of the Phongolopoort dam at Jozini 30
a negative affect. Illegal gill netting also poses a threat to many
years ago, seasonal floods filled the plain’s unique series of
of these areas. In an attempt to protect this important cultural
89 pans. Now the optimal timing and size of simulated floods
way of life and to use the source of food sustainably, the
is important for the people, crops, cattle, wildlife and fish.
communities and conservation authorities, scientists and
Fish form a major part of the diet of more than 80 000 people
government bodies have been consulted and various plans
who live in the floodplain. Many species of fish are dependent
put into action. For example in Kosi Bay the use of gill nets is
on floods to spawn. Water authorities, scientists and the local
restricted and the fish fences are allocated and owned by local
communities have all taken part in the planning, conservation
families who agree to limit the number of traps. The catch from
and management of the area.
the traps is monitored to continually assess the resource. It is
important to demonstrate that controlled harvesting can bring
Coastal fish traps – Visvywers
immediate benefits to rural and disadvantaged communities
In the sea, inventive fishers built large stone fish traps known
and that legal fishers develop a sense of custodianship of the
as visvywers. Some of them date back to prehistoric times.
fish resources.
They consist of a curved stone wall built to enclose a small
Author: Margo Branch September 2000
FURTHER INFORMATION:
• Skelton P. 1993. A complete Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa. Southern Book publishers, Halfway House, S Africa.
• J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, P Bag 1015, Grahamstown 6140. Tel (046) 636 1002.
• Bruton, M & Cooper, K. H. Eds. 1980. Studies on the Ecology of Maputaland . Wildlife Society of Southern Africa.
RELATED FACTSHEETS:
• Standlopers and Shell Middens • Kosi Bay • St. Lucia • Mussel Harvesting • Dwesa and Cwebe Nature Reserves.
For more information, please contact: The Coastal Management Office, Marine and Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Private Bag X2,
Roggebaai 8012, Cape Town, South Africa. Tel: +27 (0)21 402-3208 Fax: +27 (0)21 418-2582 e-mail: czm@mcm.wcape.gov.za Website: http://sacoast.wcape.gov.za
P E O P L E A N D T H E C O A S T : C U LT U R E A N D H I S T O R Y
History of Whaling 2A
W
hales have been exploited for centuries
– archaeological evidence indicates that
even the inhabitants of southern Africa, the KhoiSan, made use of beached whales for their meat, oil
and bones, the latter as a building material for
In the late 18th century French, American and British whalers
began working their way down the west coast of Africa, and
by 1791 a British fleet of 32 ships was operating out of St.
Helena Bay, taking about 1200 whales over two years. Most
of these were southern right whales, which are slow swimmers,
float when dead, and produce a high oil yield, so were
rudimentary shelters. In those days, before the
considered the “right” whale to hunt. The oil was used as an
advent of commercial exploitation, large numbers
illuminant and lubricant, while the tough but flexible “whale-
of southern right whales, which visit sheltered bays
bone” or baleen was exported to England and used for such
along the south coast to mate and give birth, and
diverse products as chair springs, hairbrush bristles, corset
humpback whales, which migrate up the east and
stays, skirt hoops, umbrellas and shoe horns.
west coasts of southern Africa to their tropical
The local inhabitants were eager to share in these riches, so
breeding areas, would have occurred close inshore.
in 1792 the Dutch East India Company opened whaling to the
Natural mortality and occasional beach strandings
citizens of the Cape. However, the industry only expanded
after the second British occupation in 1806, when operations
would have put this resource within reach of the
were established in St. Helena Bay, Table Bay, Simonstown,
Khoi-San.
Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay, Gordon’s Bay, Mossel Bay, Plettenberg
Bay and Algoa Bay. Open boats were used to row out to
Shore-based whaling
southern right whales in these sheltered bays. Although the
numbers taken were small compared to the large-scale factory
The Inuit (Eskimo) people of the Arctic Circle were among the
ship whaling that would later develop in the Southern Ocean.
first to hunt whales from boats, harpooning their quarry from
This practice was particularly damaging to the stock as it
kayaks. In Europe, the Basques of Spain were hunting whales
targeted adult females about to calve or with dependant
from small open boats in the Bay of Biscay as early as the
young. As a result, southern right whale numbers declined
12th century, and by the 1600s the French, English, Dutch,
rapidly, and the whalers began targeting humpbacks instead.
Danes, Norwegians, Germans and Portuguese were also
However, humpbacks fetched only £20-£200 compared to
whaling in their coastal waters. By the early 1700s, whaling
£400-£600 for right whales, so the industry became sub-
had spread to the east coast of America.
economic and some stations were forced to close.
Whaling was often a bloody and violent event, causing much suffering to the animal and danger to the whalers
Ship-based whaling
Modern whaling, using harpoon cannons mounted on steam-
International Whaling Commission
driven catcher boats, came to South Africa in 1908. Two
In December 1946, South Africa was one of 15 nations to
Norwegian businessmen set up the South African Whaling
sign the International Convention for the Regulation of
Company and opened a whaling station on the Bluff, Durban.
Whaling, which came into effect in 1948 and established an
In 1909 they opened a second station at Donkergat in
International Whaling Commission. Although it was at first
Saldanha Bay, and at both stations the catch was mainly
ineffective, the IWC eventually introduced total prohibitions on
humpbacks. The problem of these whales sinking when
the killing of humpback and blue whales in 1963 and 1967
dead had been overcome by the development in the late
respectively. Quotas were set for sperm whales in 1974, and
19th century of a harpoon that had an explosive head and
in 1973 the IWC agreed to phase out fin-whaling in the
was attached by a line to the boat.
southern hemisphere within three years.
The success of the company stimulated the whaling industry’s
In 1982 member countries of the IWC voted in favour of a
growth, and by 1913 there were 11 floating factories and
moratorium on commercial whaling to allow scientists to
17 land stations operating between Gabon and central
conduct a comprehensive review of whale stocks. This
Mozambique, taking a total of 10 135 whales in that year.
moratorium, effective from 1 January 1986, is still in place
At the same time whaling activities developed rapidly in the
today, and is observed by all countries except Japan and
whales’ feeding grounds in the south-western Atlantic.
Norway. While Japan uses a loophole that allows for “scientific
Soon the numbers of humpbacks migrating up the African
research” to continue whaling in Antarctica, Norway continues
coast dwindled, and this, together with the onset of World
to exploit whales in the north-east Atlantic on the legal
War I, led to the closure of many whaling stations. Those
grounds of its objection to the moratorium.
companies that did continue whaling, or resumed after the
war, were forced to venture further offshore in the search for
humpacks, where they encountered other species. Off
Saldanha, blue and fin whales dominated the catch between
1914 and 1930, while about 39% of the Natal catch during
this period was made up of sperm whales.
Both countries target minke whales, which have a global
population of approximately 750 000 and thus could support
a sustainable harvest. At the 1994 IWC meeting, the
organisation’s scientific committee presented a Revised
Management Procedure that would allow quotas to be issued
for minke whales while guaranteeing total protection of heavily
In the mid-1920s the first factory ship, with a stern slipway
depleted species. However, at the meeting the IWC voted in
through which whales could be hauled for on-board
favour of a Southern Ocean Sanctuary for whales, covering an
processing, began operating in Antarctica. By the 1930/31
area of 28 million square kilometres and to be reviewed every
season there were 41 such ships involved in “ice-whaling”,
10 years (an Indian Ocean Sanctuary had been declared in
with a combined catch of over 40 000 whales, three-quarters
1992.) Japan was the only member country to vote against the
of them blue whales. This soon flooded the market and led to
sanctuary, and has continued to take up to 440 minke whales
a drop in oil prices, with the result that most shore-based
from Antarctic waters each year for “scientific research”,
stations in southern Africa closed.
although the meat is sold in Japan where it fetches high prices
In 1931 the League of Nations produced a Convention for the
as a delicacy.
Regulation of Whaling, adopted by 26 nations. This banned
the catching of all right whales, as well as calves, sexually
immature whales and lactating females of other species.
Author: Sue Matthews September 2000
FURTHER INFORMATION:
• Bruton, M. 1998. The Essential Guide to Whales in Southern Africa. David Philip Publishers, Cape Town.
• Payne, A. I. L., Crawford, R. J. M. & Van Dalsen, A. 1989. Oceans of Life off Southern Africa. Vlaeberg Publishers, Cape Town.
RELATED FACTSHEETS:
• Southern Right Whale • Humpback Whale • Baleen and Toothed Whales
• Baleen Whales seen around our Coast • Rare and Endangered Baleen Whales • Sperm and Beaked Whales • Killer and Pilot Whales
For more information, please contact: The Coastal Management Office, Marine and Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Private Bag X2,
Roggebaai 8012, Cape Town, South Africa. Tel: +27 (0)21 402-3208 Fax: +27 (0)21 418-2582 e-mail: czm@mcm.wcape.gov.za Website: http://sacoast.wcape.gov.za
P E O P L E A N D T H E C O A S T : C U LT U R E A N D H I S T O R Y
Lighthouses 2A
I
n the days when the seas around the southern
was developed that allows each lighthouse to be identified at
tip of Africa represented a vital trade route to
night according to its characteristic flashing pattern. The
and from the East, countless ships ran aground
along South Africa’s treacherous coastline. Indeed,
the challenge of rounding the Cape Peninsula was
dreaded by generations of sailors, who dubbed it
the Cape of Storms and longed for the sheltered
waters of Table Bay.
intensity of the beam is measured in terms of Candle Power
(CD). Lighthouses are also painted different colours so that
they can be recognised during the day. Many have foghorns,
radar reflectors and radio beacons as extra navigational aids.
The last South African lighthouse to be commissioned was the
one at Groenriviermond on the West Coast, as recently as
1988. With the introduction of sophisticated global positioning
systems (GPS), the role of lighthouses in maritime navigation
has been reduced, but they nevertheless represent an
In 1656 Jan van Riebeeck instructed that a signal fire be lit on
Robben Island to warn mariners of this shipping hazard as they
approached the Cape Colony settlement on the shores of Table
important historical facet of our coastal heritage.
Green Point lighthouse
Bay. Wood fires were later followed by coal fires, and it was
The first formal lighthouse to be built on the South African coast
not until the 18th century that these bonfire beacons were
was the one at Green Point in Cape Town (not to be confused
replaced by specially designed lamps burning animal or
with the lighthouse of the same name near Aliwal Shoal in
vegetable oil, or even banks of candles, as maritime
KwaZulu-Natal). It was commissioned in 1824 and has
navigation devices. Later still, in the mid-19th century,
undergone numerous changes during its lifetime. Apart from
petroleum-based oils were introduced, but today all lighthouses
improvements to the optics, the lighthouse has changed colour
are fully automated and have electric lamps. Only 12 of the
several times in an attempt to make it stand out against the
45 existing lighthouses along our coast are still manned by
surrounding structures in this built-up area. Today it is painted
lighthouse keepers.
with red and white diagonal stripes. A diaphone-type foghorn
Lighthouses have a revolving lamp and
lens system that concentrate the beam
and produce a flash when its direction
coincides with the observers’ line of
vision. An international system of
timed revolutions and flashes
was installed in 1926, despite opposition from local
residents, who feared that it would disturb their sleep.
This was replaced by an electrically operated nautophone in 1986. The lighthouse beam has a range
of 25 nautical miles and an intensity of 850 000
CD, with one flash every 10 seconds.
On 1 July 1966, when the SA Seafarer was wrecked on the
warns mariners of the shipping hazard imposed by Roman
rocks just off Green Point during a north-westerly gale, the
Rock. It was electrified in 1938.
rotating beam of the lighthouse was stopped and focussed
Another lighthouse in Algoa Bay is the one on Bird
on the ship to provide illumination as the crew
Island, a small rocky island with large gannet
were winched to safety by helicopters.
and penguin colonies. The initial wooden
lighthouse commissioned in 1852 was
The second lighthouse to be built in
replaced by a masonry tower in 1873.
South Africa was at nearby Mouille
Today it is painted red and white.
Point in 1842. It was dismantled in the
1920s because it was considered unsatisfactory
by masters of ships entering and leaving Table Bay, and by this
time the Robben Island lighthouse was operational (1865).
The Hill Lighthouse
This lighthouse stands on the Donkin Reserve on the slope
above the port, was withdrawn from service in 1973 because
Cape Agulhas lighthouse
its beam could not be clearly distinguished from the lights of
This lighthouse stands on the southernmost tip of the African
the densely built-up area surrounding it. It was built in 1861
continent. It was the third South African lighthouse to be
alongside the Pyramid, a monument built by Sir Rufane
commissioned, in 1849, following a spate of shipping accidents
Donkin to his late wife.
on the area’s dangerous reefs. Indeed, between 1673 and
1990 over 124 ships have been wrecked within an 80 km
Facts about South African lighthouses:
radius of Cape Agulhas, testimony to the fact that this is the
most hazardous section of the South African coast to navigate.
The lighthouse was declared structurally unsafe in the 1960s
and was decommissioned when it was replaced by a lantern
on an adjacent aluminium tower in 1968. However, during the
• Strongest beam: Cape Point lighthouse, Cape Peninsula
(10 000 000 CD)
• Most isolated manned lighthouse: Dassen Island
lighthouse, West Coast (11 km offshore)
1980s it was restored and equipped for fully automatic
operation. Today the beam has a range of 30 nautical miles
and an intensity of 7 500 000 CD. It flashes once every five
seconds. The building is painted in red and white bands.
The lighthouse was declared a National Monument in 1973,
and has also been included in the recently proclaimed
Agulhas National Park. It houses a lighthouse and maritime
• First lighthouse to be automated: Green Point lighthouse,
Kwazulu Natal (1961)
• Only diaphone-type fog signal still in operation: Cape
Columbine lighthouse, West Coast
• Tallest lighthouse tower: Slangkop lighthouse, Cape
Peninsula (100 ft / 30,5 m)
museum. At nearby Bredasdorp there is a shipwreck museum
with a fascinating collection of artefacts from ships that
foundered off Agulhas.
• Northernmost lighthouse: Jesser Point, KwaZulu-Natal
• Only lighthouse on a rock: Roman Rock, False Bay,
Western Cape
Cape Recife lighthouse
This lighthouse, at the entrance to Port Elizabeth’s Algoa Bay,
was the fourth lighthouse to be commissioned by the Cape
colonial government, in 1851. The tower is octagonal in
shape and since 1929 has been painted in black and white
• Only female lightkeeper: Mrs Coward, St Lucia lighthouse,
KwaZulu-Natal (1940s)
• Most unique colour: Cape Vidal lighthouse, KwaZulu-Natal
(yellow)
bands, although it was initially red and white. The original
optic apparatus is still in use, and includes a red sector that
Author: Sue Matthews September 2000
FURTHER INFORMATION:
• Portnet Lighthouse Services, Cape Town. tel. (021) 449 5171, fax 449 3663.
• Williams, H. 1993. Southern Lights: Lighthouses of southern Africa. William Waterman Publications, Rivonia.
RELATED FACTSHEETS:
• Safety at Sea • Ocean Hazards • Our Coast: A National Heritage
For more information, please contact: The Coastal Management Office, Marine and Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Private Bag X2,
Roggebaai 8012, Cape Town, South Africa. Tel: +27 (0)21 402-3208 Fax: +27 (0)21 418-2582 e-mail: czm@mcm.wcape.gov.za Website: http://sacoast.wcape.gov.za
P E O P L E A N D T H E C O A S T : C U LT U R E A N D H I S T O R Y
Myths and Legends 2A
M
ythology goes far beyond the telling of tall
fear, except for the lovesick girl who rushed down the shore
stories; it is through myths that human
into the arms of her lover. She was never seen again.
minds are able to confront the mystery of the
With the passing of time, the sea eroded the walls of the cliff,
universe and the riddles of life. Little wonder
but the hole breached by the fish remains. The amaXhosa
then that South Africans of all colours and creeds
who live there today call the place esiKhaleni (the place of the
have stories to tell about the wonders of the sea
sound); they say that on certain nights the voices of the water
and seashore. These are some of them:
people can still be heard as they stream through their hole on
their quest for the young girl.
How The Mountain Got Its Table Cloth
The Legend of Hole in the Wall
Xhosa mythology tells of the water or sea people, semi-deities
A legend of European origin is the story of the ‘table cloth’ that
frequently covers Table Mountain. It is said that the confirmed
old smoker and retired pirate, Van Hunks, still haunts the clump
who resemble humans but who have supple wrists and
of rocks on the saddle of land that connects Table Mountain
ankles and flipperlike hands and feet. They are generally kind
to Devil’s Peak. Legend has it that Van Hunks, calabash pipe in
people, although they have been known to be mischievous
hand and a keg of the finest shag tobacco cradled between
and delight in teasing mere mortals. As legend would have it,
his legs, once challenged the devil to smoke more than he
there was once a beautiful girl who lived in a village on the Wild
could at one sitting. Together they sat, high on the mountain,
Coast. Her village was situated near a large lagoon which
puffing away until the sun went down over the ocean and the
was cut off from the sea by a huge cliff. She was so fair that
moon rose over the Tygerberg. By morning the entire top of
one of the water people fell in love with her and persuaded
Table Mountain was hidden beneath billowing clouds. Although
her to come and live with him in the sea. But, when her angry
Van Hunks grew red and sweaty, his companion was in a far
father discovered this unnatural liaison he forbade her to see
worse state; he finally rolled off his boulder begging for a
her lover or to leave the village. One night, when the tide was
drink. The devil was so angered by his defeat that, after
high, the water people came to the sheer cliff which towered
revealing his identity to Van Hunks, he disappeared in a great
above the shores of the lagoon, bringing with them a great
blaze of lightning, taking the gnarled old smoker with him.
fish. Using its enormous head, this mighty creature rammed a
From that day on, when the southeaster blows, those who
gaping hole in the wall, and through this breach poured the
are old and wise will look up at the tumbling white cloud and
water people, singing and shouting. All the villagers hid in
exclaim: ‘The devil and Van Hunks are at it again!’
Stories that wash up on beaches
emblem, saying that when one finds a pansy shell one
becomes part of the town. And, when a pansy shell is given as
Three of the more unusual items that wash up on South African
a gift, the recipient is welcomed as a special visitor to the town.
beaches are so loved by beach strollers, shell collectors and
even traditional healers, that they have been afforded legendary
The story of the Abelungu
status. These are the seabean, the paper nautilus and the
The arrival of white men caused great consternation among
pansy shell.
some of the amaZulu people. They believed the newcomers to
The glossy brown seabean is found on beaches from KwaZulu-
be cannibals who had risen up out of the sea to seek human
Natal to Cape Point. The bean is round, flat and shiny and quite
prey ‘Here comes the white animal to eat you!’ was a threat
often encrusted with coralline algae, barnacles and other marine
which was guaranteed to subdue the wildest child. The story
organisms. The seabean is the seed of the creeper Entada gigas
of the sea animals persisted for many years as an effective
which grows along river banks in the forests of Mozambique
method of chastising children. The present term for white men
and other parts of East Africa. To propagate itself, the creeper
is still abelungu, meaning sea creatures.
drops its seeds into rivers which carry them down to the sea.
The legend of Old Tiptoes
The seeds wash up on our beaches after spending years at
sea. It is not uncommon to come across the seabean in
This story originates in Kalk Bay, a fishing village
curio shops where they are fashioned into necklaces or
on the Cape Peninsula. Here a fishermen was
even keyrings. But traditional healers value the seabean for
its magical properties, using it in
nicknamed ‘Old Tiptoes’ because of his peculiar
Seabean
manner of walking. When asked why his heels
bone-throwing ceremonies and other practices.
never touched the ground, he would feign deafness
True nautiluses do not occur in southern African
and turn away. The following story explains why…
waters, but the paper nautilus, Argonauta argo, a
relative of the octopus, is common in our waters.
The delicate, paper-like shells of these animals fre-
There lived in Kalk Bay a snoek fisherman, Gamat,
Paper Nautilus
quently wash up on our shores and are highly sought
chosen the best of the catch to salt and eat. One night
after by collectors. According to legend, the nautilus
the most select of these fish, which were hung on her
shells sailed on the sea like Jason’s ship the Argo –
stoep to dry, was stolen, and the following night, another.
hence their scientific name, Argonauta. (Jason, a figure of
classical mythology, sailed a fifty-oared ship to fetch the gold- Pansy
en fleece from Colchis.) It was believed that two of
the animal’s long tentacles, which can be spread out into
iridescent fans, were held aloft like sails to catch the breeze.
and his wife, Radiwa. Gamat sold the snoek that
he caught for a living, but only after his wife had
shell
When her snoek continued to go missing and the police
were unable to catch the thief, Radiwa consulted a
sorcerer called Jamut. After hearing her story Jamut
pronounced that the thief would come once more, for the last
time. When another snoek disappeared a few days later and
The pansy shell (Echinodiscus bisperforatus) is commonly
Radiwa reported this to Jamut, he asked her to accompany him
found on the beaches of Plettenberg Bay and has become an
to the harbour. The boats were at the jetty and the fishermen
emblem for the town. The fragile shells have a perfect five-petal
were unloading their catches and selling to the crowds. Jamut
pansy-like design on its upper surface. The pansy shell is closely
pointed out the offender to Radiwa: “There he is,” he said,
related to the sea urchin. When alive it is purple in colour and
“but leave him, he has already been punished.” Radiwa saw
covered with short, thin spines that give it a furry appearance.
a man called Wari whom she knew quite well. As she looked at
When the animal dies the spines fall off and the shell is bleached
him, he moved away – jerkily and on his toes. The expression
white – producing the pansies that are washed onto the beach.
of misery and guilt on his face made it only too clear that he
The pansy shell lives in shallow lagoons, bays and estuaries
was the culprit. Whatever the cause of this peculiar change in
and is a prized collectors piece. The ‘sand dollar’ is a closely
Wari, it is certain that he never walked normally again.
related species found along the coast of California. The
Plettenberg Bay tourism authorities cleverly market their town’s
Author: Claire Attwood September 2000
FURTHER INFORMATION: • Miller, P. 1979. Myths and Legends of Southern Africa. T.V. Bulpin Publications (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town.
RELATED FACTSHEETS: • Sea Urchins • Cephalopods • Wild Coast • Snoek
For more information, please contact: The Coastal Management Office, Marine and Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Private Bag X2,
Roggebaai 8012, Cape Town, South Africa. Tel: +27 (0)21 402-3208 Fax: +27 (0)21 418-2582 e-mail: czm@mcm.wcape.gov.za Website: http://sacoast.wcape.gov.za
P E O P L E A N D T H E C O A S T : C U LT U R E A N D H I S T O R Y
Population around the Coast 2A
S
outh Africa has one of the highest coastal
population densities in Africa – about 81
people per square kilometre, compared to the average
density for Africa of 55 per square kilometre.
coastal dwellers were a separate ethnic group, as the San,
Khoekhoe and the first black agriculturalists all made use of
marine resources for at least part of the year.
Some 2 000 years ago the San hunter-gatherers turned to
pastoralism by acquiring livestock from Bantu tribes migrating
southwards. The Khoekhoe migrated down the west coast,
Historical Context
where they were the first indigenous people encountered by
Archaeological evidence in the form of hand axes and cleavers
the Dutch settlers who colonised the Cape in 1652. On the
reveal that the area now known as South Africa was populated
other side of the continent, Bantu tribes who had been living
in the Early Stone Age, between 2 million and 125 000 years
south of the Limpopo River for the previous 1500 years
ago. These stone tools are found mainly along river banks,
migrated southward and eastward. The Nguni (Zulu, Xhosa,
near springs, and in hollows between coastal sand dunes.
Swazi and Ndebele) occupied what is now KwaZulu-Natal
Tools characteristic of the Middle Stone Age, the period from
and the Eastern Cape.
125 000 to 20 000 years ago, reveal that people later lived in
caves along the coast. The remains of shellfish, seals and
seabirds in the caves indicate that these resources were an
important part of the diet of these coastal dwellers.
The settlement of people from Europe and Asia increased
substantially during the nineteenth century, and gave rise to
expanding cities around the ports of Durban, East London,
Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. In the 1860s Indian labourers
During the last ice age from about 50 000 years ago there is a
gap in evidence of the prehistoric occupation at the coast. This
is probably because the sea level was lower and the coasts
further away. About 15 000 years ago people of the Late Stone
Age were utilising marine resources, as indicated by numerous
shell middens along the coast. Most are located within 300 m
of the high water mark, although some occur up to 5 km from
the coast. While middens consist primarily of shellfish remains,
arrived to work on the sugar plantations of KwaZulu-Natal.
During the middle and late twentieth century, apartheid policy
explicitly denied economic resources and social services to
“homeland” regions and other designated black areas, leaving
these regions undeveloped and with inadequate infrastructure.
The economic centre of the country was concentrated in the
interior, with the coastal cities playing a supportive role.
they have also yielded marine and terrestrial mammal remains,
The transition to a democratic Government in 1994 allowed
stone artefacts, bone tools and pottery. These middens are
all South Africans to enjoy equal rights of access to the coast
often referred to as Strandloper sites, but it is unlikely that the
and its resources. Our coast is now divided into four provinces
Thirteen coastal regions defined for the purposes of the Coastal Management Policy Programme
MAPUTALAND COAST:
Poor rural, underdevelopment, subsistence
activities.
Richards
Bay
NAMAQUALAND: low
population, semi-desert
area, diamond-mining.
ZULULAND COAST: Poor
rural, Richards Bay port,
light and heavy industry,
mining, sugar-cane and
timber.
Durban
WEST COAST: low
population, arid, small
fishing towns, industrial
development at Saldanha
Bay.
Bokpunt
Cape Town
CAPE METRO: Dense
population around Cape
Town, over 2.5 million
people, port in Table Bay.
Port
Elizabeth
Mossel
Bay
DOLPHIN COAST: Rapidly
developing region, holiday
and tourism, agriculture,
light industry and wood
products.
East
London
0
AGULHAS COAST:
Scenic, small growing
towns, retirement centre,
seasonal holiday and
tourism.
GARDEN ROUTE:
Scenic, small
growing towns,
Mossgas refinery at
Mossel Bay, seasonal
holiday and tourism.
SUNSHINE COAST:
Few urban
centres, undeveloped
coastal areas, economic and industrial
centre at Port
Elizabeth.
BORDER-KEI: Rural
area, East London
main centre, small
towns and resorts.
200
400
km
WILD COAST: Poor
rural, few towns and
resorts, subsistence
agriculture and
fishing, income from
pensioners and
migrant labourer
working outside the
region.
DURBAN METRO:
Expanding urban centre,
over 2,5 million people,
tourism, industry, port.
HIBISCUS COAST: Coastal
strip well-developed for
seasonal tourism and
recreation, hinterland rural,
large unemployed
population.
– Northern Cape, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-
offshore reserves of natural gas, Richards Bay on the KwaZulu-
Natal – but much of the present social character can be related
Natal north coast and Saldanha Bay on the west coast are
to the previous political divisions, namely the previously white-
both specialised deep-water ports serving heavy industry.
governed Cape Province and Natal Province and the former
black homeland areas of Ciskei, Transkei and KwaZulu.
Population and Culture
Settlement Patterns
Between these major cities the coast is sparsely settled,
particularly on the west coast, which is a harsh, semi-desert
It is currently estimated that 30% of South Africa's population
bathed by the cold waters of the Benguela upwelling system.
live within 60 km of the coast. According to available 1996
During holiday seasons, however, there is a large influx of
census data, the South African population is made up of
people and the population of coastal towns rises dramatically.
approximately 38 million people, of whom about 20% live in
Population density is highest on the KwaZulu-Natal coast
KwaZulu-Natal, 15.5% in the Eastern Cape, 11% in the
because of the relative proximity to Gauteng, as well as the
Western Cape and 2% in the Northern Cape.
The coastal population can be divided into four major language
groups. While the west coast is mainly Afrikaans-speaking,
the Eastern Cape is mainly Xhosa-speaking and KwaZulu-
area’s sub-tropical climate and warm seas owing to the
influence of the Agulhas current. Many coastal towns serve
as holiday, tourism and recreational destinations, and homeowners are absent for most of the year.
Natal mainly Zulu-speaking; English is commonly spoken in
While a number of these smaller towns evolved in association
urban centres along the coast. This simple breakdown does
with fishing, agriculture or mining activities, most of our coast
not, however, convey the rich diversity of cultures and traditions
can be characterised as rural. The percentage of the population
among coastal communities. Many of our coastal towns and
living in rural areas in the coastal provinces is 63% in the
cities are characterised by a variety of language and cultural
Eastern Cape, 61% in KwaZulu-Natal, 30% in the Northern
Cape and 10% in the Western Cape. Rural settlements
backgrounds.
include farmsteads associated with commercial agriculture,
Cities and Towns
and traditional housing in former ‘homeland’ areas of the
Most of the coastal population is concentrated in the cities of
Transkei, Ciskei and KwaZulu, where communities live in a
Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban, which
subsistence economy.
together are inhabited by over 6 million people. All four cities
The boom in the outdoor recreation and tourism markets
are experiencing rapid population growth, their populations
(non-consumptive use of resources) has led to intense interest
likely to double in the next 25 to 30 years. This will result not
in the development potential of the coast. In line with the
only in an increase in population density, but an expansion of
White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South
urban areas along the coast as well as inland. The cities of
Africa, alternative livelihoods for coastal communities and
Cape Town and Durban already serve vast hinterlands, with
non-consumptive use of our rich coastal resources are given
growing urbanisation.
high priority by all spheres of government.
Other emerging coastal cities include Saldanha Bay, Richards
Bay and Mossel Bay. While Mossel Bay on the south coast has
grown around its small fishing harbour and, more recently,
Author: Sue Matthews February 2001
FURTHER INFORMATION:
• White Paper for sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa, 2000. Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism
• Lubke, R.A. & de Moor, I. (Eds) 1998. Field Guide to the Eastern & Southern Cape Coasts. University of Cape Town Press.
http://sacoast.wcape.gov.za
RELATED FACTSHEETS:
• National Coastal Policy • Development along the Coast • Tourism along the Coast • Value of the Coast • Strandlopers and Shell Middens
• Impacts of Human Activity on the Coast
For more information, please contact: The Coastal Management Office, Marine and Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Private Bag X2,
Roggebaai 8012, Cape Town, South Africa. Tel: +27 (0)21 402-3208 Fax: +27 (0)21 418-2582 e-mail: czm@mcm.wcape.gov.za Website: http://sacoast.wcape.gov.za