The first is a series of brainstorming ways to better Hout Bay- Top 10 ways we can make a better Hout bay
Everyday 6 Golden Arrow buses arrive in Hout Bay carrying workers from as far afield as Khayalitsha- a two hour commute. The buses then park in Hout Bay until quitting time and take the workers (and the money they have earned) out of Hout Bay.
Mini bus taxis probably bring in at least the same amount of people if not more. Yes, there is also transport that also takes people out of Hout Bay- for employment purposes but these are more the exception than the rule.
In an effort to try and limit the growth of the informal settlement there was a shameful drive, by certain "civic" associations, in the early 1990's to not employ people that lived locally, albeit illegally.
Even today some people would prefer to hire their domestic help from outside of Hout Bay to prevent them from being "informants" to local criminal elements.
In effect these workers need to wake up sometimes as early as 5 in the morning to get to work and in many cases end up returning home long after dark. The cost of transport, and the cost to their families often means that the workers are ensured of remaining impoverished for most of their lives. Apart from being barbaric and immoral, in my opinion, these practices backfired horribly, serving to at least triple the size of the settlements.
Why?- I will tell you why- common sense. The migrant workers quickly realised that they could build themselves accommodation locally, often renting, purchasing or even invading land allocated for the orginal Hout Bay families. Even today many people have three homes: their original holiday home in the rural areas, their weekend home in Khayalitsha surrounds and their "weekday pad" in Hout Bay
Urbanisation in South Africa is a reality- some studies say that we are moving from a 60% rural population to a 70% urban one as soon as the year 2020. This is exactly what happened to Europe a 100 years ago, with urban dwellers living in squalor comparable to today's informal settlements.
Today many families survive on the rental they charge their lodgers. Often the lodgers are as far afield as places like Zimbabwe, Angola and Somalia. Some unscrupulous employers then pay the refugees at rates barely at minimum wage.
The craft market at the harbour that services the whims of the several hundred tourists everyday, is almost entirely made up of traders from outside of Hout Bay, ditto the several other markets around the village.
Construction companies often sell their services by promising to only use teams or subcontracters from outside of Hout Bay.
Conversely many business owners use Hout Bay as a dormitory suburb and travel every day to their agencies, factories etc over the mountain. Many of these commuters shop at their place of work rather than pay a little more at home.
Work Now a wonderful agency which has worked tirelessly to address these issues seems to be floundering with a lack of support locally and even at government level.
Imagine the benefits of employing locally! Money would be kept and spent mostly in Hout Bay, communities would be uplifted, and poverty would be somewhat alleviated. Businesses would prosper and more employment would be created. More focus needs to be spent training entrepreneurial abilities and even adult education.
I totally agree with you on employment of locals.
Posted by: Mary | June 30, 2017 at 11:38 AM