Harbour management project out to tender

• Published date: 30 June 2023
• Author: Karen Watkins karen.watkins@acm.co.za
• Publication title: Sentinel News

The department is responsible for maintaining the country’s harbours, and, last Thursday, Mr Zikalala made a commitment to ensure that historically disadvantaged communities surrounding Hout Bay harbour benefit from the economy of the harbour and from services

Mr Zikalala was supposed meet with fishers, civic groups, City officials and business owners at the harbour last month but was summoned to a meeting with the president at the last minute (“Officials hear of harbour ills”, Sentinel, May 12).

“Hout Bay harbour has always been considered a hotspot, infamous for crime, drugs, poaching and protests,” said Mr Zikalala.

Following the May meeting, Mr Zikalala announced a R501-million refurbishment programme at 13 harbours in the province.

Provincial manager, Penny Penxa said issues raised at previous meetings include high vacancy rates of buildings; renewal of leases which are currently month-to-month; lack of business opportunities for those in Imizamo Yethu and Hangberg; small-scale fishers fishing rights; compromised security; sub-letting at exorbitant rates; lack of maintenance and leasing of vacant sites.

She said management of the Hout Bay precinct project has gone out to tender with applications ending on Friday July 14. These would be finalised by the end of November. The goal is to increase the investment, she said, by attracting investors into the harbour to encourage transformation and empowerment and ensure revenue and job creation.

Ms Penxa said of 70 available sites, five have active leases, 41 are month-to-month and 24 are vacant.

She said the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) have only received responses from 13 of the 71 businesses approached to renew their leases. These leases will be reviewed case-to-case with the National Treasury's chief procurement office.

Ms Penxa said a small business precinct is part of the site development plan. A business hub with very affordable rentals dedicated to crafts, food stalls and whatever the community want to sell. She said preference will be given to local people and this will bring sponsorship and pledging of bursaries and similar into these communities.

A state-of-the-art facility for cleaning and packaging fish is also part of the development plan. Mr Zikalala said this will enable small-scale fishers to process and sell their fish without them going through a middleman. He added that government has an appetite to support cooperative fishers.

Deputy director of Small-scale...