Vishuis
The Kassiesbaai fishing village is the last remaining historical fishing village in South Africa and is a Grade 1 Heritage Site.
Fish House will be:
- An information centre for visitors. It will assist small enterprises to explore tourism opportunities for the local community;
- A heritage centre that provides access to the history, archaeology and ecology of the area electronically and interactively; and
- A resource centre and income generator for the local community.
The idea for the centre arose from needs expressed in the local community. The Waenhuiskrans Fishermen’s Union initially made land available for the centre to be build at the entrance to the historic village. This decision was confirmed in a participation process and at a number of general meetings of the Fishermen’s Union.
The Waenhuiskrans / Arniston Community Development Trust raised funds for the proposed centre, after significant initial seed funding from the Anna Fitzgerald Trust. Support from the Cape Agulhas Municipality will enable the centre to be built on a portion of municipal land next to the fishing harbour.
The process for approval for Fish House was a long process. It involved legally reclaiming a portion of land where the legal documentation got lost in long forgotten processes and surveys.
Photo by Megan Murtz
Fishing Community History
The area around Arniston has a long and interesting history. Middens and other archaeological evidence suggest that people lived in the area from time to time from as long as three thousand years ago. In more recent times the evidence suggests that there was at times interaction between the intermittent nomadic communities and shipwreck survivors. Around 1850 five families settled in the area to fish. By 1870 they were joined by another thirty families. In 1905 the landowners told the fishing community to go, but the fishing community protested in a petition to the then Cape Governor General. In a settlement that followed the farmers sold ten morgen to the community for the token price of one shilling and Kassiesbaai was established. In 1932 the Wagenhuiskrantz Vissersunie (Fishermen’s Union) was established as a vehicle to hold the title deed of the communal property. In the 1970s conservationists and the fishing community joined hands when the local authority wanted to demolish the then badly neglected village and move the community. The village was declared a national monument and was renovated.
Limitations on fishing activities have seen a dwindling in income derived from this source by the community. Government-allocated fishing quotas have become smaller and more difficult to come by as fish stocks became depleted. Fishermen without a source of income in a small village far removed from industrial infrastructure have little alternative access to income. Out of 1 400 adults in the village, less than 100 derive a sustainable income from fishing now. Some 300 have some form of income as housekeepers or as employees at the hotel or at guesthouses. A small number of the residents work in permanent positions away from Arniston. Others work periodically on various local government and other projects.
Potential
Kassiesbaai, the adjacent Arniston harbour and the Waenhuiskrans Nature Reserve have significant tourism potential, which can benefit the local fishing community.
Arniston/Waenhuiskrans is a recreational area with uninterrupted panoramas, endemic sea birds, seasonal whales, coastal fynbos, important archaeological sites, shipwrecks and the Waenhuiskrans cave. Recreational activities include fishing, angling, swimming, snorkelling, surfing and hiking.
In preliminary research over a period of six months local residents were employed to do a vehicle and pedestrian count of movement across Arniston. While more than 70 000 visitors and 13 000 vehicles visit the nature reserve annually, fewer than 10 000 of these visitors also visit the fishing village. Fish House and the adjacent renovated Fishermen’s Union Hall will establish a friendly entrance both to the fishing village and to various tourist opportunities across the village. It will help to bridge the physical divide between the Fishing Village and the holiday town.
Designing and Building the Fish House
Renowned architect Martin Kruger of KrugerRoos Architects in Cape Town is responsible for the design of the building plans for Fish House.
FAQ
What are the objectives of the Trust?
The objectives of the Trust are to help people from the community to develop themselves and the community.
A trust is a legal structure for securely receiving, managing and disbursing donor money for the benefit of defined causes.
The Waenhuiskrans/Arniston Community Development Trust is registered with the Master of the Supreme Court (Number: IT3854/2004), as well as with the Department of Social Development (042-478-NPO), as a not-for-profit organisation. The Trust furthermore is registered with the Receiver of Revenue (18A and 30). Each of these bodies have rules that govern the actions of the Trust and its Trustees.
The Trust’s financial affairs are reviewed annually according to international rules by independent auditors.
The Trust adheres to prescribed rules and has always received a clean audit from independent auditors every year. In addition, the Trust’s bookkeeping and all payments are done by a qualified auditor who works strictly according to the generally accepted rules of the profession.
The Trustees of the Trust (those responsible for the proper management of the affairs and objectives of the Trust) are André Marthinus, Vivian Lourens, Colin Bird and Hannes van Zyl (chairperson).
If a trust stops being active, the assets are transferred to a similar organisation that will use those assets to the benefit of that trust’s beneficiaries. Trustees are not able to benefit; only the beneficiaries are able to benefit. In the case of the Waenhuiskrans/Arniston Community Development Trust, the beneficiaries are the members of the Waenhuiskrans community.
If you wish to help us by making a donation, please make a direct cash deposit to our bank account.
Trust Account Details:
- Account Holder: The Waenhuiskrans / Arniston Community Development Trust
- Bank: Absa Savings Account
- Account number: 933 087 1403
Study Bursaries?
Students or prospective students from Waenhuiskrans may apply to the Trust for help. The only requirement is admittance to a university or some other recognised educational and training institution. In the first year beneficiaries must show that they are willing and able to study and improve their skills.
Many students have been helped to study and qualify in fields such as medicine, law, social work, education, sport management, drama, tourism, financial management, programming, scuba diving, construction and steelwork. The impact of study support is not always immediately available. In the long run it creates opportunities and new vistas for young people. Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. These new young professionals will make their mark in the coming years.
What is Fish House?
Fish House is planned as a community centre alongside the harbour. It has several objectives: It will support small businesses, be a visitors’ centre for the town, and be a heritage centre. The Cape Agulhas Municipality, the Waenhuiskrans Vissersunie, and the Trust worked together to make Fish House possible.
Research and estimations show that only ten per cent of the people who visit the Waenhuiskrans nature reserve and the cave also visit the historic fishing village. For many years, neighbourhoods were separated by buffer zones of open land. Fish House is planned to be a bridge between people, across the buffers of the past.
At Fish House, visitors can find information on small businesses, community activities, and general information about the town and the environment.
Support will be available for small businesses, especially regarding marketing and administration. More people will benefit from tourism and other economic opportunities in the region. Fish House will also be a heritage centre. Through digital media, visitors, schoolchildren, and residents will learn about the unique history of the fishing community, the sea, and the broader environment.
Fish House, the Fishermen’s Union hall, and an upgraded harbour could lead to further renewal projects and be a new growth point in Cape Agulhas.
Who will operate Fish House?
People from the community may apply to manage the whole of Fish House or some services only. Applications will be considered by an independent panel, which will include specialists. The Union and the Trust will assist community members who wish to apply in advance. People may apply as individuals or as a group. Residents should have a significant share and advantage in any application, as Fish House is meant to benefit the community.
How had Fish House been approved?
Fish House was discussed at many public meetings and was approved at various annual general meetings of the Union. Independent consultants undertook an environmental impact study and the required public participation processes. National and provincial governmental departments and the heritage agencies, SAHRA and Heritage Western Cape, approved the project. Final approval for the building of Fish House was obtained from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Planning of the Western Cape Government and the Cape Agulhas Municipality.
What is happening with Fish House now?
The Municipality has twice now repeated the process to approve all aspects of Fish House. One objector unnecessarily delayed the project.
What will happen in the future with Fish House?
When Fish House is completed, it will be a place where people can meet, visitors can be welcomed and assisted, and the history of the community and the environment will be kept alive.
How do people apply for a contract to manage all or parts of Fish House?
Once the municipal process is finished, and the Fish House has been built, people from the community can apply to manage services and businesses with Fish House as the base. A knowledgeable and independent panel will evaluate applications. The Union and Trust will assist people with their applications. A concept invitation to manage services at Fish House will be workshopped in open community sessions before it is finalised.
The concept document is:
Fish House: Invitation for applications to provide services
Members of the fishing community in Waenhuiskrans are invited to apply to provide services for the community and for visitors from Fish House.
- Fish House will be a visitors’ centre where general and specific information about services and products in the fishing community will be available electronically and on paper.
- Fish House will provide marketing and administrative support for any existing or new enterprise from the fishing community that wants to use this service.
- Fish House will be a heritage centre where the archaeological, ecological, and human history of the environment will mainly be preserved in electronic format and made available to the larger community. It may also be an extended teaching aid to local and visiting schools.
- Fish House will also make space and facilities available to the successful applicant to serve refreshments and light meals.
The invitation to apply relates to the following services:
- Management of the heritage centre.
- Management of the visitors’ centre.
- Serving refreshments, light meals, and selling community products.
The Union and the Trust will appoint consultants for relevant training for the successful applicant(s).
Applicants may apply to manage all or any of the envisaged services and may apply as individuals or members of a consortium, a partnership, or a group. Applicants have to be part of the fishing community in Waenhuiskrans, or need to have been part of the community in the past. In the case of a consortium, a partnership or a group, people from elsewhere may be involved, but the control has to remain with people from the fishing community.
The criteria for a successful application will be the potential of the particular applicant or applicants to provide a good-quality service. A technical committee will evaluate applications through interviews and other means and make a recommendation to the executive committee of the union and the trustees.
Complete application documentation will be provided and explained in community information sessions.