Page 19 - KBHA Bulletin 10

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best be solved through the collaboration of the affected municipalities and government and
the construction of a single housing scheme for all.

Among Councillors, Councillor Dr. Abdullah Abdurahman, who owned property at the top

of Hillrise Road in St. James and was the influential leader of the African Peoples

Organization, backed the fishermen and asked Council to take steps to acquire the whole of
“Die Land” in terms of the Act for the purpose of re-housing the slum dwellers there. He

also required the City Engineer to report on the availability of other suitable land nearby on
which to accommodate them. Representatives of the False Bay Fishermen’s Union, Major

R. C. Goodfellow and Mr. H. M. Turpin, were adamant that the fishermen could not live
distant from their boats for reasons of security during bad weather, costs of travel, general

inconvenience, and their rights to stay there by virtue of being descendants of the first

inhabitants. The Kalk Bay – Muizenberg Ratepayers’ Association expressed interest in
being kept informed of the proposals but stated no opinion in the matter. Various owners of

land on the mountainside (Dr. C. P. Smuts, Mr. J. W. Copenhagen, and Mr. J. W. O.

Billingham) offered it for sale to Council for housing purposes. Mr. G. L. Ladan, (Fig. 1.7),
who had been writing letters of complaint and championing the fishermen’s cause for some

11 years, continued to do so. Some excerpts from a 1937 letter are in the box:

“Schoonzicht”.
KALK BAY.
2 nd June, 1937.

J. Luyt, Esq.,
Representative of the
City Town Clerk,
City Hall,
CAPETOWN.

Re: Slum conditions, Harbour Road, Kalk Bay

Gentlemen,