Page 126 - Bulletin 21

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A photograph of Die Land taken in about 1890 poses an obvious question: where did the

fishing people live? The 1891 census shows there were about 650 people, mostly fishing
families in Kalk Bay - Muizenberg. But only a few buildings are shown near the Harbour

beach and on Die Land. We know that many Muslims lived in the area of the mosque in
Gatesville Road. Others were in condemned buildings where the Olympia now stands, while

others were in Windsor Road, Belmont Road, Lever Street and Rouxville Road. Apart from
the Muslim properties all of this housing was condemned on various health grounds in the

early 1930s.

Of further interest in the photograph is the large white oblong structure slightly to the right of

centre. This is a huge fish-drying shed and stables giving an indication of the enormous
catches being processed at Kalk Bay at this time.

After a short 10 or so years The Sandblocks, as Die Land was called by the Municipality, had

been transformed. Well-built houses had been erected along what was to become Harris
Road. On Die Land simple housing had gone up, mostly the work of speculators. (Figs. 4.9 –

4.13.) Of course for a time it took the pressure off the housing shortage. Houses continued to
go up. But many were poorly built and it wasn’t many years later that crowding and health

problems re-emerged.

The Fernandez Family of Kalk Bay

As the Fernandez family is a significant part of this story the plot at 6 Gordon Road (erf

89926) is important. Like number 4 Gordon Road (see below) it was sold in 1850, James

Maynard being the purchaser. In 1870 it was owned by Thomas Hollard who sold it to Falal
Samaai (also known as Ismaai.)

Samaai of Wynberg took a mortgage from Anne Hildagonda Hofmeyer for £100 in 1880 and

put up as security this plot and three others he owned in Windsor Road. The 1885 survey map
shows this house as ‘Falal’s Cottage’. (see Fig. 4.8.) Forty years after Falal Samaai had

bought the property at 6 Gordon Road he sold to Petro (Pedro) Fernandez in 1910.

What was to become 4 Gordon Road (erf 89925) was sold to George Smithers. He seems to
have literally disappeared and in 1937 (87 years later) the land was sold as Derelict land at

auction for £763 9s 6d to Salie Nathan and Eli Ross. In 1949 they sold the land to Sophia