There was a time when the tiny town of Alicedale in the Eastern Cape was a major railway junction between Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. The railways were the primary source of employment and Alicedale was a thriving town: “Almost everyone had a job. The town was vigorously vibrant,” recalls resident Casparus Erasmus.
But when steam trains were phased out in the Eighties, many people lost their jobs and Alicedale started becoming a ghost town. “The final assault came when Spoornet stopped its operations in Alicedale in 1996. Almost all the railway workers lost their jobs,” explains Erasmus, adding that unemployment rose to almost 100% in this period. Many families faced utter destitution. “Poverty and unemployment had rubbed off, permanently, on our faces. The sun didn’t shine on us anymore,” remembers Ndawo Mbewu (70), a pig farmer.
Then, in 2003, the provincial government, Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and the Mantis group launched the R20-million Qhora project to rejuvenate Alicedale through sustainable tourism development. The Bushman Sands development, consisting of a game reserve, four-star hotel, conference centre and golf course was a key component of this plan.
In 2003, Mcebisi Jonas, former ECDC chief executive, promised that the first phase of the project would create 730 jobs, effectively reducing unemployment by 75%. “We started to believe that this was a turning point for us and a beginning of exciting things to come,” says Sizwe Andries (19), who dropped out of college last year because he couldn’t pay the fees. “We were promised jobs and everyone was excited.”
But residents say only 105 permanent jobs were created for locals in the first phase, which was completed last year, while about 20 management positions were filled by outsiders. The hotel says 400 temporary jobs were created during the construction phase, but resident Lulama Nogaya disputes this, saying only 50 locals were given temporary construction jobs. “When the Bushman Sands announced that it would create jobs for locals, most of us said indlal’Igwetyiwe [poverty is defeated]. Luckily I, together with four other women, [was among the first] to get employment during the construction phase.
“For about a year, we managed to support ourselves and feed our families. Then the building ended and we were back to square one. We thought that after the contract expired we would get permanent employment, but that was not the case. Now [we] are sitting at home unemployed. I only survive by selling chips and cigarettes.”
Andries agrees: “It’s been two years since the Bushman Sands opened, but still most of us have no jobs. Nobody seems to know what happened to the job promises. The youth sit at home and do nothing. Others have thrown in the towel and resorted to binge drinking … I can understand the stress and frustration they are going through … I don’t blame them.”
Most youth survive on the social grants of their elderly parents, who make up 30% of Alicedale’s population of 4Â 500.
“Many parents are hugely disappointed that their children still lack jobs after all those promises,” says Erasmus, who used to be a township manager and is currently employed as a unit manager for the Makana municipality. “They had hoped that their children would provide them with a much-needed relief since most of them are on a [pension] grant of R800, which feeds between six and eight people per household.”
Herman Muller, general manager at Bushman Sands, says it seems that it was not explained to residents that the 730 jobs promised would not be permanent.
Legal adviser to the ECDC Jacques Buchuner said, “The ECDC is not a good position to comment whether 400 jobs were created for locals during the construction phase.
“Staff members who were involved directly in the Alicedale development have left the ECDC. At this stage, it would be unwise for us to say whether the employment figures are correct or not, without any verification.”
Locals are also bitter that a multimillion-rand golf estate housing development is being built on 60ha of municipal commonage land, traditionally used to graze their cattle. The land was given to Bushman Sands on a 99-year lease with agreement of the local farmers and the municipality. In return the farmers were given 30ha of land to grow vegetables as well as seeds, fertilizers and a water irrigation scheme donated by the Bushman Sands, while the government provided a tractor.
But residents say the municipality had promised them the commonage land for the construction of 216 RDP houses.
A prominent community member, who wishes to remain anonymous, says the municipality, told the community that the area was “sandy” and “not suitable to build any houses”.
Residents fear that a luxury golf estate development will widen the already gaping divide between the rich and poor in Alicedale.
The community also feels shortchanged as they believe the development of the game reserve has deprived them of access to the New Year’s dam.
“Many people can’t fish anymore, they can’t use it for recreational purposes and they can’t use it as a sacred place to conduct their Xhosa traditional rituals,” complains Tina Louw, a teacher and spokesperson for the local fishing community. Tourists visiting Bushman Sands now use the dam for boat cruises, and the increase in wildlife makes it dangerous for locals to visit on foot.
“The dam is no longer ours. Even if there were no access limitations, animals such as hippo and elephants have made it their haven. Poor families, especially those who depend on fishing for subsistence, have been the hardest hit by this development,” she said.
Wonga Nesi (26) has been unemployed since he passed matric in 1998. He feels that his community and people have been robbed under the pretext of community development. “We have to start questioning whether these luxury developments [golf course, hotel, game reserve] were really meant to create jobs for us or to advance the interest of the rich?” he said. Nesi says temporary jobs are short-term solutions, which do not make any significant impact in the fight against poverty.
“The problem with many developments is that they adopt a ‘top-down’ approach … it puts the needs of developers first and relegates community members, which are supposed to be equal partners, to the role of ‘grabbing the crumbs’ on the sidelines,” he warns.
Vukile Wali, chairperson of the ANC in Alicedale, also argues that rejuvenating the town should not only mean “rejuvenating the facades of old buildings” into luxurious mansions along the town’s main street. “People want to be part of development that makes a positive impact in their lives,” he says.