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Overstrand Community Profile

The Overstrand Municipality is situated towards the southern area of the Western Cape province in South Africa, and constitutes part of the Overberg District Municipality. The region stretches from the small seaside villages of Rooi Els in the west to Quinn Point in the east, and includes 200km of coastline. The region contains four main towns, namely Hermanus, Kleinmond, Stanford and Gansbaai. Smaller hamlets and farming areas such as Baarskeerdersbos, Pearly Beach, Hemel and Aarde Valley, and Viljoeshof scatter the region and account for a relatively small percentage of the area’s population, which is estimated to number over 80 000 people in 2010. The area is characterised by vast expanses of natural vegetation, and the region is a major holiday and tourist destination. Hermanus is said to be one of the best land-based whale-watching destinations in the world, and the town enjoys the bulk of the tourist trade. Other significant economic sectors include wholesale and retail trade, and finance and business services, but these sectors are still relatively small in relation to the size of the region. The largest regional employer is the local municipality.

As in many areas in South Africa, the wealthy and the poor live in close proximity in the Overstrand. This social polarisation is situated mainly along racial lines due to South Africa’s racially oppressive history of apartheid. Poorer areas are typically located towards the outskirts of the larger towns as a result of apartheid’s racial segregation policies. It is in these areas that unemployment is highest and education levels are lowest. Crime, drugs, teenage pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, gangs, violence, rape, child abuse and neglect are widespread in these communities, and community members struggle to ensure that they are provided with the essential services that they require. The smaller hamlets are generally poorly resourced and residents have very little opportunities to receive education and to find employment, as there is very little farming and industry operating outside of major towns. The geographical isolation of many of these settlements results in service provision difficulties.

Figures from the 2001 South African census indicate that the unemployment rate at the time was 21.7 percent, and that 11.7 percent of households had no source of income. There are 21 schools in the area, and 19 percent of the population over the age of 14 years have not completed grade 5. There are 11 medical facilities spread throughout the region, with most of them being primary care facilities. It is estimated that over 16 percent of the population is living with HIV/AIDS, and AIDS-related deaths are having a major impact on children and families. All of these socioeconomic indicators are concentrated towards poorer areas, as this is where people have more difficulty in accessing education, resources and basic services. Many households are living in informal housing and do not have easy access to running water, sanitation and electricity.

There are well over 50 registered nonprofit organisations of varying sizes operating within the Overstrand region, and many more informal or community-based organisations. The combined services provided by these organisations are still insufficient to provide Overstrand communities with the services that they require in order to overcome the cycles of poverty in which they find themselves. The Hermanus Rainbow Trust’s work, together with the work of other nonprofit, governmental and private organisations within the region, is therefore essential if individuals living in poor and marginalised communities are to improve their lives.

For more information about the Overstrand click here.