Page 117 - KBHA BULLETIN 3

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The railways pushed through the line to Simon’s Town without any regard to the local line

fishermen and took away the landing beach. It took years of struggling before anything was
done about this. In fact, the only reason the local municipality supported the call to assist the

fishermen was that they realised they could end up with a large unemployed population on

their doorstep.

There were those who had visions of great profits from the whaling industry, and then those
with vested interests in trawling. The building of the harbour was supported by many for

these various reasons. Some even had visions of handling cargo out of the port, and others of

promoting yachting in the Cape. What they all had in common was using the “plight of the
line-fishermen” as a means of getting public support for their ideas.

The line-fishermen have always been in the middle. They have had a rough time from all
sides. Possibly because of the tough nature of their work and the constant battle to survive

they have never managed to unite and work together. They seldom agreed on any issues: they

disagreed about the building of a harbour, they fought about the Navy and the railway trains
disturbing the fish, they fought about the trawling, and they had continuous squabbles about

the various fish factories that were established.

They were abused by landlords and exploited by the langganers, or middlemen, who bought

and resold their fish. The Mayor of Kalk Bay described them as “a grumbling race of men

from beginning to end.”

As described in the book the fishermen are not employed as such. They are freelance. They

don’t work for wages. They earn from their ability to catch fish. If it is snoek time and a
fisherman catches fifty snoek, which sell for R10 each on the market, he gets R500. From this

he has to pay his boatshare of R200 and the balance of R300 is his earnings for the day. From
that he has to pay for his bait - R20 - and for his tackle, and his transport.

Being freelance also means the fishermen are free to move from boat to boat. Many stay with
one boat for years and become considered “permanent crew”. But if their boat does not go to