Kurland Village  (3rd Quarter 2006)

In an official survey conducted during early-2002, the results of which were published later that year, Kurland Village had an estimated population of 3 600 persons. Since then, the village has expanded in members by a further 800 to 1 000 inhabitants. The resident municipal manager estimates the number of people based, but not necessarily living in Kurland on a full time basis, to be approximately 4 500 persons. Of these, 1 200 – 1 300 are below the age of 18 years old. These latter figures, whilst not formally quantified, are generally regarded by many to be reasonably accurate for planning purposes.

The township village was originally established in the early 1970’s to accommodate incoming workers employed, in the main, at a newly upgraded nearby wood mill as well as on the surrounding farms or smallholdings. Due to the general escalating shortage of lumber in the Garden Route region, the local wood milling operation, like many other mills, has since closed and re-opened at various intervals. At peak times, the three separate timber-based businesses currently operating from the premises employ approximately 80 persons. The adjacent Kurland Brick clay-brick manufacturing yard, established after the saw mill, employees +/-150 people at capacity. The owner, Mr Graham Black, has implemented a broad based social responsibility programme that extends beyond his direct employees into the village. The Porcupine pottery factory provides employment to +/-50 persons and in recent years has implemented an employment equity empowerment programme. The Mohair factory employs approximately 40 persons. The high tourism attraction section comprising the primate, exotic bird and elephant parks provide further permanent but limited employment as does the growing horse polo fields. With regard to the latter, it must be noted that experienced grooms and stable hands generally accompany work the strings of horses whenever they travel. Consequently this new area of activity has introduced further people from outside of the region to the area.

It must furthermore be noted that once-intensive farming activities are on the decline and that apart from a few remaining dairy farmers, many farms are now small-holdings where ‘interest’ farming activities such as nuts, speciality crops and even a pocket vineyard are pursued by their owners who derive their principal source of income from other areas. Thus whilst limited local employment opportunities exist, they remain scarce. This is reflected by the substantial number of under- and unemployed people that congregate daily at the general dealer seeking casual or short-term employment. Estimates of unemployment figures vary but are felt to be not less than 28 – 30% of the adult population. 

When Kurland Village was established in 1974, some 216 houses were built to house these families. This newly created township community was also provided with one general clinic and a municipal administrative office. The Primary school, which existed long before the establishment of the township, was and still is the only school in the area. This school accommodates pupils to Grade 9 only and has an annual enrolment of 570-580 scholars. Those who continue with their education past Grade 9 are compelled to either commute to Wittedrift (20 kms distant) or further afield. In the early-80's the new school was built and the old one converted to the mohair weaving factory. An additional 134 residential units were added. Population then was +/- 1 500 persons.

 

To date, whilst the number of houses has increased by a further 311 units around the original village, the large influx of people to Kurland from the Eastern Cape province from the late-1980’s has resulted in the building of +/- 280 informal squatter shacks on municipal open spaces once reserved for recreational projects. Due to this rapid growth, which occurred in a very short period of time, the existing public facilities have become increasingly insufficient for the demands of the broader community.

The new soccer field and playground was completed in 2002; the same year that 10 more formal prefabricated timber frame housing units were erected opposite the municipal office.

In a community with limited employment and leisure time activities restricted, in the main to sport, related societal problems include rapidly increasing crime statistics coupled with growing alcohol and drug related abuse problems. This is particularly rife amongst the youth. The community is also stricken by an increasing number of HIV and TB cases, lamentably a common condition nowadays in many African villages.

The construction of some 480 core-housing units required to ease the formal housing backlog was subjected to numerous delays until mid-2005, when the installation of water, sewage and storm water services for Phase 1 of this development commenced. At the same time the existing ‘new’ soccer field built in 2002 was upgraded and extended; two sports fields in the village were decommissioned to enable houses to be built within the existing residential nodes and two new sport fields were then constructed on the periphery of the village to take their place.  
 
During 2006 the construction of 250 new residences to be erected on the old air-strip towards the rear of the village above the Salt River gorge commenced. When completed, these units will house families from the informal housing area which will then be cleared for a further 230 units. The construction of the new housing and their hand-over for occupation is carefully managed to provide those persons qualifying for new units to move into these as soon as they are completed to prevent unauthorised occupation. Simultaneously, vacated informal houses are sealed off for demolition to prevent newcomers occupying these but this has not always met with the desired outcome.

The entire housing construction process of the additional 480 units is anticipated to conclude by late-2007, thereby bringing the total number of formal houses up to 830 in number. However, it is readily evident that even within the old planning guidelines, not all informal houses will be replaced and given that some of those earmarked for demolition have since been occupied by new arrivals to the village, there will remain an informally housed sector of the community and that this may well be larger in number that originally envisaged. Continue....