B io ph ile Issu e 18 - Biophile Magazine

Muslim sailors from Zanzibar, joinedthe Royal Navy, they were called "Seedies".Most returned home at the end of theircontracts, but some married local womenand made their homes on the slopes of thismountain.The removal of the Muslim communityfrom Simonstown in term of the GroupAreas Act, resulted in the destruction ofa community with deep roots in the area.Two symbols of the historical occupancyof this community remain intact. TheMosque, and the Kramat.The Simonstown Mosque, which isnow under siege by developers, serves aspowerful symbol of the Simonstown muslimcommunities commitment to Islam,despite their humble origins as slaves .The little road, which gives access tothis mosque is about to become a turninglane for heavy vehicles. Some 3 000five ton lorry-loads of soil will have to beremoved in order to prepare the site. Thesite behind Hospital Terraces will see thebuilding of 23 new town houses with parkingfor 40 cars.The Catholic Church of Saints Simonand Jude owes its existence to two Spanishbrothers, the Delcarmes, reportedly fromSouth America. They married Irish andGerman women.Their descendants wereso numerous that they formed the basis ofthe resultant Catholic congregation. As alarge part of the Simonstown family, theywere able to build a church in 1850.Not too many people know where CottonLane is. It is a little road that runs betweentwo 165 year old whaler’s cottageson the slopes of Simonsberg Mountain.The Delcarmes lived in or at least veryclose to these cottages before they wereforcibly removed first to Dido Valley andthen to Ocean View.On Monday the 17 September 2007 Iarrived home to find a site meeting beingconducted on my doorstep. Anotherhousing development will be scarring thelandscape of Simonsberg mountainside.We were informed that whether we likedit or not, the development would be takingplace. The levelling equipment, I was told,would be arriving on Wednesday the 19September 2007. The owner of the housein which I live, resides in Johannesburg.Mary, was completely unaware of whatwas about to take place. The rest of theneighbourhood was equally oblivious.When the property bordering the newdevelopment was bought, the new ownerswere told that their property would bethe last row of houses. Above them, otherthan the Foxes' property, the rest was to bereserve. They were told by the owners thatthere was no intention of ever developingthe ground. Mr Fox has since passed away.The land is about to be carved up to makeway for at least 4 new houses.Two 165-year-old houses are to beimpacted on as a result of heavy 10 tonlevelling equipment and other buildingmaterials being trundled up little CottonLane with its 5 ton limit. The sign says 5tons because the municipality had no 3 tonsigns at the time.The trucks which have carried thebuilding materials up the lane to the popuptoaster which greets visitors to Simonstown,flagrantly disregard the 5 ton sign.Each passing day brings more bricks andmortar, doors and windows that would beenough to build accomodation for a numberof homes that would house a considerablenumber of families. This, for one manwho has shown no regard for the historyand the stories of the longtime inhabitantsof Cotton Lane.So much is lost when something orsomeone dies. Many of the people whohave battled for so long to honour and preserveSimonstown heritage are now runningout of steam or may even have died .How many of us have the courage and theforesight to become the new custodians ofthe environmental and historical heritageof places like Simonstown for our grandchildren.Or do we have so little faith in thevision of a future for our own children, thatit does not enter our wildest imaginings.Biophile Issue 1859