Fondly known as “China” by many of its inhabitants, the Sea Vista Township is a vibrant residential area located next to the industrial area of St Francis Bay. It is home to an eclectic mix of people, speaking anything from Afrikaans to Chichewa mixed in with a bit of English. The atmosphere feels alive and pulsating with strains of music coming from all corners. Dogs are everywhere looking for scraps or a sunny spot to nap and exist alongside people going about their daily business. On the weekends, the streets are busy and noisy, especially around the taverns. Sea Vista residents live amongst each other, not behind doors and fences. After work or on weekends, people bring their chairs outside and kuier with their neighbours, everybody knows everyone else’s business! The smell of braai meat wafts through the air and there’s always chatter and music.
I hardly knew anything about Sea Vista until recently (even though I live a few kilometres from it). Nothing in my daily life required me to go beyond Tarragona Road. Yet, I was often struck by how much activity and celebration there seemed to be on the other side of the road after hours. I imagine it would be hard to feel lonely in a place like this. When the opportunity to take a township tour with a local guide came about, I seized it – eager to understand more about what life is like for others in my community.
Betty Anoster is our tour guide (and possibly one of the most captivating and resilient people I have ever met). Her hugely successful tours were curated for foreign guests at the Cape St Francis Resort who wanted to learn more about local culture. The tour is a slow stroll through Sea Vista guided by Betty and depending on how long your shebeen stop is, takes about 2 hours.
This township is a mix of formal and informal dwellings. The area around Tarragona Road is the older area where one finds brick-and-mortar houses and the odd paved road. The further one heads from the Industrial Area, the more informal the housing becomes with shacks often built from reclaimed material. The community of St Francis Bay has grown substantially over the past few years and as a result, the township has swelled with more informal housing towards the wetlands located between the airpark and Sea Vista Township. It’s estimated that roughly 6000 (Jarvis, 2024) people live here, with between four and six residents per structure.
Talhado
The first stop on the tour is Talhado. Tucked away on the edge of Sea Vista, is a sweet preschool that has been nurturing and educating the youngest Sea Vista residents for the last 26 years. We are met by the charming and gentle Chamel Malgas, the school secretary. The school has four classes taught by qualified teachers in Afrikaans or isiXhosa with a total capacity of 100 children. As a Montessori preschool, Talhado focuses on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. As we walk through the school we see happy children, eager to say hello and give us a smile or a jump.
The school runs solely on donations and charges parents R200 a month (this may not sound like much to some, but as we near the middle of the year, when tourism is low and expenses are high, parents do struggle to come up with these funds). To ensure that the little ones go home with a full belly at the end of the day, the Lunchbox Fund serves the children two cooked meals a day, lovingly prepared by the school cook, Bridget. Talhado has a large playground with a lovely jungle gym as well as a vegetable garden made using recycled materials. I can imagine that when it’s playtime this space is encapsulated by a bubble of joy.
It becomes evident as we tour the school that this is so much more than just a preschool. Under Cathryn Hempel’s community-minded leadership, it serves others in the area as well. In the afternoons, the kitchen transforms into a space to teach sewing classes. There are also plans to convert the media centre into a dance studio. Chamel tells us about a group of young dancers in Sea Vista who are currently taking classes at Salt and how the transport there and back is often an issue. Having a dance studio that is easily accessible would make a world of difference.
This preschool is special and undoubtedly has a far-reaching impact. Chamel tells us with pride how when they track Talhado children through primary school, the top ten typically begin their education at Talhado. Her mood changes to one of concern when she starts to talk about the Sea Vista Primary. There are around 550 children at the school and each grade has only two classes with between 45 and 50 in a class, although the largest class has 58 children. The Co-op has funded 15-20 assistants for the school, but the funding dries up in June and the teachers will be left on their own again). From Grade 1 to 3 the language of instruction is either isiXhosa or Afrikaans. In Grade 4, this changes to English or Afrikaans. Xhosa-speaking children have to adapt quickly and often get lost along the way. Even Talhado does not offer classes in English and English is minimal in their foundation phase. I simply can’t get my head around this – how can these children be expected to cope with a sudden change in language?
Sea Vista Sports Field
After saying goodbye to the gorgeous little people, Betty takes us on a stroll around the corner and shows us the sports field. To our dismay, the fields are locked behind two gates. Apparently, the fields are only unlocked for scheduled matches and on Wednesday afternoons for rugby practice.
With a wistful smile, Betty tells us how the Sea Vista Sports Field was the local after-school hangout place, “Everyone would gather there to practice and run around”. She played netball in a team with her friends, and whenever there was a match, there was always an excited crowd to cheer them on. It was a big deal. She played in the ‘Hulettes’ and they would often play against other teams with equally cool names, such as the ‘Peacelovers.’ Betty talks openly and honestly and tells us how she feels the community has lost control of their home. They should rise up and object to things like the locked sports field and the large classes at the primary school.
Our tour continues and by now we have picked up a friendly pack of dogs with lots of personality to escort us.
The Bahlalis
As we walk, Betty tells us how much Sea Vista has changed in the last five or so years. Post-COVID, more people have been attracted to the area and the township has grown. Sadly, many residents are struggling financially, and alcohol and drug abuse is becoming more of an issue. The police are understaffed and don’t have enough manpower to deal with the many problems plaguing Sea Vista. Criminals are released from prison after a few days and resume their old games, only to be arrested again later. Out of necessity, the community has taken it into their own hands to make sure there are consequences for crimes. Neighbourhood watches called Bahlalis will discipline people who are found stealing, raping or committing violence. They are known to expel criminals from the community by walking them out – if ever you see someone with a suitcase followed by an angry crowd, you can guess what has happened.
The Nightlife
The tour continues and as we approach Rosie’s, we launch into a discussion of what the nightlife is like in Sea Vista. Taverns are open 24 hours a day and parties carry on all night, especially if there is a good DJ. Rosie’s, apparently the most popular bar in town, was in the throws of a facelift so we didn’t get to go inside. Betty tells us that her tours used to include a visit to one or two of the taverns and it was often hard to get her group to leave.
The next stop was Lulu’s and we had a quick chat with the charming manager. It didn’t go unnoticed that the price of beers here is half of what it is in the village and the bar also functions as a bottle store. There’s a pool table and a few booths, already occupied with patrons (at 10am). Strolling through Sea Vista, we go past a few Spaza shops that stock everything from hairpieces to cabbage – small bags of chips must be a top seller as there are crates of them in every shop.
Chisa Nyama and Amapiano
I can just imagine a Saturday afternoon in Sea Vista starting with a haircut while catching up on local gossip. Then, grabbing a Russian and Chips for the kids at Rosie’s Take Away and heading to the chisa nyama guy for a chop and maybe a vetkoek. We could then saunter to Lulu’s for a round of pool and a few beers. The kids are in and out, and fully occupied with their chommies. On the way home, the Spaza shop would have a Coke and a packet of Nik-Naks – all this within a hundred steps and accompanied by the shared soundtrack of Amapiano wafting through the air.
The Clinic, the Library and the Community Centre
After Lulu’s we head towards the Clinic. The clinic always has a full waiting room with lots of people needing meds for various conditions including tuberculosis and HIV. Once a week, a doctor visits for the more serious cases referred to by the nurse, but in general, treatment is administered by the onsite nurses who clearly have their hands full. The big rule is that you must have a clinic book – no book, no help.
Next door is the library – probably my happiest surprise on the tour. As you walk in, you are greeted by Sesetu’s magical smile. The three librarians working there are so welcoming and engaging, they make you want to check out a book! Priscilla is upstairs in the children’s section which is a hive of activity after school. On that day, it was International Play Day and Vula had set up multiple games – ready for action.
From the library, we could peek into the community hall. This is the place often used for funerals, celebrations and public meetings. It’s a safe and central venue but is apparently quite a challenge to book. In the distance we could hear the laughter of little children from the creche sponsored by Pam Golding.
Nomvula’s Knitters
Nomvula’s Knitters is typically the last stop on the tour. This small business runs out of a shop in the Industrial Area off Tarragona Road and is a creative and colourful hub for talented knitters who supply the wholesale knitting market in South Africa and abroad. Pop in and browse through the beautiful knits or buy a few balls of wool. The knitters are always hard at work producing beautiful clothing and home goods and will welcome you with a smile.
As we headed back to our car, I felt so grateful to Betty for giving us this tour and having the initiative to offer something like this to the community. She says that there are seldom South Africans on this tour and it is mostly foreigners who are interested. As a local, I benefitted from this tour. We live in a country home to many different cultures and people from many walks of life. Compassion comes from a point of understanding and acknowledgement and is key to living peaceably together. Thank you, Betty for sharing your experiences with us.
Very interesting read. Thank you.