The Racial Divide and Milnerton's Efforts to Bridge It.

As early as 23 January 1907, the Cape Times Weekly carried an advertisement for Milnerton, which stated, inter alia:

"MILNERTON

The Popular Marine Suburb

Reserved for European Residents…"

This was long before the promulgation of the Group Areas Act, under which residential areas were racially segregated by law, so this decision to reserve the new township for whites only must have been that of the directors of Milnerton Estates.

Significantly, too, sport was racially segregated, with the directors being "startled" in May that year by a request to permit "coloured" rugby teams to use the Milnerton Rugby Football and Athletics Ground. To their credit, they gave their consent, but with the proviso that "the [Western Province] Rugby Union is satisfied that the playing of Coloured matches and Union matches on the same ground at the same time will not be taken exception to."

Later in the same year, there was a dispute between a Mr McGregor and a Mr Reading on the presence of "coloured" people in the Milnerton Park, something of which the latter approved and the former did not. In the event, the Company diplomatically informed Mr Reading that, "whilst admiring his philanthropy, we have serious objections to his breaking the rule, of which he is perfectly well aware, and that he will be held responsible for any claims made on us." The rule was clearly that the park and its amenities were reserved for whites only.

Sixty years later, at the height of apartheid, my friends and I were playing cricket in the very same park when a policeman came over to inform us that the "klonkie" was not allowed to be there. He was referring to our friend Geoff, the son of a caddie at the Milnerton Golf Club, who was classified "coloured". Without even considering our options, we pulled up our stumps and headed across Otto du Plessis Drive to a vacant patch of land alongside the lagoon, where we could continue our game free from the petty complaints of racist residents. The only discriminatory laws that we adhered to were that if you hit the ball into the lagoon or on to the road, you were out, and that “lighties” (players under the age of ten) could not be dismissed for a duck.

In 1951, proposals were made under the Group Areas Act to have the entire township of Milnerton Estates officially classified as "European". The Group Areas Act gave the government power to demarcate where each racial group could live and own property. In addition, the government also had control over all property transactions between different racial groups. Once an area was proclaimed as belonging to a specific racial group, only members of that group could reside and own property in that area. After the proclamation, the affected property owner of a "wrong group" could not continue to hold property rights in the area and thus had to move. Furthermore, people were not allowed to sell or rent property to people of another racial group. This forced them to move to an area designated as belonging to their racial group. There was a "coloured" community living in Brooklyn, who would now be subjected to forced removal, but, as far as can be determined, there was not a single protest from the directors of Milnerton Estates or from the Local Board.

In August 1954, plans were advertised for the official Group Areas demarcation of Milnerton, Brooklyn, Maitland and Woodstock, all of which fell within the Cape Town municipality. Again, there was no protest from the Milnerton public or authorities. By contrast, when suggestions for the southern suburbs were publicised five months later, there was a storm of protest. All the proposals were discussed at public hearings held in 1956, but there is no official record of attendance by any representatives of the new Milnerton Municipality. On 5 July 1957, the first Group Areas Act proclamation for Cape Town was issued, although most areas were not rezoned until 1961.

In 1956, concerns were expressed by the Station Commander of the South African Police concerning Africans unlawfully sleeping in servants’ quarters, but little change occurred in the situation until 1961, when, following a request from the Government for comments on the "Bantu in European Areas Bill", the matter was referred for discussion by the United Municipal Executive of the Cape Province. When we moved into the Milnerton Rectory in 1960, there was already an African man sleeping in our maid’s quarters. He tended the clay courts of the Milnerton Tennis Club, but with their conversion to hard courts soon afterwards, he lost his job and had to move out.

Early in 1965, a proclamation was issued declaring Milnerton a "White Area", with beaches reserved for Europeans.

 

For this reason, on 18 May, Councillor J. Gelb convened a public meeting "to test public opinion and to stimulate discussion". The principal speaker, Councillor P. V. Faure, began by pointing out that "the Salt River and Woodstock Beaches have always been used by Coloureds. From the Total Tanks to Blouberg, there is a seven-and-a-half-mile strip of beach and the major use of this is in the vicinity of the Golf Course used by Whites and Coloureds." His suggestion was for "a portion of the beach, measuring approximately half a mile, from the Milnerton Municipal boundary in the south to the Lagoon Mouth, to be set aside for use by Coloureds. As it is not safe for anyone to swim in the Lagoon, I suggest they do not go as far as the Lagoon Mouth… If Milnerton takes the initiative, other municipalities of the Peninsula would also consider giving this facility to its Coloured people. Even if they are living outside the Milnerton area, they should be allowed to make use of the suggested portion." This drew comment from the Mayor: "If the beach is granted to the Coloureds, provision will also have to be made for Bantus. The half-mile of beach proposed by Councillor Faure is totally inadequate. Should separate amenities be provided, extreme difficulties will be experienced in demarcating the different areas. Signs will have to be erected, and there may have to be beach constables with power to arrest." Such were the complications of trying to provide separate amenities to comply with apartheid laws!

The "coloured" children of farm labourers in the Potsdam area to the north of Milnerton had to walk all the way along Koeberg Road to schools in Maitland because the Milnerton schools were at that time reserved for whites. Sometimes they would be given a lift by drivers of the trucks laden with gravel from the Durbanville quarries, but it was a long walk for those who were not as fortunate. My dad would sometimes give them a lift. If I was in the car, I would feel uncomfortable as already at that age I was not used to mixing with "coloured" children.

My brother Andy and friend Adele with two children from Potsdam.

My dad sometimes invited "coloured" or black fellow clergymen and their families for a meal at the Rectory and, once again, I remember feeling awkward in their company, particularly when we were expected to play together. The same thing happened when we were invited to lunch at Bishopscourt by Archbishop Robert Selby-Taylor, who always ensured that there was a racial mix of families. This type of integration all seemed a bit forced to me. A neighbour who lived directly opposite us in Hawston Road, who held a managerial position on the Railways, forbade his children to play with us because, I suppose, he considered us tainted!

The only other "coloured" or black adults I encountered were employees of whites. Our family always had a "coloured" char, milk was delivered by black milkmen, and dustmen were all "coloured". It was understandable, therefore, that I grew up with a degree of racial superiority and prejudice, even though my parents tried their best to counter the effects of apartheid. I knew that they would have voted for the liberal Progressive Party had they been allowed to vote, but we children knew nothing of the Sharpeville shootings, which occurred soon after we moved to Milnerton, or the subsequent State of Emergency. We knew nothing, too, about the Treason Trial or the imprisonment of political dissidents on Robben Island, which we could see out in the bay. We lived extremely sheltered lives.

I remember going to the chapel of St Francis, Brooklyn, with my dad, who celebrated Mass there after his morning service at St Oswald’s, Milnerton. It was packed with a "coloured" congregation, who sang far more lustily than Milnerton’s predominantly white congregation. I particularly remember their singing "Jesu, Lover of my soul,/ Let me to Thy bosom fly", with the congregation lingering on the first syllable of "bosom".  They also employed a pleasing descant on the word "three" when singing, "God in three persons, blessed Trinity." Christian van Sensie, a member of this congregation, used to paint our Rectory, whistling hymns in his distinctive manner, starting a new line on the same note as he had ended the previous one. We children thought his first name was most appropriate.

I am deeply ashamed that the congregation of St Oswald’s raised no voice of protest at the forced removal of our fellow Anglicans from Brooklyn. 

A recent photograph of the congregation of St Francis, Brooklyn

In 1963, Milnerton Estates decided to lay out an industrial township of its own, distinct from Paarden Island, which was named Milnerton Industrial Township, but which has since grown to become Montague Gardens. In 1966, the Mayor, Councillor S. Kotze, spoke out strongly against the official ban on a "coloured" township, which, he said, was proving a real handicap on industrial development. While "coloured" people were not permitted to make Milnerton their home, they were needed as a source of cheap labour.

The Milnerton Golf Club and the Municipality made a courageous decision to allow the Western Province Coloured Championships on the Milnerton Golf Course on 8-9 February 1965. However, the Golf Club’s Committee showed less admirable judgment in inviting the Hon. B.J. Vorster, then Prime Minister, to officiate at the opening of the new clubhouse on 26 February 1977, even though he enjoyed playing golf.

The Milnerton Golf Club Committee of 1977, with the Prime Minister, Mr BJ Vorster, seated centre.

In 1968, the Department of Transport asked for the Milnerton Municipality’s views on the matter of separate bus services for Whites and Non-Whites. Until then, a large section at the front of each bus had been reserved for whites, while the rest of the seating had been open to "All classes". The Municipality expressed no objection to the proposal.

To its credit, however, the Municipality did permit the first Multi-National [read Multi-Racial] South African Surf Lifesaving Championships to be staged on Milnerton beach in 1974, with the mayor even laying on a cocktail party for participants, but only after ensuring that he did so with the blessing of the Department of Sport.

Before the 1991 repeal of the Group Areas Act, Milnerton provided only two types of accommodation for races other than white: the numerous servants’ quarters in the backyards of white residences; and single-sex dormitories provided for the grooms and stable hands employed at the Ascot Racecourse. In 1992, approximately 500 black workers were employed by the 21 trainers who rented stables from the Milnerton Turf Club.

These dormitories were situated directly opposite a largely undeveloped triangular parcel of land owned by the Department of Posts and Telecommunications (Telkom). This land, measuring 246,3 ha, was known colloquially as "Marconi Beam" because it had once been the site of a radio and telegraph station. In 1990, Telkom used only 64,3 ha of this site, with the rest being officially vacant.

Although there had been people living at Marconi Beam informally from the 1960s, the growth of the informal settlement became a problem to nearby middle-class residents only in the mid-1980s. Drawn by the prospects of employment at Ascot Racecourse, families of isiXhosa-speaking South Africans from Ciskei and Transkei migrated to Milnerton and settled on the private land illegally. In 1990, a strike of workers at the racecourse pushed many groomsmen to move into Marconi Beam.

The residents of Milnerton were quick to voice their objections to this burgeoning settlement, which prompted the Town Clerk to send an informational pamphlet to all ratepayers and residents, in which he explained the Municipality’s position on the squatters:

"The land on which squatting is occurring is owned by the Department of Posts and Telecommunications… The situation in which the Council and its ratepayers find themselves is primarily due to the failure on the part of the landowner to take effective measures timeously to control the illegal occupation of his land, notwithstanding repeated notices by the Municipality to do so." [Words in bold were highlighted in the original.]

He then went on to explain that the landowner had been hamstrung owing to assurances given by the government to the UDF and ANC "to the effect that forced removal of communities or demolition of shacks should not take place without prior consultation with the communities concerned" and the provision of alternative affordable accommodation. He informed the community that the Municipality had, therefore, "appointed a town planning consultant to advise it and make recommendations on alternative areas within or outside the municipal boundaries where permanent informal housing can be located".

He concluded by informing residents and ratepayers that the Council had "whilst unanimous, very reluctantly, agreed to the declaration of about 8,02 ha of the Telkom site as a temporary transit area for the housing of homeless persons". [Again, words in bold were highlighted in the original.]

While the search for an alternative site was underway, the squatter community continued to grow. A survey of Marconi Beam conducted in May/June 1993 found 834 households with a total population of 2,835 people. 1994 estimates suggest that around 9% of the residents were classified as "coloured", a handful were white, and the overwhelming majority were black.

The municipal officials, particularly the Town Clerk and Councillors, suffered much abuse at the hands of some Milnerton residents in 1990 and 1991. A newspaper report of a residents’ meeting in 1990 states: "Tight-lipped Milnerton town councillors were loudly booed and ragged by more than 800 residents who packed the town hall… a vote of no confidence in the council and demands for their immediate resignation were loudly supported by residents."

From records of their deliberations, it seems that the Municipality felt that they were caught in a bind between an indecisive government, an enraged local community, a divided Council, and a newly arrived and assertive squatter population. The Municipality and Council were, in the words of the mayor, "damned if we do and damned if we don’t".

The most vocal opposition to Marconi Beam was articulated initially by the Milnerton Ratepayers Association (MRA), an officially non-political organisation whose main goal was to protect the interests of Milnerton property owners. They particularly highlighted the fear expressed by the residents of Milnerton that the establishment of Marconi Beam would lead to increased crime in the area and that it would have a negative impact on property values. These fears may have seemed justified, but they may also have been a smokescreen for racist attitudes towards the residents of Marconi Beam.

Whatever the reason for these fears, the facts suggest that they were unfounded. The Chief Liaison Officer of the Milnerton police station argues that while crime in the suburb has increased, this is in line with the national trend, and there is no (or very little) correlation between increased crime in Milnerton and the establishment of Marconi Beam. He did point out, however, that the incidence of crime in Marconi Beam itself was comparably high.

Similarly, an analysis of property sales data for Milnerton between 1989 and 1993 suggests that the establishment of Marconi Beam during this period had no noticeably negative impact on property value in the suburb.

While the MRA was vocally opposed to a low-income black presence in the neighbourhood, it never publicly opposed residential desegregation, being at pains to point out that "the issue is non-racial, as this Executive has no objections to anyone buying into any ward at market prices".

Nevertheless, while overtly racist sentiment was not the norm, it was not entirely absent from the debate. A small minority of white residents used overtly and disturbingly racist language (and actions) to express their opposition to Marconi Beam, as can be seen in an assortment of letters attached as an Annexure to a document sent by the MRA to the Town Clerk.

Most residents of Milnerton, however, responded to Marconi Beam with apathy rather than activism, with even those who had initially been most active in their opposition to Marconi Beam soon adjusting to the new realities and learning to live with them.

Credit for this change in attitude must go, at least partially, to those councillors and municipal officials (particularly the Town Clerk) who stood firm against the opponents and accepted that the Municipality would have to take responsibility for creating a low-income black settlement within its boundaries. As Willem van Staden, a councillor and former mayor of Milnerton, put it in 1992:

"It is time for all of us to put our prejudices aside. We must look at the provision of proper sites for informal settlers as an opportunity to carry out our moral and social responsibility in assisting with the upliftment of disadvantaged South Africans… All sites should be provided for a nominal fee or free of charge where this is warranted. New residents must also have access to full services like electricity, taps, water-borne sewerage and refuse removal."

These views were echoed by the Town Clerk, who in the same year argued that:

            "We must leave our grievances behind… In the old South Africa, there was much suppression and unfairness, which resulted in products like our squatter settlements. We must join hands, apologise and negotiate an acceptable solution."

At the beginning of 1995, the Milnerton Municipality and the Marconi Beam Civic Association agreed to a substantial upgrading project that was intended to provide formal housing for the bulk of the present households at Marconi Beam (although not on the presently occupied portion of the site), with the remainder of the residents moving to a new settlement further to the north at Du Noon. Similar scenes to those that had played themselves out in the Milnerton town hall now took place in Table View as residents began objecting to the mooted Du Noon settlement.

Signs of a polarised community

The Milnerton Municipality issued a flyer to all residents within the Milnerton Municipal Area, which included Table View, justifying their selection of Du Noon as a site for low-income housing, in which they argued that:

"We must remember that we are dealing with human beings who have for far too long been chased from pillar to post without any certainty of permanence of residence… South Africans from all walks of life will have to become reconciled with the fact that the poor and needy are fellow countrymen and all parties will simply have to learn to live together peacefully. It is a myth to believe that Milnerton will be able to escape the realities of accepting its share of the responsibility for homeless persons when viewed against the overall challenges facing South Africa… The Municipality of Milnerton appeals to all persons to exercise their minds objectively. Poor and destitute people have a right to exist and can no longer, as in the past, be relegated to some obscure area to be hidden away from the rest of society. The sooner we commence positive actions, the sooner we will begin to address the problem of urbanisation caused by inadequate planning in the past. An earnest appeal is made for all affected parties to become reconciled with the fact that there is much work to be done."

By 1996, Milnerton and Marconi Beam had formally been living side by side for over five years. While the two communities had by and large learned to live with each other, for all real purposes their residents inhabited two separate worlds, one privileged and the other deprived. Marconi Beam residents generally viewed Milnerton as a symbol of white privilege and inequity. Milnerton residents generally viewed Marconi Beam as a blight, an eyesore, a place that sheltered vagabonds and criminals who now roamed their once ordered streets. In the words of the then Deputy Mayor, squatters were like a "cancer" that without control would grow like "a mushroom farm". For most white Milnerton residents, Marconi Beam was a symptom not of the inequities of the old South Africa, but of the chaos of the new.

What is interesting is that while the Marconi Civic Association and the residents of Marconi Beam continued to push for more and better facilities, they did not make a concerted drive to force Milnerton to share theirs. Thus, Marconi Beam residents agitated for a school until one was established in the area. This was notwithstanding the fact that an under-utilised primary school was located just under 1,5 km away and an under-utilised high school 2,5 km away.

During the period of political transition, the four state schools in Milnerton opted for Model C status, which allowed their governing bodies to set their own admission requirements and to charge their own fees. With the notable exception of Zonnekus, these schools used their Model C status to exclude children from Marconi Beam. Seamount Primary, for example, initially accepted two children from Marconi Beam, but soon had them transferred to Zonnekus because "their English was too weak". Likewise, in 1994, Milnerton High refused admission to children from Marconi Beam on the grounds that they did not meet admission requirements. The Deputy Principal commented that the school was "not compelled to take kids", even though it was the only high school in the suburb.

The Marconi Beam Civic mounted no campaigns to force any of Milnerton’s schools to change entrance requirements or lower fees, preferring instead to push for separate (and inferior) facilities in Marconi Beam.

Similarly, during the transition, there were no residents of Marconi Beam among the 29,000 members of the modern Milnerton library. The low level of literacy in Marconi Beam and the fact that the library has few books in isiXhosa may have contributed to this situation.

We in this country, and particularly in Cape Town, have a long way to go before we can claim to have righted the injustices of the past and to have become truly inclusive. Milnerton has not yet addressed the issue of inclusivity, despite having one of the foremost critics of apartheid as a resident. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu coined the phrase "Rainbow Nation" to convey his vision of a united, harmonious nation, but do we share it?

The next challenge for the residents of Milnerton is to ensure that those who live in neighbouring suburbs and townships have equitable access to its excellent facilities, including its schools, library, and other civic amenities. 

Very rarely in South Africa has a white middle-to-upper class suburb found itself with a low-income, informal black settlement right on its doorstep (Milnerton and Marconi Beam are separated by Koeberg Road). As such, it provides a unique example of largely peaceful co-existence for sociological study.