I know very little about surfing/skateboarding lingo and culture so I hope those of you who do will take me with a pinch of salt. One recent Saturday (23 October) I made my way along Chapman’s Peak drive to the Save 783 from Development party. The aim of the party was to raise funds that will pay for environmental consultants, lawyers and other such professional folk to build a case against the proposed development plans for Kommetjie.
I arrived to hundreds of Kommetjie locals and lovers, all in support of the real Kom. I can’t be sure but I think that real has something to do with freedom. Freedom to skate wherever you please. Freedom to leave your house at 7am, surf the whole day and only return for dinner – age seven.
Freedom to have an open yard. Freedom to have windows without burglar bars, knowing that your only trespassers will be of the furry variety. I suspect that freedom comes from having neighbours as best friends and being part of a community that is as tight-knit as it is relaxed. Towns like Kommetjie give new meaning to the expression local is lekker.
Kommetjie locals (or Kom Skom as they lovingly refer to each other) are concerned that new residential units, group housing projects, commercial entities and the associated infrastructure will threaten the local flavour and small-town charm of their picturesque coastal home.
As a South African, I have mixed feelings toward development. On the one hand, I think we must embrace (healthy) development efforts as a means of overcoming economic inequality. On the other, I’d hate to see toll roads, high-rise apartment blocks and Macdonald’s outlets scarring every inch of this magnificent country. Kommetjie is one of those very special places I’d like to remain as is.
