PRESS RELEASE: RP Says Fisherhaven Academy Fiasco Is a Warning to the Rest of the Province

PRESS RELEASE: RP Says Fisherhaven Academy Fiasco Is a Warning to the Rest of the Province

‍As learners return to school this week, residents of the small residential community of Fisherhaven near Hermanus face renewed disruption to what was once a quiet, retirement-oriented village. The Referendum Party (RP) stands firmly with the Fisherhaven community and warns that this situation represents a broader governance failure driven by unchecked illegal settlement growth, poor planning, and a growing loss of state control that now threatens towns and suburbs across the Western Cape.

In 2023, construction began rapidly on Fisherhaven Academy with minimal meaningful consultation. From October through mid-December, residents endured relentless construction noise, dust, heavy vehicle traffic, and generators running late into the night. Roads never designed for sustained heavy use deteriorated rapidly, and proposals are now being advanced for further expansion, including additional sports facilities.

Under current plans, the school’s enrollment is expected to reach approximately 1,120 learners - an extraordinary figure in a settlement of roughly 700 residents, many of whom are retirees. Local residents report that children from Fisherhaven and nearby Hawston struggle to gain placement, while learners are instead bused in daily from distant areas, including from large illegal settlements that have developed around Hermanus and beyond, in some cases as far as Gansbaai 60km away. These transport arrangements reportedly cost millions of rand annually and have placed severe strain on local infrastructure.

Heavy buses damage gravel and lightly constructed tarred roads, while buses are parked along narrow residential streets, obstructing access and eroding residents’ quality of life. Reports of unsanitary behaviour and the absence of basic facilities for drivers raise additional public health and safety concerns.

Throughout this process, Fisherhaven residents have been treated with a complete lack of respect and total disregard. Community objections have been ignored, accountability has been deflected between departments, and formal enquiries submitted on behalf of residents by RP have gone unanswered. This reflects a broader pattern in which communities are expected to absorb the consequences of illegal settlement growth without consent, compensation, or proper planning.

RP therefore calls for the relevant provincial authorities - particularly the Western Cape Department of Education - to initiate an urgent investigation into Fisherhaven Academy’s planning, admissions, transport arrangements, and infrastructure impact. Immediate mitigation measures must be implemented, and further expansion must be halted pending proper review and genuine public consultation.

RP Secretary-General Robert King says, “Fisherhaven is not an isolated case. It demonstrates that in the Western Cape, DA-run authorities are increasingly losing control. Combined pressures from mass migration and the proliferation of illegal settlements are overwhelming local capacity and steadily degrading residents’ quality of life. Communities such as Fisherhaven, alongside similar developments in Fish Hoek, offer a clear warning of the province’s future if this crisis is not confronted now.”

The Referendum Party is fighting back with its Western Cape Illegal Settlements Bill, which would end land invasions in the Western Cape by making use of the province’s constitutional concurrent powers in respect of housing. Further details of this campaign will be announced in due course.