Simon's Town Research Articles

Microplastic concentrations and risk assessment in water, sediment and invertebrates from Simon's Town, South Africa

Plastic pollution is an ever-increasing threat globally and poor waste management in South Africa has caused an increase in plastic leakage into the environment. Plastic waste in the environment are categorized according to size and plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in size are regarded as microplastics (MPs), and little to no research has been done on MPs pollution within the marine coastal environment and rocky shores in South Africa. Sampling was done in February 2020 at a rocky shore within Simon's Town Marina, Cape Town. MPs were extracted from collected water (n = 5), sediment (n = 5) and biota (n ≤ 30) samples. The extracted MPs were further classified based on shape, colour, size and an attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) instrument was utilized for polymer type identification The risks posed by MPs because of concentration at which they occurred and chemical composition were assessed in all the sample types. As expected, MPs were higher in sediment (38 ± 2 MP/kg) than in water (0.37 ± 0.06 MP/L) as the area has low water energy, allowing MP particles to settle within the sediment. Filter-feeding organisms had the lowest average MP particle concentrations (0.28 ± 0.04 MP/g) but displayed the highest variation of MP particle colours due to the non-selective feeding strategy, where other feeding strategies ingested mostly black/grey particles. The dominant MP size was between 100 μm and 500 μm in size for all samples combined, with the most abundant MP polymer type being nylon (27.27 %), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (18.18 %) and natural MP particles such as cotton (18.18 %). The risk assessment indicated that polymer type poses a greater risk of MP pollution than MP concentrations.

African Penguins, Boulders Beach, Simon's Town, South Africa.

African Penguins, Boulders Beach, Simon's Town, South Africa.

Concentrations and risk assessment of metals and microplastics from antifouling paint particles in the coastal sediment of a marina in Simon's Town, South Africa.

Maintenance of maritime vessels includes the removal of paint from hulls that are sources of metals, antifouling paint particles (APPs) and microplastics (MPs) that end up in the coastal environment. Simon's Town is a small urban town in False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa, where maritime activities take place (there is a naval harbour, marina and shipyard). The aim of this study was to measure metals, APPs and MPs in Simon's Town, to assess the impact of maritime activities and a storm water pipe in a sheltered marina. Sediment samples were collected from six sites during winter 2018. Sediment and extracted APPs were analysed for metal concentrations (Al, As, B, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sb, Sn, Sr, V and Zn) and MPs characterised based on type (shape and polymer), colour and size. Highest average metal concentrations in sediment for all sites were Fe (32228 ± SEM 4024), Al (12271 ± 1062) and Cu (1129 ± 407). Metals in paint particles were highest for Fe (80873 ± 19341), Cu (66762 ± 13082) and Zn (44910 ± 1400µg/g). Metal and MP fragment concentrations were highest at the slipway of the shipyard, decreasing with increased distance from the slipway. MP filaments were highest close to the storm water outfall pipe. Our results suggest that shipyards are potential sources of metals and MP fragments (mainly APPs), with storm water pipes potential sources of MP filaments. Various indices applied to assess the potential impacts of metals and MPs suggest that these contaminants have the potential to adversely impact the intertidal ecosystem investigated.

Museums as Tools for Understanding Slavery and its Legacies in South Africa

This article explores how slavery is represented in South African museums and how this history is examined in relation to later histories of apartheid. The interconnected histories of structural racism and intergenerational dispossession are frequently portrayed as distinct and unrelated. Perhaps owing much to the decades of silence which clouded the subject, South African museums widely approach slavery with little reference to its contemporary legacies in the country. The state-funded flagship museums of Freedom Park in Pretoria and the Iziko Slave Lodge in Cape Town are considered as examples of sites whereby representations of slavery may be constrained by national narratives. The privately funded museums on the wine estate of Solms-Delta are then highlighted as an example of how memory work can help to form new understandings of self by focusing on the distant past. The article then considers how slavery is represented in Simon's Town as an example of how local histories have been selectively constructed in South Africa, and suggests that the approach taken at Solms-Delta could successfully function in other localities.

Building South Africa's naval capability: heyday, decline and prospects

Up to the abrogation of the Simon's Town Agreement in 1975, the South African Navy acquired the bulk of its equipment from Britain. Efforts to purchase corvettes and submarines from Portugal and France were cancelled during the 1970s as a result of the pariah status of apartheid South Africa. An indigenous naval shipbuilding industry developed in South Africa and succeeded in the building six Israeli-designed missile strike craft under licence and a locally designed replenishment vessel (the SAS Drakensberg) amongst others. After the end of apartheid South Africa purchased frigates and submarines from Germany, while on-board installation and integration of weapon systems and sensors were done in South Africa in cooperation with local and international armaments companies. As South Africa retains a small commercial shipbuilding industry it is anticipated that some of the naval vessels the South African Navy would require in future might be channelled to local shipyards.

Patterns and drivers of marine bioinvasions in eight Western Cape harbours, South Africa

In South Africa, fouling is the dominant vector of marine invasions, being responsible for 48% of the 86 alien introductions that are known. This study aimed to document alien species in fouling assemblages in eight Western Cape harbours and to assess patterns and potential drivers of these invasions. In each harbour, 10 visual (1 m × 1 m) and 10 scrape (15 cm × 15 cm) subtidal samples were randomly collected at depths between 1 and 5 m. In total, 22 marine alien species were detected and, although no statistical differences were evident in the number of alien species recorded per harbour, the number of alien species per m2 differed significantly among harbours, with Hout Bay Harbour having the highest. The brachiopod Discinisca tenuis, documented for the first time outside of aquaculture facilities, was found to have spread from Saldanha Bay to St Helena Bay. A previously unknown alien amphipod, Ericthonius difformis, was detected in Simon's Town Harbour. CART (classification and regression tree) analyses revealed that relatively small harbours with yachts supported more alien fouling species than other harbours. This finding could be useful for managers wishing to prioritise Western Cape harbours for monitoring.

LOWER NORTH BATTERY - DEFENDED PORT OF SIMON'S TOWN

In 1975 Mr H. C. Willis suggested to the present writer that the SA Navy should mount a bronze plaque similar to those commissioned by the Simon's Town Historical Society and displayed on certain historical buildings in the town at Lower North Battery to make people more aware of its long and fascinating history. Although a number of the Simon's Town Port Record Books have been traced, that for Lower North Battery still cannot be found and important gaps in our knowledge of the battery's history remain. Until these can be filled it is felt that it would be unwise to mount the plaque. Nonetheless, some valuable information has been traced and it is important that this should be placed on record.

Maritime defence and the South African Navy to the cancellation of the Simon's Town agreement

For centuries, the maritime defence of South Africa was a colonial responsibility. First performed by the Dutch, the British took over the task after they wrestled the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch. The Cape was of supreme strategic value to Britain as the link with India and a great part of her empire. Therefore for more than a century and a half (from 1806 to the abrogation of the Simon's Town Agreement) the Royal Navy had a constant presence in South African territorial waters. Furthermore when the first flickers of an indigenous maritime defence organisation appeared in South Africa it was British in character. The South African Division of the part-time Royal Naval Voluntary Reserve (RNVR) came into being long before the country had a navy. The origin of the South African Navy dates back to 1922, when, the South African Naval Service was created with the arrival of three small ships from Britain. Unfortunately, the budget cuts during the Depression meant that these ships and their crews were paid off (in 1933-4) and only a skeleton staff remained. This was still the position at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. The Union of South Africa's declaration of war against Germany on 6 September 1939, meant that the country's utterly neglected Navy had to suddenly prepare for war. Ships had to be found, and as purpose-build warships were out of the question, ships from the country's fishing fleet and trade had to suffice. A small ocean-going navy was created for the defence of the Union's ports and coastline. Following an urgent request from the British Admiralty in November 1940, South Africa sent four anti-submarine vessels to join the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean. As the war progressed, more ships of the South African Naval Forces arrived in the Mediterranean. They were used for a variety of tasks, ranging from minesweeping to salvage work. South African ships and crews earned themselves quite a reputation, participating in most phases of the Mediterranean sea war, including operations along the North African coast, the invasions of Sicily and Southern France as well as subsequent operations in Greek waters. But losses also occurred, and in total four South African naval vessels were lost in the Mediterranean.

‘The Thin Edge of the Wedge’: Anglo-South African Relations, Dominion Nationalism and the Formation of the Seaward Defence Force in 1939–1940

Through the 1930s, J. B. M. Hertzog's government moved South Africa steadily down the path of nationhood. Yet, one of the most pressing military questions facing Hertzog's government was how to position South Africa, as a small state tied to Britain, on a strategic landscape that was increasingly uncertain. The neutrality debates, including the question of Simon's Town and war-time cooperation with the Royal Navy, divided his cabinet. The crisis came to a head in September 1939; South Africa entered the war, but Jan Smuts' government, caught between support for the war effort and political survival, wrested control of the naval reserves and coastal defences from the Royal Navy. Yet, as London impressed upon her officials on the spot, the only course was to cooperate, even if this led to the development of a separate, dominion navy. This article sketches the politico-strategic environment in South Africa and explores the moves behind the creation by South Africa of an embryonic navy in 1939–1940, in opposition to British thinking and Admiralty planning, and reveals the often difficult relationships between South African officials and their British counterparts.

Is food availability limiting African Penguins Spheniscus demersus at Boulders? A comparison of foraging effort at mainland and island colonies

The African Penguin Spheniscus demersus (Vulnerable) formed three new colonies during the 1980s, two on the South African mainland (Stony Point and Boulders) and one on Robben Island. One of the mainland colonies, at Boulders, Simon's Town, is in a suburban area, resulting in conflict with humans. Growth of the Boulders colony was initially rapid, largely through immigration, but has since slowed, possibly as a result of density‐dependent effects either on land (where there has been active management to limit the spread of the colony) or at sea. We test the latter hypothesis by comparing the foraging effort of Penguins feeding small chicks at island and mainland sites, and relate this to the foraging area available to birds. Three‐dimensional foraging paths of African Penguins were reconstructed using GPS and time–depth loggers. There were no intercolony differences in the rate at which birds dived during the day (33 dives/h), in diving depths (mean 17 m, max. 69 m) or in travelling speeds. The maximum speed recorded was 2.85 m/s, with birds travelling faster when commuting (average 1.18 m/s) than when foraging (0.93 m/s) or resting at sea (0.66 m/s during the day, 0.41 m/s at night). There were strong correlations between foraging trip duration, foraging range and total distance travelled. Foraging effort was correlated with chick age at Robben Island, but not at Boulders. Contrary to Ashmole's hypothesis, birds from Boulders (c. 1000 pairs) travelled further (46–53 km) and foraged for longer (13.2 h) than did birds from Robben Island (c. 7000 pairs) and Dassen Island (c. 21 000 pairs) (33 km, 10.3 h). The mean foraging range also differed significantly between mainland (18–20 km) and island colonies (9 km). The area available to central‐place‐foraging seabirds breeding on the mainland is typically less than that for seabirds breeding on islands, but the greater foraging range of Boulders birds results in an absolute foraging area roughly twice that of island colonies, and the area per pair is an order of magnitude greater for the relatively small Boulders colony. Ashmole's hypothesis assumes relatively uniform prey availability among colonies, but our results suggest this does not apply in this case. The greater foraging effort of Boulders birds probably reflects reduced prey availability in False Bay, and thus the recent slowing in growth at the colony may be the result of differential immigration rather than management actions to limit the spatial growth of the colony.

Photographs in Western Cape Museums (South Africa): Protecting the National Heritage

This paper reports on a pilot study that investigates the practices of storage, display, and reproduction of photographic artefacts in government-managed museums in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Practices at three separate collections are compared, namely the Bensusan Museum of Photography in Johannesburg, the Duggan-Cronin collection in Kimberley, and the South African National Archives in Cape Town. This comparison is necessary to determine which best practices could be applied to preservation policies in the Western Cape.The outcome of the pilot study will inform, inter alia, the formulation of a policy to preserve and digitise the photographic artefacts in Western Cape museums, as well as piloting a programme of digitisation at one museum. The Simon's Town Museum was identified as suitable for a programme of digitisation.A survey among, and visits to museums identified common malpractices as well as good practices in the preservation and digitisation of historic photographs.The author has begun a pilot digitisation project at the Simon's Town Museum.

The Lion and the Springbok: Britain and South Africa since the Boer War

Frontispiece List of illustrations List of tables Preface Acknowledgements List of abbreviations 1. The uneasy special relationship: dynamics and divergencies 2. Breakdown: into war, 1895-9 3. Post-war: the myth of magnanimity, 1905-7 4. African interests and the South Africa Act, 1908-10 5. 'Greater South Africa': the struggle for the High Commission Territories, 1910-61 6. The economic dimension: South Africa and the sterling area, 1931-61 7. Britain, the United Nations and the 'South African disputes', 1946-61 8. The political consequences of Seretse Khama and Ruth, 1948-52 9. Containing Afrikanerdom: the geopolitical origins of the Central African Federation, 1948-53 10. Strategy and the transfer of Simon's Town, 1948-57 11. The parting of the ways: the departure of South Africa from the Commonwealth, 1951-61 12. Enfeebled lion? How South Africans viewed Britain, 1945-61 13. Springbok reviled: some British reactions to apartheid, 1948-94 Epilogue: the relationship restored: the return of the new South Africa to the Commonwealth, 1994 Select bibliography Index.

"There Is No Time in South Africa Now for Fairy Stories": Three Women Authors from the IWP

By CHARLOTTE H. BRUNER Gladys Thomas wrote her first poem thirteen years ago, when her family was evicted from Simon's Town near Cape Town and her home bulldozed under South Africa's Group Areas Act. Today she is writing poems, short stories, and children's stories of everyday events, because children must be made to know what's going on around them.1 Sometimes her work is smuggled abroad. Frequently her stories are banned at home. Occasionally she joins other writers in putting out privately printed calendars, collections of poetry, and art work. She has been outside South Africa only once: in 1983, when she participated in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. She is working for change. Consideration for women in South Africa of all