The now closed King David Golf Course is a smack in the face to the surrounding community who have no suitable space for recreation, writes Benedict Pather.
I’m a son of the Mother City who grew up in Montana, Cape Town, and I’m keen on bringing attention to this massive piece of land currently not in use. The 18-hole course created by esteemed designer Robert Grimsdell is a stunning example of what can be done with the right investment, management and vision.
Situated around 4km from Cape Town International Airport, Montana, with its neighbourhoods Montevideo and Charlsville form the Durheim region and is part of the greater Matroosfontein area. It borders on the Northern suburbs and Cape Flats. Gugulethu is on one side and Valhalla Park on the other. King David, the Jewish-owned club, always seemed distant from the area it’s situated in. The large gum trees seen from Pallotti Road, mostly block one’s vision of the facility - an out of sight, out of mind scenario.
It’s nonetheless been an oddly situated multicultural facility that was built in the 1950s as a space for South Africa’s Jewish community battling anti-Semitism at Cape Town’s then whites only golf clubs.
King David Golf Course can be put to good use for people on the Cape Flats, says the writer.
Since closing at the start of 2016, King David Golf Course (Montana) merged with the club of the same name in Mowbray. Today it has 24-hour security with a no-one-is-allowed-in policy.
The facility, more than 6km in length, is a smack in the face to the surrounding community who have no suitable space for recreation. Matroosfontein residents are in dire need of a community centre or better-equipped public park for old and young to exercise in and enjoy.
This can offer immeasurable benefits in a region where residents are prone to substance abuse, lifestyle illness, crime and stress.
And inject a needed sense of culture, belonging and positive energy into our youth, while promoting psychological well-being and improving public health.
King David’s website states: “When the farm located on the Cape Flats was bought by Jewish golfers in 1954, it was to be a modern sports club offering a wide range of sporting activities including golf, bowls and tennis, as well as a host of other social activities.”
Today the course however remains a “secret garden” appreciating in value and only benefiting a few in a highly-volatile, low-income environment. Media reports say the land is valued at around R200million to R300m. The legacy left behind by the Group Areas Act means that very little urban spatial planning exists on the Cape Flats, particularly in the region in question.
The city and owners of the club now have an opportunity to create history by establishing a natural facility similar to Green Point Urban Park, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Rondebosch Commonand create a public green space for black residents to be proud of.
As Cape Town property prices continue to soar, locals cannot afford to move to more affluent neighbourhoods in the Southern Suburbs or Atlantic Seaboard, that are rich in natural resources, lifestyle amenities and trails to explore.
Speculation is that the course is supposed to be earmarked for low-cost housing (despite this area being overcrowded), then a hotel, then expansion of the airport industria.
But given the sheer size of the land I’m sure all of the above are possible. However, it’s going to require that the government, alongside the private sector come together to make sure that the inclusive growth that is being spoken of, and is long over-due, finally comes to the fore.
If he were alive what would Robert Sobukwe say if a street in his honour ran right next to this ivory tower? What would Ashley Kriel do? I doubt any of the King David board members live in or around Montana and if they did I bet they would have felt differently about the future of this land. Perhaps they do? And if so, now is the time to act and engage with the community. Widening barriers due to skin colour, eco-gentrification and economics cannot be the answer.
Unfortunately it seems to be a case of monopoly capital used exclusively to benefit a minority, who’ve decided to cash in on their 65-year investment. This in light of worsening socio-economic conditions for people of colour on the Cape Flats and mounting political pressure pointing towards redistribution and nationalisation of land, without compensation.
As issues around land inequality in Cape Town continue to make headlines and entities such as the Reclaim the City Campaign gain momentum, my appeal is that Cape Town and the board of King David support my call to turn at least part of this space into a suitable urban park and cultural heritage site, situated on the doorstep of Cape Town International Airport.
I am just as passionate about this oasis and vast area of land as you are. Especially since it’s a beautiful escape from the Cape Flats, ironically situated on the Cape Flats.
* This is a follow-up to the Cape Times' story on the
closure of the King David Golf Course in Montana, Cape Town