Picturesque South African town achieving an incredible turnaround

Knysna, the picturesque town nestled on South Africa’s Garden Route, is witnessing an impressive transformation driven by its residents.

Known for its lagoon, lush forests, and Knysna Heads, the popular Western Cape town has grappled with service delivery and governance woes, which have severely impacted its 100,000 residents.

Knysna has experienced numerous well-reported challenges, such as raw sewage spills, severe water shortages, and a diagnostic report from the Western Cape government outlining the shortcomings in service delivery.

“We recognise that our municipality faces critical challenges, some of which have persisted for too long. The municipality’s residents expect and deserve better,” said new mayor Thando Matika.

Frustrated by this evident decline yet optimistic about the town’s future, concerned citizens have formed non-profit groups aimed at restoring and propelling the “jewel of the Garden Route.”

Prominent groups that are helping achieve a turnaround include the Knysna Infrastructure Group (KIG) and Revive Knysna.

The KIG is a community-driven initiative that collaborates with and supports the municipality in addressing critical infrastructure issues like water, sewage, and roads.

Revive Knysna is a non-profit organisation of volunteers “passionate about reviving and beautifying Knysna, keeping it looking clean, green and beautiful.”

Speaking to BusinessTech, KIG co-founder Eugene Vermaak said, “It doesn’t help to criticise and stand on the sidelines. The best coach is always on the sideline”.

Vermaak said they believe in getting involved in resolving the problems, taking action, and doing things for their community.

He believes that success stories from private-public partnerships and volunteer work can “serve as a model for the rest of South Africa.”

The seeds of the KIG were sown in December 2023 when Eugene Vermaak and Deon Boshoff wanted to repair a particularly dire stretch of road leading into Knysna.

They raised funds before the holiday season to patch the worst potholes, with an initial quote of R80,000.

He recounted his surprise at the community’s willingness to support them as they raised around R160,000 reasonably quickly.

The successful pothole repair sparked the formation of KIG, which aims to establish a successful public-private partnership to collaborate with the municipality to improve service delivery.

Acknowledging that while some residents felt their rates and taxes should cover these repairs, he said municipal funding and the pace of its release are insufficient to address the town’s pressing R3.5 billion infrastructure needs.

The 2024/25 Knysna Council budget allocates just R52.8 million for repairs, with R46.4 million for infrastructure services.

“Our role is not to take over the work they do. We will hold the council accountable, but will support them. That is what a public-private partnership is,” said Vermaak.

KIG emphasises that they are not taking over the municipality’s role but are working to collaborate, support, and hold the council accountable.

Additionally, a cornerstone of the KIG’s philosophy is its apolitical stance. “We don’t particularly care who is on the council, who has been voted in, what the coalition is. We’re apolitical,” Vermaak asserted.

He said the KIG feels “very fortunate because in general, we’ve got excellent technical staff in the council.”

KIG focuses on critical infrastructure such as water, sewage, roads, and electricity, avoiding overlap with groups like Revive Knysna.

Examples include monthly clean-up projects across Knysna, revitalising neglected areas by restoring heritage buildings, creating green spaces, clearing alien species, and painting run-down spaces.

Initially, KIG assisted the municipality by sourcing pumps and equipment and partnering with provincial engineers to relieve pressure on the infrastructure.

By February 2024, KIG had become more structured, with eight core members committed to ensuring service delivery does not regress.

In 2024, KIG focused heavily on water security and the sewage wastewater treatment plant, given the well-reported dire straits of the town’s water and sanitation infrastructure.

Vermaak noted that “at least twice… this town could have run dry out of water if it weren’t for our interventions.”

A major issue discussed was the nonfunctional wastewater treatment plant, which, by September 2024, was completely nonfunctional with no working pumps or screens.

After a joint assessment with a private company, Regional Wastewater (RWW), they found that over R3 million was needed to restore operations.

Despite promised provincial and municipal funding not arriving, RWW sent ten engineers, and KIG raised R500,000 from local donations to restore basic functionality.

With no municipal process controllers employed, KIG arranged and continues to fund RWW’s provision of a permanent on-site engineer, whose role expanded to assist with water treatment and sewage pump stations.

Due to the ongoing technical need, KIG does not foresee withdrawing the engineer’s support.

KIG launched a campaign for 1,000 residents to donate R100 monthly to ensure sustainable funding, supporting the engineer’s role and key projects. Currently, 401 members contribute between R50 and R200.

KIG maintains transparency with weekly spending reports and benefits from local professionals, including retired engineers, volunteering their expertise.

Looking ahead, Vermaak envisions Knysna as a model for apolitical, community-driven action, demonstrating how towns can thrive through shared ownership and collaboration with local authorities.

If structures remain in place, he aims for Knysna to inspire others across South Africa within 18 to 24 months.

Revive Knysna

Revive Knysna is a non-profit organisation started by the community to create positive, lasting change in their local area.

It came into existence over 3 years ago when two friends, Gail and Paula, decided to become active citizens and help revitalise the coastal town.

They aim to boost the local economy and contribute to its sustainable development. They also aim to encourage the return of tourism and bring back the charm of Knysna through restoring heritage buildings, conservation, social projects, or beautifying the town.

They are funded entirely by donations from individuals and local Knysna businesses, “Reviving Knysna, one space at a time.”

A key aspect of Revive Knysna’s work is volunteer involvement and organising regular events where volunteers gather monthly to work on neglected areas in and around town.

An example is Waterfront Drive’s vibrant transformation, which showcases the efforts of Revive Knysna and Pavement Proud businesses.

“As you travel along the second most busy thoroughfare in Knysna, you’ll notice it’s beaming with colour and life, a testament to our collective revitalisation mission,” said Revive Knysna.

It is now a registered non-profit organisation with approximately 20 volunteers and growing. Over 25 projects have been completed with six hard-working staff.