Given the publicity that Port Shepstone is receiving right now, as a former long-time resident of the South Coast now living in Johannesburg, please allow me to share some insight on the history of the town’s harbour as handed down to me from generation to generation by word of mouth.
My grandfather, Mathius Holte, a prominent and outspoken member of the community of Norwegian settlers who arrived in Port Shepstone in August 1882, was not only a blacksmith by trade but also an accomplished fisherman who sailed and fished the dangerous North Sea, often on the edge of the treacherous and deadly maelstrom or sea whirlpool, where the fish were the most abundant.
He saw the huge potential of a harbour at Port Shepstone, and continually badgered the colonial British powers to build one, but it was deferred time and time again, citing a railway would be easier and cheaper to construct.
When the government abandoned the harbour works, he became increasingly frustrated and eventually, in 1905, he decided to go back to Norway to raise funds for a private harbour.
Imagine his horror when he arrived in Alesund (his home town) only to find that the entire city had burned to the ground! Needless to say, funds were in short supply at that time.
Upon his return, which would have taken a few months by sailing ship, he found that plans for the railway were well under way, but after more depositions to the government, they decided not to pursue the harbour construction any more.
Mathius was furious and, being the outspoken character he was, and the fact that he was well versed in ocean currents, he immediately challenged the engineers, telling them in no uncertain terms that a breakwater should have been be built on the northern side to facilitate the scour effect of the Mozambique current (which flows from north to south).
He predicted that the harbour would silt up in no time if they pursued their current plans, but was bluntly told that ‘we are engineers, you are just a simple fisherman’.
Well, history proved who was right, as the harbour had to be dredged (at great expense) a few times, but eventually left to silt up and deteriorate to what it is today.
I often wonder, if they had listened to him, and built a breakwater on the northern shore, if Port Shepstone would have been a thriving harbour town today? It’s worth noting that most other harbours from Maputo to Cape Town all have some sort of breakwater on the northern side.
During the short time that the harbour was operational, being an entrepreneur, Mathius Holte had a boat called the Southern Cross built for him.
It was to be used for fishing purposes and to develop a deep sea fishing industry, and on November 28 in 1925, along with two partners, William Miller and John Scott, he founded and registered the Port Shepstone Fishing Company to operate from the said harbour.
Unfortunately, due to local labour problems and delays, after a short while, they had to close down operations.
Disclaimer: As the above information is over a century old and was mostly handed down to me by word of mouth, some facts may have become distorted over time, and as I am neither a marine biologist, nor a civil or marine engineer, or even a historian, I have no desire to lay claim or dispute any of the above. For information purposes only.
QUINTON HOLTE
Former South Coaster
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