Residents of De Kelders near Gansbaai are concerned about the planned erection of seventy-eight double-storey residential units on the old hotel site above the Drupkelder. The geological structure may not be strong enough to withstand the building activity, and it is feared that the whales may be chased away by the lights of such a large building.
The coastline at De Kelders is riddled with caves dissolved out of the calcareous rock and sedimentary deposits. Of these the most famous are Klipgat Cave, an archaeological site of international importance, and Die Drupkelder ("The Dripping Cavern"), already mentioned in 1798 in Lady Anne Barnard's travel descriptions and for more than a century a favourite spot for seaside holidays. The cave contains a perennial freshwater spring which used to be popular for bathing, but is now the main water source for the municipality of Gans&Mac173;baai. The cave is on private property and is sealed off to the public, with the municipality only having a servitude on the water supply.
De Kelders is one of the best spots for watching whales in the world. The southern right whales that come to Walker Bay each year to breed, tend to spend their nights close inshore to the rocky coastline at De Kelders, while preferring Hermanus during the day.
Marketing of the new development was launched in October by Pace Property Group, whose head office is in Johannesburg. Only R30 000 was required as a deposit on prices ranging from R525 000 to R1,56 milion, and most of the units were sold at the launch. At the time of going to press, Mr Garth Coetzer of Pace said only two units away from the sea were still unsold. He said all approvals had been obtained from the municipality, and building of Phase 1 was due to start in February. These would be only eight to ten metres away from the cliff edge.
On the same day, however, Mr Kat Myburgh, area manager of the Overstrand Municipality, said that no building plans had been received for approval; only sketches outlining the project.
An overall concern of opponents to the new development is that it will forever spoil the historic character of the Drupkelder environment and detract from the Duiwels&Mac173;gat hiking trail that stretches along the coast from Klipgat past De Kelders and Stanfordís Cove to Gansbaai. This fynbos trail offers spectacular views from the rocky shore and excellent whale watching from July to November. Some experts think Klipgat Cave and the adjacent coastline may qualify as a World Heritage Site because of its cultural and environmental significance.
In a report commissioned by the Overstrand Municipality and dated August 2005, Hein Gerstner, manager of the world-famous Kango Caves, stressed that the section of coastline should be developed as an entity, and discussed plans to reopen the Drupkelder to the public.
Dr Robert Morris, a scientist involved in the study of whales all over the world and who has a home at De Kelders, wrote to Mr Vali Moosa, then Minister for the Environment, in 2002 to point out concerns about developments along this section of coastline and in particular the old hotel site. He referred to a geological report from 1995 which concluded that the structure overlying the cave may not be able to withstand substantial building activity. The roof of the cave may collapse, thereby burying the historic site and jeopardising Gansbaai's water supply.
Dr Morris also thinks a large development would drive the whales away, as they prefer to overnight at De Kelders because there is deep water close to the sheltering coast, and it is dark. He cites earlier observations that the whales avoided the area illuminated by security lights installed at the Drupkelder, but returned after the lights were switched off. Whale-watching is the key to the success of the tourism industry in the Hermanus-Gansbaai area, and future prosperity would suffer if the whales were to decide to go elsewhere.
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