A Paradigm Shift is on its Way!
Like so many country towns, Kleinmond is let down by its main road and you may be tempted to drive on – but explore further and you will be surprised!
Situated between two lagoons, the mountain and the sea; at the tip of the Kogelberg Biosphere, home to nature's extraordinary bounty; and with dramatic views across to Babylonstoring (Tower of Babel) – 55m taller than Table Mountain.
Primarily a conservative, Afrikaans-speaking village of retirees and holiday makers, Kleinmond has just started being exposed to the wider world. When the likes of Ebrahim Rasool, ANC premier of the Western Cape, buys a house in the town (2003), you know that change is on the way! With demand for coastal properties outstripping supply, Kleinmond has all the inherent attractions to be next in line for a makeover.
The nearby Arabella development (2001) was the first new, major impact on the town, generating visitors and jobs. (If Arabella's 550 new jobs is impressive, so is the increase at the new Harbour Road development – before they started there were only 12 jobs in the area, today there are some 170 jobs and real development hasn't started yet!)
A second phase of development on the Bot River Lagoon, proposed with a large retail component, could challenge Kleinmond's importance as a regional node.
The Harbour Road development is the first in a number of changes that are about the change the town itself and attract increased tourism. That project also addresses the inequities of apartheid, when coloured fisherfolk were displaced from their homes in the harbour, by giving that community a majority shareholding in the development company. New beachfront developments near the Bot River are also in the pipeline.
Click here for businesses in Kleinmond.
Click here for businesses & attractions in neighbouring Betty's Bay.
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