Sanette Ferreira

As part of a special edition of the South African Geographical Journal on the centenary of geography at the University of Stellenbosch, this paper briefly documents the evolution of human geography since 1920 in the department. The paper is structured in three sections. First, a brief account is given of the contribution by an era of Piet Serton, founding professor of the department. Second and third, accounts of the urban and tourism geography scholarship, respectively, are provided. Human geographic academic study was characterized by apolitical and positivistic approaches for most of the 100 years. The absence of departmental research into apartheid’s injustices and the immediate post-apartheid era’s policies, outcomes and shortcomings in a period of transition is a reflection of the institutional psyche, politics and staff of the day. Research output has increased dramatically since 2010, but now bears evidence of vigorous attempts to be relevant to the broader society in the subdisciplines of urban and tourism geography.

Stellenbosch is a university town boasting knowledge-intensive economic sectors with a variety of ‘new economy’ occupations and activities. The presence of a professional and creative class, as well as university students has changed the economy, the retail landscape and the social spaces of the town. This paper reports on an investigation of the geography of coffee shops (third places) in downtown Stellenbosch and describes the social and physical factors which influence customer preferences for certain coffee shops. A brief review of the literature on the evolution of coffee shop and café cultures, the functioning as third places and the siting of coffee shops in inner cities (or specific neighbourhoods) is presented. A mixed-methods research approach consisting of transect walks, a questionnaire survey and three in-depth-interviews with coffee shop owners (or managers) is explained. The study area in the historical precinct of the town is contextualised. The bigger picture of coffee consumption in Stellenbosch – social and locational preferences, place attachments of consumers and the relative location of coffee shops – is sketched. The findings of three in-depth case studies (selected speciality coffee shops) are discussed. The paper concludes by pointing out some implications for the planning of consumption spaces in secondary cities in developing world contexts.

The Cape Epic (an eight-day mountain biking stage race in South Africa) exemplifies the most difficult mountain bike race on the African continent and attracts a relatively homogenous group of participants who, in order to prepare for such an extreme event, must engage in serious leisure. Until quite recently, academics considered lifestyle sports, like mountain biking, as playful and more relaxed than traditional sports. However, most hobbies or leisure activities can become ‘serious leisure’ when the time and energy spent participating and preparing for them begin to resemble work. Despite stereotypes surrounding lifestyle sport participants as young, white, middle-class males, a preliminary analysis of data collected on the 2017 Cape Epic revealed that although ninety per cent of riders were indeed white males, sixty per cent fell into high-income brackets and the average rider age was 44 years. Using demographic information from Cape Epic participants and responses given in a series of in-depth interviews with riders involved in serious leisure, this study contributes to a better understanding of serious leisure and team participation in lifestyle sports by addressing social and business motivations, subcultures, and meaning for participants in this ‘grey-area’ where serious leisure meets lifestyle sports. Furthermore, contrary to changing demographics across many lifestyle sports to include women, children and the elderly, Cape Epic participants are not diverse; this is explored through the gendered experience of the Cape Epic and the socio-cultural environment of lifestyle sports within the context of post-apartheid South Africa.

(2018). Tourism through the lens of a human geographer: a view from the South. Tourism Geographies: Vol. 20, Tourism's Labour Geographies, pp. 178-181.

The fishing industry is the socio-economic base of coastal towns in the West Coast region of South Africa. Regional development focussed on Saldanha Bay is locked into a tight relationship between the Port (oil, gas and iron ore), the local government and two industrial sectors, namely steel and maritime fishing. This paper examines the role Sea Harvest Corporation (Pty) Ltd has played in the evolution and development (socio-economic transformation) of the Greater Saldanha Bay region. ¹ First, the literature on the roles of institutions in regional development in general and fishing in particular is reviewed. Second, the state of fish resources at global, national and local levels is discussed to provide the wider context. Third, a mixed-method approach is used in a case study of Saldanha Bay’s deep-sea trawling industry where the evolution of Sea Harvest as a company in the Greater Saldanha Bay region and its role in the region’s development are treated. Sea Harvest is shown to play an important role in the local and regional economies – where more than 2000 permanent jobs have been sustained over the last 10 years and at least 25% of all households in the Greater Saldanha Bay region have benefitted from involvement with the company. Last, some lessons from this highly specific case study are shared.

Wine tourism, which is growing and developing on a global scale, is widely considered a driver of economic and social development in rural areas. Limited job opportunities and unemployment are prevalent in most rural areas, particularly in South Africa. In 2015, the South African wine industry generated close to 300,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities. A geographical analysis of the development and current state of wine tourism in the region can assist in the country's efforts to develop a new strategy to enhance and preserve wine tourism in the future. Wine tourism development is analysed from a nodes, network and winescape perspective using the results from a national questionnaire survey. This mostly quantitative approach explains the wine tourism development over more than 40 years from a supply-side perspective including its wine tourism product portfolio and in terms of its physical footprint. Wine tourism development commenced from only three pioneer open cellar doors in 1971, to network formation of 21 wine routes and today boasting well-established wine tourism destinations. The Stellenbosch-Franschhoek-Paarl nexus emerges as South Africa's premier winescape, as being a well-established destination in its mature life cycle phase. Strong evidence of hierarchical differentiation between the wineries of the more established wine tourism regions has emerged. The impact of the wine tourism resorts on the smaller wineries has yet to be determined in the context of the resilience of the whole region. The development of wine tourism is also responsible for the transformation of rural landscapes and especially in the regions that have the most developed wine routes. These regions need higher-level protection (especially the cultural and natural resource bases) in the form of an ‘agricultural reserve’ or the declaration of a ‘national heritage site’.

Saldanha Bay Port is located 110 km north-west of Cape Town. The port is one of the best natural harbours on the south-western coastline of the African continent. Historically, the establishment of the town of Saldanha Bay and the development of the greater Saldanha Bay region (its hinterland) were linked to the port and its functions. In July 2014 the South African government launched the ‘Phakisa’ strategy to unlock the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans – stylised as the ‘blue economy’ – with Saldanha Bay Port as part of the strategic plan to create jobs and alleviate poverty in the West Coast region. This paper examines the role Saldanha Bay Port has played in the establishment of the town of Saldanha Bay, the transport network in the region, as well as the ongoing evolution and development (socio-economic transformation) of its hinterland. First, an overview is presented of appropriate literature on evolutionary economic geography and on the role of port cities in regional development. Second, the Phakisa strategy for unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s ocean areas and harbours is introduced. Third, a case study is reported of the co-evolution of Saldanha Bay Port and its hinterland. Finally, conclusions are drawn on port–town and port–region relationships and some suggestions are made for research.

Renewed interest is being shown in South Africa in the promotion of infrastructure for renewable energy (RE) to supplement the country’s current energy- generation capacity and to break loose from its dependency on an unsustainable fossil-fuel-based energy-provision system. The latter system not only has unfavourable consequences for the environment, but is managed by a state-owned institution which since 2008 has been incapable of providing reliable electricity. RE infrastructure - especially for the generation of solar and wind energy - is a relatively new feature in the South African landscape. This paper examines the spatial distribution of the newly commissioned infrastructures for wind and solar energy (operational and under construction) and the role they can play in the diversification of the rural economies of parts of the country’s Northern Cape, Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. First, literature on evolutionary economic geography, path dependence and new path creation is reviewed. Second, the role of a single energy provider - embedded in a monopolistic energy policy -in inhibiting the transition from a mainly fossil-fuel-based energy-provision system to a multi-source (multi-owner) provision system is discussed. Third, the reasoning behind the siting of the infrastructures for solar and wind energy in three particular provinces is explained. Fourth, the possible roles these new infrastructures can play in the diversification of the rural economies where they occur are advanced. The paper concludes that solar- and wind-energy projects have the ability to transform the South African energy context and that these projects present some positive socio-economic impacts for rural economies in the three particular provinces. The paper also recommends that future research efforts should be aimed at the evolution of this socio-economic transformation by taking into account the pre-development context of the areas under study.

Since 1970 the Saldanha Bay region on the West Coast of the Western Cape Province has been high on South Africa’s national development agenda. The region has been struggling for years to meet the preconditions for economic take-off. In this analysis the Saldanha Bay region is positioned in the contexts of global competition among steel-producing countries, South Africa’s national development plan and the Greater Cape Town functional region. The aim is to explain the nature and extent of the relationship between a single secondary industry - ArcelorMittal Saldanha - and the economic development of the larger Saldanha region. Following a brief introduction and background to the Saldanha Bay region, the evolutionary economic geography (EEG) approach and the role of institutions in the development of regions are reviewed. Saldanha Steel (ArcelorMittal), the pioneer industrial firm, is analysed by using a mixed-method approached, where semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey are the main research instruments. The contribution of Saldanha Steel to regional development is explored.