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A Synopsis of the History of Rietvlei
There was a time when Rietvlei was under water. One can still see the layer of shells when the land is cleared for the foundations of nearby homes.
Stone implements used by earlier inhabitants and fossilized bones of large animals have been found in the area.

Rietvlei's first inhabitants were the “Strandlopers” who lived in the area before the Dutch settled on the Cape in 1652. The Strandlopers of Blouberg did not build houses; they lived in structures made from branches and leaves. Their diet consisted mainly of seafood, herbs and roots.

Big game like elephants and smaller animals used to be abundant at Rietvlei in the earlier years. Rietvlei used to be the last rest stop for oxen wagons and horse drawn carts traveling between Saldanha Baai (bay) and The Cape of Good Hope. The area consisted mainly of sand dunes and flood plains, which made traveling a slow and difficult process.

The Dutch foresee the sand problem along the coast and forbid people to chop wood in the area.

Rietvlei was also a resting post for soldiers during the invasion of the British fleet in 1806 Remnants of a freshwater drinking hole can still be seen at the spring near the SANCCOB border of the vlei.

During the 18 th century. The farmers were allowed to farm here with cattle, but not sheep, as sheep did too much damage to the vegetation in the dunes. The movement of sand was such that building structures eventually disappeared under it.

About 1900 the fight against the shifting sand started when Rooikransbos and certain grasses were introduced to stabilize the area.

Before Diep rivier (river) opened up to the sea, large saltpans were formed. Frederick Louis ploughed this illegally in 1810.

In the 70's sand from the area was used to reclaim land for the building of dry docks at Paarden Island. Before the Westcoast road was built large poles marked the passage through the vlei.

When the freeway cut the vlei from the sand dunes of the beach, the area around the two manmade water holes developed a secluded peaceful wooded ecosystem area with it's own unique ecosystem.

The area developed a stable tranquil wooded natural sanctuary with it's own unique ecosystem. Migratory and other birds, buck, mongoose and Franklin used the man made the area as their home.

A housing development formed the inland border of the area. The neighboring residents became the unofficial guardians of their natural back-yard extension. The Municipality maintained the area while the Friends of Rietvlei (initially concentrating on the flood pans and the vlei areas) acted as a watchdog and successfully prevented developers from moving into the area.

Since 2002 the need to preserve the local fynbos was realized. Rietvlei was to loose it's trees. Today the vlei consists mostly of grasslands. The dust from the dry pans are again becoming a huge problem.

The original guardians of the borders moved away and many of the new residents welcomed the removal of the trees, as it offered an uninterrupted view of Table Mountain again, (as in the old days).

A wire protective fence became necessary when squatters and other abusers of the natural habitat became a problem. The safety of the users also needed to be taken into account.

The developers, again are eying the area with pipe dreams of making it part of a marina project. This will relieve a financial burden from the shoulders of the maintenance departments.

The global climate is changing. Rapidly and we are faced with the disappearance of our natural habitat and the extinction of many species of animals and plants. Never before has the fight for the survival of this little piece of nature been more critical. The world is faced with overpopulation and global warming.

The vlei is a reminder of a wild free pristine space that once used to be part of the pearl of the West Coast. ... A land of shifting sands
Added by : Wally on 9 Nov 2008
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