Paternoster – Our Father

Situated 15 km north-west of Vredenburg and 145 km north of Cape Town, at Cape Columbine between Saldanha Bay and St Helena Bay, Paternoster remains one of the oldest fishing towns on the west coast.

Many people believe that the name, which means ‘Our Father’ in Latin, refers to prayers said by Catholic Portuguese seamen when they became shipwrecked. Other people believe it refers to the beads that the Khoi tribe wore that were called Paternosters.
The town is a very small town with a population of 1 971, with most Afrikaans-speaking people followed by a small number of Xhosa-speaking people.

The local economy is heavily dependent on fishing and seafood processing.

Agriculture and fishing are the biggest industries, with the majority of the people earning between R 1 601 and R3 200. Unemployment is sitting at over 30%.

Town: Paternoster
City: Cape Town Paternoster
Municipality: Saldanah Municipality / West Coast District Municipality
Population: 1 971

Jobs in the farming and fishing sectors tend to be poorly paid, and about 40% of the Municipality’s households earn incomes below R1 600 per month

Saldanha Local Municipality

Saldanha – Vredenburg is considered a ‘Regional Motor’ of the Western Cape. It is situated around one of the largest natural harbours in the world and at the mouth of a wetland and lagoon system of international importance.

The most important asset of the region is Saldanha Port. It provides transport links and is a focal point for the fishing industry. The port is primarily geared for iron-ore exporting. Saldanha Steel, a technologically advanced steel mill, processes iron ore obtained from Sishen in the Northern Cape. Related industries are growing, and the hope is that the industrial base will broaden to host small scale downstream activities. This will require extremely careful planning so that sensitive marine and coastal systems are not further degraded.

Educational standards give cause for concern, as 21% of the population over 14 years old are functionally illiterate and only 38% of adults have some level of secondary education. A human resources development strategy, tailored to local skills demand, is thus essential. To support the recapitalisation of technical colleges under ASGISA, council has made available land for the expansion of the West Coast FET College and allocated funds for the building of a new library.

In 2005 the municipality adopted a Social Development Framework, that includes food security, sustainable livelihood and integrated youth development programmes. Service level agreements are in place with the provincial Department of Social Development for projects in farming, soup kitchens and youth development.

Jobs in the farming and fishing sectors tend to be poorly paid, and about 40% of the Municipality’s households earn incomes below R1 600 per month. The proportion of households with no income at all is 10.9% (2 060 households). The Municipality is encouraging local economic development by assisting emerging small farmers, designing strategies for job creation and skills development, and fostering opportunities for informal traders.

Employment by Industry (% of Labour force)

Agriculture ……………………………………………… 6,722 (12.0%)
Mining / quarrying ………………………………………… 851 (1.5%)
Manufacturing ………………………………………….. 3,957 (7.1%)
Electricity / gas / water supply ……………………….. 104 (0.2%)
Construction …………………………………………………..1,836 (3.3%)
Wholesale / retail trade …………………………………….3,691 (6.6%)
Transport / storage / communication ……………. 1,648 (2.9%)
Financial / insurance / real estate …………………. 6,818 (8.2%)
Community / social / personal services ……….. 5,968 (10.6%)
Private households / other ………………………….. 5,281 (6.4%)

Population by Monthly Income (incl Social Grants) % of population)

R 204 801 or more ………………………………………….. 0 (0.0%)
R 102 401 – R 204 800 ………………………………… 270 (0.3%)
R 51 201 – R 102 400 ………………………………….. 158 (0.2%)
R 25 601 – R 51 200 …………………………………. 1,559 (1.9%)
R 12 801 – R 25 600 …………………………………. 3,471 (4.2%)
R 6 401 – R 12 800 …………………………………. 8,514 (10.2%)
R 3 201 – R 6 400 …………………………………. 10,064 (12.1%)
R 1 601 – R 3 200 …………………………………. 11,874 (14.3%)
R 801 – R 1 600 ……………………………………. 10,418 (12.5%)
R 401 – R 800 ………………………………………….. 3,636 (4.4%)
R 1 – R 400 ……………………………………………… 1,793 (2.2%)
No income …………………………………………… 28,353 (34.1%)

– By