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Hout Bay (South Africa)

Western Cape Province

sent by Michel Lupant, 04 Mar 2004

Hout Bay

See also:

Hout Bay

The self-proclaimed "state" of Hout Bay, is located to the south of the city of Cape Town. The flag shows a green map of the Cape Peninsula with blue water.
Michel Lupant, 04 Mar 2004

The so-called "Republic of Hout Bay" was nothing else but a publicity gimmick for attracting tourists to the village in the 1980's and early 1990's. It even issued and sold its own passports as evidence of citizenship. One fellow claimed to have traveled on this passport through Africa as far as Egypt, but it had its origins in the fertile brain of a local Public Relations person and did not pretend to any official standing.

The idea tickled the imagination of Capetonians, however, and succeeded in its primary aim of attracting tourists to the village. The chief tourists attractions being an interesting and large bird park, the fishing harbour with a wharf with a fish market and sea food restaurants, a lovely beach, although the Atlantic is a bit chilly there, and a weekend craft market. The success of this tourist ploy led some other suburbs of Cape Town wanting to declare themselves "republics" also, for example Muizenberg on the False Bay coast, but nothing came of it. Nothing much has been heard about the Hout Bay republic of late. I think the person who was the driving force behind the idea must have left or retired and the area falls under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Council of the City of Cape Town.
Andre Burgers, 04 Mar 2004