The people of Bitou

The Bitou area comprises the area from Covie to Harkerville, extending inland to Uplands and includes the suburbs of Covie, Nature’s Valley, the Crags, Keurboomstrand, Keurboomsriver, Wittedrift, Green Valley, Uplands, Gansevallei, Plettenberg Bay, Qolweni/Bossiesgif/Pinetree, New Horizons, Ladywood, KwaNokuthula and Harkerville.

Although the suburbs are relatively close to each other, each is unique and the people who inhabit them are fiercely protective of the diversity.
The permanent population of the area is made up of families who have lived here for many generations, their histories closely intertwined – despite the fact that they now live in different suburbs. There are the folk who have retired here, many having reached the top of their professions and who have a wealth of knowledge in many fields, which many plough back into our communities.

There are young people who have chosen to live in a quieter, beautiful natural area to raise their families. We are a fast-growing younger community! And there are many young people who come from other areas hoping to find work.

There are some people who come to Bitou for education. Apart from good primary and secondary education, the South Cape College campus offers a number of short and longer courses. Bitou also has a number of research institutions where postgraduate students choose to further their studies and gain practical experience. Social development programmes also provide opportunities for practical postgraduate experience. Volunteers from all over the world often choose to spend a “gap year” in the area.

Tourists come from all over the world and there is a big influx of South African visitors during December every year. Many South Africans have holiday homes here and they come at Easter and Christmas. A growing number of these homes are also being permanently inhabited by the owners’ children and their young families.
There are a large number of folk from all over the world who spend half the year in Plett and the other half in their homeland. They have made a substantial contribution to our economy and also to the upliftment of the local community.

The uniting factors are that most people who live or visit here, be they of any age, love the area and would like to contribute to keeping it beautiful and would like to see it develop to its best potential to meet the needs of the growing community.

There is also an innate sense of spirituality here. Bitou exudes a presence that is more than the sum of all her people and this is reflected in the caring attitude of most.