Kommetjie

Kommetjie (Afrikaans for "small basin," approximately pronounced "commey-key") is a suburb of Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It lies about half way down the west coast of the Cape Peninsula, at the southern end of the long wide beach that runs northwards towards Chapman's Peak and Noordhoek.

The village is situated around a small, natural and rocky inlet that resembles a basin. There is some evidence that this basin was used as a fish trap by prehistoric peoples. The area is a popular spot for surfing, since powerful waves from the Atlantic Ocean rise up over rocky reefs formed by hard sandstones of the Table Mountain Group. Wherever the bottom is rocky, the shallower waters are thick with giant kelp forests.

Kommetjie is famous for its excellent crayfishing despite recent changes in fishing quotas which have seen a drastic reduction in the daily catch allowed.

Local Business

Kommetjie supports a small number of small enterprises, including a Shell garage (including a Shell Select), a convenience store, a laundromat, a small mail-order computer business, a video shop, a café, and a variety of restaurants.

Fauna and Flora

Kommetjie hosts a variety of plant and animal species, many of which are endangered. Kommetjie is especially well known for its Milkwood groves, birdwatching and baboon troops, which frequently come down from their home on the nearby hills to raid for food among the residences.

Kommetjie is also part of the fynbos biome, which boasts the highest number of plant species per square kilometre. Some of the rarest and most sought after plants are found in this biome, but face threat from a variety of aliens, mostly Australian plants, imported in the 1800's. In a twist of irony, fynbos has now become an invasive alien in some parts of Australia.

External links

* [http://www.kommetjie.co.za/ Official Community Website]
* [http://www.icon.co.za/~aleroux/ Kommetjie Weather Station]
* [http://www.kommetjie-property.co.za/ Kommetjie Estate Agency]