Cape Town City and
One of the best
known and most photographed areas of Cape Town, Bo-Kaap lies just above the
city centre and is closely associated with traditional
Islam and the
Cape Malay community.
It was established around the mosque,
built in 1792 and disguised as a warehouse. Soon there were several mosques and
|During the British
era the 6th District of the city was developed principally by former slave
owners to rent to artisans. Although the area was very poor and overcrowded, it
was also the centre of culture for the working class.
Under the Apartheid Group Areas Act, however, it was
declared a 'white area' and the population of 60,00 was systematically forced
from their homes and re-settled on the Cape Flats.
| In South Africa
the term 'township' referred to residential areas for non-white peoples. They
became synonymous with a policy of control.
The first township established was
Ndabeni at the turn of the
twentieth century. It was designed to limit the spread of disease in Cape Town.
Immigration continued and
Ndabeni was superceded by Langa, a 'model' township
with a superintendent and designed to be easily controlled by the authorities.
Langa was the product of an urban planning policy of social control (see
above). Nyanga and Guguletu followed in the 1950s.
Township residents rebelled against apartheid in the
1960 Pass revolt.
In spite of 'influx
controls' more and more people settled around Cape Town in shanty towns,
the most famous of these being
became an important site of struggle against the apartheid government in the
In the mid-80s the government began work on
Khayelitsha, but it
was soon overwhelmed by enormous numbers of migrants as influx controls were
removed. During the 1990s these areas were steadily
| During the Dutch
era it was soon obvious that a safe harbour was needed for Cape Town - but
early attempts to build one proved a failure (more..)
Finally, the Cape Town Municipality developed the Victoria and
Albert basins in 1860 - where the modern Waterfront now stands.
In 1940 the Duncan Dock was developed as part of a huge
land reclamation scheme
which changed the character of the foreshore forever (see urban planning).
Between 1967 and 1975 Cape Town's harbour and ship-building
industry enjoyed a short-lived boom resulting from the closure of the Suez
Canal. In 1977 the Windsor Castle sailed from Cape Town for the last time as
mailships became redundant with the growth of air travel. Her departure was
regretted by many and marked the end of 120 years of passenger boats coming and
Moreover, during the 1970s & 1980s international sanctions discouraged use
of the port. In the 1990s, however, the old harbour saw renewed success with
the Waterfront development.
| The grid pattern
of the town laid out in the early years of Dutch rule remains the basis of the
modern city centre of Cape Town. But during the British era
modernised the appearance of the city.
With the enormous population growth at the end of the
Victorian era and during the
twentieth century the city
spread in a haphazard way.
American and British planning concepts were adopted, much
influenced by prevailing attitudes favouring racial segregation. A large scheme
to reclaim the foreshore radically altered the character of the city (more..)
Under apartheid racial division was enforced through 'influx
controls' and dormitory suburbs. Nevertheless large
shanty towns developed
which the authorities tried unsuccessfully to clear away (see townships,
After the end of apartheid, suburbs began to mix and effective
efforts were made to develop the shanty areas (more..). Tourism drove the growth of
prestigious large complexes (more..)
| During the British
era (1795 - 1910) road and rail infrastructure was developed along the
Peninsula and into the interior. A harbour was finally opened in 1860 (see
below) and mail ships encouraged development of the postal service (more..)
This infrastructure allowed suburbs to develop and greatly
aided the economy of Cape Town and the winelands (more...)
In the twentieth century the motor car began to dominate and
extensive freeways were built on the mountain and foreshore (more...)
| Cape Town's unique
history brought together Europe, Asia and Africa. Although the Dutch style was
strongly influential, elements of the East were also present in the design of
older houses in the City and winelands.
introduced Georgian and Victorian styles, and Art Deco and modernistic styles
have been added in the twentieth centuries.
The most distinctive style, however, remains the Cape Dutch
which was revived in the 1890s by
Cecil Rhodes and Sir Herbert Baker and remains a popular style.
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