Looking for something to do for our last afternoon we came across free walking tours and so decided to do the Historic City Tour which started at 16:20 from a coffee shop back down in town past the Avis office. Our guide was Reinette, a former teacher, who was very friendly and informative and did well to shepherd the 30 or so people who joined the tour. I didn't take many photos as I wasn't sure of the areas we were walking in and I didn't want to cause any problems.
This building is interesting as it had to be built curved in order to get around a historic church.
We passed a barber shop with this sign in the window.
This image is a painting of Krotoa, also known as Eva van de Kaap, a
Khoi woman who played a significant role in the early Dutch settlement of South
Africa in the 17th century. The painting depicts two versions of Krotoa, representing different phases of her life. On the right she is shown in traditional Khoi attire, while on the left , she is depicted in European clothing, reflecting her assimilation into Dutch society. In the background, a Dutch ship can be seen, symbolizing the colonial presence in the Cape. Krotoa was born around 1643 and served as a translator and negotiator between the Dutch settlers and the local Khoi people. She was fluent in both Khoi and Dutch and played a crucial role in mediating conflicts and facilitating trade. In 1664, she married Pieter van Meerhoff, a Danish surgeon in the service of the Dutch East India Company, becoming the first indigenous person to marry a European settler. She was baptized and became a Christian, taking the name Eva. However, her later life was marked by hardship and she died in 1674. The painting captures the complex and often contradictory aspects of Krotoa's life, highlighting her position as a bridge between two cultures and the challenges she faced navigating the colonial world. It serves as a reminder of the complex history of South Africa and the impact of colonialism on indigenous populations.
Incidentally the Robben Island Ferry was also named Krotoa.
This is part of a frieze going around the Art Deco style South Africa Mutual Life Assurance building - it depicts colonial life in the late 19th century (Cecil Rhodes time)
City Hall
Nelson Mandela's life-size statue was unveiled in 2018.
Edward VII memorial which stands opposite City Hall.
Walking back through parliament building grounds we saw this albino squirrel.
We were both rather footsore and weary by the end of the tour and couldn't remember a great deal of what we were told but it was enjoyable and we were happy to give Reinette a tip. We noticed that they also ran a Bo Kaap tour and as we'd been advised to be careful in that area we decided to join the one the next morning before we left the city. Our agents were willing to extend our check out time at the apartment by one hour and so we were breakfasted and packed all ready for a quick departure when we returned from the tour.
This time we had Tim for a guide who I took an instant dislike to because of his pony (rat) tail, but soon warmed to him as he was an excellent guide and extremely helpful. When we mentioned we were driving to Hermanus later on, he gave us really useful tips on which roads to take and more important which one NOT to take.
Bo Kaap which literally
means "above the Cape"
in Afrikaans was previously known as the Malay Quarter; a
former racially segregated area,
situated on the slopes of Signal Hill above the
city centre and a historical centre of Cape Malay culture in Cape Town.
Known for its
brightly coloured homes and cobblestoned streets, the area is traditionally a
multicultural neighbourhood and contains the largest concentration of pre-1850
architecture in South Africa. It is also the oldest surviving residential
neighbourhood in Cape Town.
In 1760 Jan
de Waal bought a block of land at the foot of Signal Hill, between Dorp
and Wale Streets. A year later he obtained an adjacent parcel, extending his
holding to Rose/Chiappini/Shortmarket Street. He then built several small
“huurhuisjes” (rental houses) on this land, which he leased to his slaves. Skilled
Muslim labourers called Mardijkers moved to the Cape from Southeast
Asia and lived in the Bo-Kaap. Because
the aboriginal tribes in the Cape Colony area resisted the Dutch, slaves were
initially imported from Malaysia, Indonesia and different parts of Africa,
hence the name “Malay”. Most of the new residents were Muslim, and several mosques were built in the area. The first
one was Auwal Mosque, in Dorp Street in 1794. Between 1790-1825 more
housing in both Cape Dutch and Cape Georgian styles was
built for the expanding population of tradesmen, craftsmen, and artisans. In
1804 the Tana Baru Cemetery was
established to serve the Muslim families.
More Muslims
continued to move into the area, including a wave of political exiles from Java
and Ceylon circa 1820. After the emancipation in 1834 and
the arrival of liberated slaves, developers constructed numerous rows of
narrow, deep huurhuisjes.
We heard two
different reasons for brightly coloured facades i) they are an expression of
freedom by the new homeowners, as all the houses were painted white while on
lease and ii) it was easier for drunken lodgers to find their way back to the
correct boarding house. Actually though it also
appears that the tradition of brightly coloured homes only began in the late
20th century!
During Apartheid the area was not bulldozed unlike nearby District Six, however non-Malay residents were forcibly
removed in an effort by a sympathetic apartheid
government official to
preserve the Malay character of the area.
Preservation
of the area began in 1943 when 15 houses were restored by a group of prominent
citizens, with the support of the Historical Monuments Commission. In 1966 a
portion of the area was designated as a National Monument. From 1971 the City
Council began restoring houses and streetscapes, with 48 units completed by
1975.
As a result
of Cape Town's economic development and expansion, and after the demise of
forced racial segregation under apartheid, property in the Bo-Kaap has become very sought
after, not only for its location but also for its picturesque cobble-streets
and unique architecture. Increasingly, this close-knit community is
"facing a slow dissolution of its distinctive character as wealthy
outsiders move into the suburb to snap up homes in the City Bowl at cut-rate
prices". Inter-community conflict has also arisen as some residents
object to the sale of buildings and the resultant eviction of long-term
residents.
Given the strong Muslim connection, the support of Palestine is not surprising.
Walking up Signal Hill gave us a great view of Table Mountain.
It was certainly better to be walking the area in a group and I felt free to take pictures, whereas I’d read reports of people getting into trouble for photographing the “wrong house”.
This tour also lasted about an hour but we ducked out just before the finish as we were nearer our apartment and there seemed no point going back to the start. Back at our apartment we belatedly remembered its rooftop terrace so whizzed up in the lift to take a look
Signal Hill I mentioned earlier in this post is the hill on the right in this picture. I don't think it was quite warm enough for a swim.
Our apartment building rather reminded me of a prison block but it had everything we needed.
Back down in the lift to the basement where we said "thank you" to the garage attendant and off we went.
And that was Cape Town; a fabulous city and one I’m so glad to have visited. Next stop Hermanus.
