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Cape Town - Western Province |
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Much of the early history of white settlement in South Africa unfolded in Cape Town and the story is reflected in its old buildings -
The Gardens, in the heart of the city, were born in the 1650s as a vegetable patch which supplied fresh produce to the passing Dutch fleets. Much of the harbour area (the port is the country's second largest after Durban) has been reclaimed from the sea;It's pre-cooling stores (which handle most of the wider region's fruit exports) are among the world's largest and most modern, as are its dry docks.
Metropolitan Cape Town has a fine network of roads and an electrified suburban rail system The city was founded, in 1652, by a small party of Dutch settlers, led by Jan van Riebeeck, to serve as a victualling station for the ships of Holland's (or rather, the Dutch East India Company's) great maritime empire on their way to and from the Orient. Van Riebeeck's first tasks, which he accomplished successfully enough, were to create a produce garden, build a fort and befriend the local Khoikhoi people, with whom the colonists bartered for fresh meat. The Dutch East India Company never intended Cape Town to be anything more than a garrisoned outpost but Van Riebeeck, short of labour and supplies, released a number of men from their Company contracts to work as farmers and tradesmen (these were known as 'free-burghers') and began importing slaves from other parts of Africa and from the East. Moreover, more people arrived from Europe, and soon enough the settlement expanded to become the centre of a permanent colony. By the time the British invaded and occupied the Cape, at the end of the 1700s, Cape Town was an attractive little town of some 6000 white settlers and several thousand more people of 'Malay', Indonesian and mixed-descent stock; over the following century it grew rapidly to become an elegant seaport city of fine buildings and comfortable homes. It did, though, have its seamier side, especially around the harbour and in the central district, where dirt, crime and overcrowding became a way of life. It was only in 1890 that the city fathers appointed a public health officer and, five years later, began installing a modest system of waterborne sanitation. A public transport system had been launched, in the 1830s, with the introduction of horse-drawn omnibuses, to be followed by a railway into the hinterland (1850s) and electric trams (1890s). By the end of the 19th century Cape Town had acquired its own unique character, one derived mostly from its status as an international seaport (known to all as 'the Tavern of the Seas'): seamen from a score and more far-flung lands haunted the inns and lodging houses; ships' chandlers did a roaring trade; some handsome buildings graced the skyline; attractive hotels, including the grand new Mount Nelson, catered for the visiting upper class and the more affluent Capetonian. The city, capital of the Crown Colony of the Cape of Good Hope for almost 100 years, became the legislative capital of the new Union of South Africa in 1910. During the apartheid era (1948-90) the western Cape was classed as a 'Coloured preference area' - jobs, and thus permanent residence, were generally given to the coloured (mixed-descent) people of the region (and to whites, of course) rather than to blacks. But thousands of the latter continued to pour into the city from the increasingly impoverished 'homelands' far to the east, creating vast 'squatter camps', or informal settlements, that enjoyed few of the amenities of a decent life and bequeathed a grim socio-economic legacy to posterity. Greater Cape Town's population hovers around the 3.5 million mark, or just under 10 percent of the country's total.Precise figures are not available. The 'coloured' community is in the majority, but the continuing migration of black people from the rural areas of the Eastern Cape is fast changing the city's human geography. White Capetonians number about half a million. Muslims form a significant segment of the demographic pattern; some are descended from the early slaves who, after the abolition of slavery in the 1830s, settled on the slopes of Signal Hill, on the central area's western fringes. Muslim society remains integrated and devout, retaining many of its ancestral customs and traditions. Cape Town is in the country's winter-rainfall region, its climate classed as 'Mediterranean'. Summers are warm to hot, but the days are invariably cooled by the prevailing south-easterly wind, which can and often does reach gale force. The so-called 'black southeaster' is a powerful, unnerving wind-storm that lasts for days. Winters are wet, windy, cool, sometimes downright cold (snow falls on the mountains of the hinterland) but frost-free, and there are occasional spells, brought by a 'berg wind' from the interior, of warmth and stillness. Best weather: springtime (September) and, especially, autumn and early winter (March through to June). Cape Town is one of the few South African cities whose central area can be explored comprehensively and comfortably on foot. Much of it is covered by monitored security cameras, but visitors should take the same precautions against street crime as they would do in any of the world's other big cities: don't stray from the beaten path; don't flaunt cameras and other expensive equipment. Buses Regular services link the central area with major suburbs. The main terminal is behind the Golden Acre complex, between Parliament and Strand streets. Trains A fast, electrified rail services links the city with major southern, northern and eastern suburbs and, beyond, with towns of the Winelands. The Peninsula's west coast (Sea Point to Hout Bay) and southern interior (Constantia) have no rail service. Taxis Taxi cabs of the standard, meter-fitted kind do not roam the streets in search of fares. They are to be found in designated city ranks and at some but not all suburban railway stations. Usually, it's best to telephone for one: consult the local directory or the Yellow Pages, or ask hotel reception to ring for you. Travel by taxi is expensive: if your journey is anything more than a cross-city hop, ask the driver for an estimate of cost. So-called 'black taxis' - minibuses - have undesignated but customary stopping points, and will pull up if you hail them. They are a cheap, quick means of transport, but they do not have a reassuring safety record. Car hire The major, internationally known rental companies have offices at the airport and in the city. A number of smaller local companies offer similar services. Tours A great many coach, minibus and micro-bus half and full-day trips are on offer. Most tour operators cover the west and east coasts of the Peninsula, Cape Point, the Constantia Wine Estates and the Kirstenbosch Gardens, mountain, bay and harbour, and places farther afield - including the scenically lovely Winelands and, in springtime, the wild-flower areas of the region's western coastal belt. A spin by helicopter will take you over the Peninsula; vintage steam train excursions are advertised from time to time; sea cruises will show you the coasts from a different perspective (boats can also be chartered). The central area The Castle of Good Hope Next to the Grand Parade (where you'll also find the rather imposingly ornate City Hall). The Castle Although still functional (it's South Africa's oldest occupied building) the Castle serves mainly as a museum: it's full of fine furniture, paintings (including those of the celebrated William Fehr collection), tapestries and objects d'art. Of interest are the restoration and military sections, and the Dolphin Pool. A variety of special events, some of them attractively original and imaginative, are sporadically laid on within the walls; consult local newspapers for details. Open to the public; daily tours. District Six museum District Six was indeed a bit of a slum, ramshackle and crime-ridden, but its streets were busy with the sights and sounds of polyglot humanity; it had verve, character and a tremendous community spirit. It had a soul. Koopman's-De Wet House Adderley Street
Greenmarket Square Beware pickpockets. Flanking buildings include the imposing Metropolitan Methodist church and the Old Town House, an 18th-century baroque edifice that houses a hundred or so Dutch and Flemish works of art. See Entertainment and the Arts. Long Street Public gardens Its a restful enough expanse of greenery, within a stone's throw of traffic-congested city streets but, for all that, surprisingly quiet. It has much to interest both the botanist and the casual lover of trees and flowers. It also offers some statuary, an aviary, a conservatory (palms, orchids) and an open-air restaurant. Government Avenue runs along the east side of the gardens and beckons the stroller with its lovely, sun-dappled, overarched trees (these are home to the descendants of squirrels imported by the chauvinistic Cecil John Rhodes a little over a century ago). Ringing the gardens are some notable buildings. They include the houses of parliament, Tuinhuis (the State President's Cape Town offices), the National Gallery, the Great and the Old synagogues (the former houses the Jewish museum), the South African Museum and its planetarium and, at the lower (northern) end, the classical facade of the South African Library. Malay Quarter Many of the residents are descendants of slaves imported by the early Dutch colonists. The word 'Malay', though, refers to language rather than geography. Most Malays brought to these shores in the early days (including some high-born individuals) were from what is now Indonesia. As we've noted, many of the original Eastern customs and culinary elements have been retained; the community is close-knit, bound together by their heritage and their faith. There is a small museum, and a restaurant that serves traditional 'Cape Malay' food . It's recommended you visit the quarter, more properly named Bo-Kaap (literally, 'above the Cape'), as a member of a tour party rather than independently. Table Mountain Among the world's best-known landmarks, the north face of this massive flat-topped buttress rises almost vertically to a height of just over 1000 metres (3000ft) above the city of Cape Town, its summit often wreathed in thick, swirling clouds known as the 'tablecloth'. On clear days, though, it stands stark and straight against the blue sky, a vast platform from which one gazes out over city, the entire Peninsula and the ocean all around. The vistas are breathtaking. To the south is Cape Point, to the east the broad sweep of False Bay, to the west the great, sentinel-like rank of sandstone massifs known as the Twelve Apostles. Far below are the streets of the metropolis, and the dockyards; beyond, in the waters of Table Bay, you'll see the low, dull-green, rock-shored hump of Robben Island. Getting to the top. Most people take the cable-car, a comfortable, recently modernised and very safe conveyance that whisks you to the summit in about four minutes. Those with more energy follow one of the literally hundreds of paths that lead up over the mountain's southern slopes. Most of the routes are gentle enough, some are arduous, a few downright hazardous unless you're an experienced climber. Gentle or not, though, treat the mountain with a great deal of respect at all times, arm yourself with a good map, take warm clothing - the weather can change dramatically within a few minutes, the mists descending suddenly to chill you and obliterate the landmarks. Don't stray from the charted route; if you do get lost, backtrack and look for a well-used path; don't meander on along a random downward course. If visibility is really bad or if you can't find your way before nightfall, stay where you are. At the top. The upper cable station complex houses a pleasant restaurant and a souvenir shop (outgoing letters, post-cards and faxes bear the Table Mountain mark). The summit and the backing plateau are part of a proclaimed nature reserve; see Outdoors Enjoyment Neighbouring peaks The mountain is flanked by two almost-as-distinctive heights. That to the right (as you look up from the city) is Lion's Head - from certain angles the high massif reminds one (vaguely) of a maned animal, its body sloping down to Signal Hill, the 'rump'. Pleasant views from both parts of the anatomy, though to get up to the top of the head involves a stiff, ladder-assisted climb. The noon-day gun, originally fired to commemorate the dead of World War 1, is emplaced on the Hill. The flanking feature on the left of Table Mountain is known as Devil's Peak and it's too steep to climb. The Waterfront About a decade ago the city fathers decided to redevelop the old, western part of the harbour - the Victoria and Albert basins - as a commercial and leisure complex, and it has since expanded into one of Cape Town's prime shopping, eating, drinking and entertainment venues. Its designers drew their inspiration from similar revitalization schemes elsewhere in the world, from San Francisco and Boston, Vancouver and Sydney but Cape Town's Victoria & Albert Waterfront, boasting Table Mountain as its splendid backdrop, has a character very much its own. Tugs and trawlers and other salt-stained working craft still tie up at the quaysides, tour boats and water-taxis ply the waters, and many of the old dockyard buildings have been converted to serve new and perhaps more frivolous, certainly more attractive, purposes. Streets, squares and quays are now lined with umbrella-shaded bistros, pubs, restaurants, speciality shops, cinemas, entertainment centres, shopping arcades, craft markets, hotels, a leisure-boat marina, luxury apartments and upmarket office premises. A bright, bustling and for the most part becoming place, ideal for a relaxing day out. Waterfront showplaces Of special note are the Telkom 'Exploratorium' (wonders of the electronic age), the Fisheries Museum, Maritime Museum (floating exhibits) and the outstanding Two Oceans Aquarium, where one can view the denizens of the Cape's deeps from both above and below the waterline. The local brewery (splendid draft ale) and wine centre are worth a visit. Tours to Robben Island set off from the Waterfront. Robben Island The island, a few kilometres offshore in Table Bay, is best known as Nelson Mandela's long-time prison home, but its story goes a long way further back. Early navigators and the first white settlers exploited it for its seal population (Robben means 'seals' in Dutch), its penguins, seabird eggs and for the blue slate the colonists used for building materials. Later, it served as a gigantic pen for livestock, as a penal settlement, a lunatic asylum and leper colony, an out-of-sight-out-of-mind place for paupers and as a kind of isolation ward for the chronically sick and otherwise unwanted. It also functioned as a 'political' prison for renegades, rebels and, for a time, aristocratic, exiled Muslim leaders and holy men from Holland's eastern possessions (one of the Cape's half-dozen or so 'kramats', or Islamic tombs-cum-shrines, is on the island). Robben Island is now a nature reserve and a monument to South Africa's liberation struggle. Visitors can tour the prison (Mandela's cell is on the itinerary; so are the solitary-confinement quarters of Robert Sobukwe, founder of the Pan-Africanist Congress) and its museum, and then go on to see something of the rest of the island's rather windblown 5 square kilometres (about 1400 acres). |
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CAPE TOWN CITY Western Cape
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