Cape Town

Cape Town (Afrikaans: Kaapstad; Xhosa: eKapa or SaseKapa) is the third most populous city in South Africa. It is the legislative capital of South Africa, as well as capital of the Western Cape province. Cape Town is famous for its natural harbour, as well as its location near the Cape of Good Hope. Its central area is dominated by Table Mountain, so named after its flat top. Cape Town is located at {{coor dm|33|55|S|18|27|E|}}.

History

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The area today known as Cape Town was settled by the San and Khoikhoi, collectively known as the Khoisan, long before the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie; VOC) established a supply depot in Cape Town in 1652. By and large the indigenous people refused to deal with the Dutch, so the VOC imported slaves from Madagascar, India, Ceylon, Malaya, and Indonesia to deal with the colony's chronic labour shortage. There was also a shortage of women in the colony, so the Europeans exploited the female slaves for both labour and sex. In time the slaves also mixed with the Khoisan. The offspring of these unions formed the basis of sections of today's Cape Coloured population and also helps explain the unique character of the city's Cape Malay population.

Related Topics:
San - Khoikhoi - Khoisan - Dutch East India Company - Depot - 1652 - Dutch - Slave - Madagascar - India - Ceylon - Malaya - Indonesia - Colony - Labour - Women - Europe - Sex - Cape Coloured - Cape Malay

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During 150-odd years of Dutch rule, Kaapstad, as the Cape settlement became known, thrived and gained a wider reputation as the "Tavern of the Seas", a riotous port used by every sailor travelling between Europe and the Orient. But, by the end of the 18th century, the VOC was nearly bankrupt, making Cape Town an easy target for British imperialist interests in the region. Following the British defeat of the Dutch in 1806 at Bloubergstrand, 25 kilometres north of Cape Town, the colony was ceded to the Crown on 13 August 1814. The slave trade was abolished in 1808, and all slaves were emancipated in 1833.

Related Topics:
Port - Sailor - Orient - 18th century - Bankrupt - British - Imperialist - 1806 - Bloubergstrand - Kilometre - Crown - 13 August - 1814 - 1808 - Emancipated - 1833

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The discovery and exploitation of diamonds and gold in the Highveld region of South Africa in the 1870s and 1880s led to rapid changes. Cape Town was soon no longer the single dominant metropolis in the country, but as a major port it too was a beneficiary of the mineral wealth that laid the foundation for an industrial society. The same wealth led to imperialist dreams of grandeur on the part of Cecil John Rhodes, the premier of the Cape Colony in 1890, who had made his millions at the head of De Beers Consolidated Mines.

Related Topics:
Diamond - Gold - Highveld - 1870s - 1880s - Metropolis - Industrial - Society - Cecil John Rhodes - Cape Colony - 1890 - De Beers Consolidated Mines

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Bubonic plague in 1901 gave the government an excuse to introduce racial segregation: Africans were moved to two locations, one near the docks and the other at Ndabeni on the western flank of Table Mountain. This was the start of what would later develop into the townships of the Cape Flats. In 1948, the National Party stood for election on its policy of apartheid and won. In a series of bitter court and constitutional battles, the limited rights of blacks and coloureds to vote in the Cape were removed, and the apparatus of apartheid was erected. This resulted in whole communities being uprooted and cast out to the Cape Flats.

Related Topics:
Bubonic plague - 1901 - Segregation - Dock - Ndabeni - Township - Cape Flats - 1948 - National Party - Apartheid - Court - Constitution - Coloured

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The government tried for decades to eradicate squatter towns, such as Crossroads, which were the focal point for black resistance to the apartheid regime. In the last attempt between May and June 1986, an estimated 70,000 people were driven from their homes and hundreds were killed. Even this brutal attack was unsuccessful in eradicating the towns, and the government accepted the inevitable and began to upgrade conditions.

Related Topics:
Squatter town - Crossroads - May - June - 1986

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Hours after being released from prison on 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela made his first public speech in decades from the balcony of Cape Town's City Hall, heralding the beginning of a new era for South Africa. Much has improved in Cape Town since; property prices are increasing greatly and the city centre is becoming safer, with the development of loft-style apartments in grand old structures such as the Old Mutual Building and the Board of Executors building. Full integration of Cape Town's mixed population, however, remains a long way off, if it is achievable at all. The African National Congress (ANC) and the New National Party (NNP) are working together on the City Council, which is headed up by mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo, a black woman. Meanwhile the vast majority of Capetonians who live in the Cape Flats are still split along race lines and suffer horrendous economic, social, and health problems. Cape Town is dealing with the major problems like AIDS and violent drug-related crime in these areas.

Related Topics:
11 February - 1990 - Nelson Mandela - Cape Town's City Hall - Loft - Apartment - Old Mutual Building - African National Congress - New National Party - City Council - Mayor - Nomaindia Mfeketo - AIDS - Drug - Crime

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