|
 |
THE CAPE FLATS
|
|
|
|
|
| Cape Flats: A large area of
wind-blown, flat land, covered predominantly by sand, lies to the north of Cape Town,
known merely as the Cape Flats. Described fairly accurately as the ‘dumping ground of
apartheid’ it was here that thousands of ‘non-white’ households were forced
to move as a result of the Group Areas Act, and today it is home to over a million people
who manage to eke out an existence in a combination of townships and informal settlements.
Despite its origins, and the harsh conditions under which people still live, taking into
account the present government’s housing initiatives, the area is totally unique and
has emerged as a vibrant and culturally diverse part of the city that stands in strong
contrast to the largely ‘white’ suburbs of Cape Town. |
|
|
|
|
Many visitors’ first
impression of the mother city is along the N2, lined with tin and wood shacks that smack
of poverty and little access to facilities. Even the country’s successful bid for the
2010 Soccer World Cup will not see these shacks vanish. According to the city’s
mayor, it will take 30 years to deal with the upgrading of informal settlements and the
city already has a housing backlog of 400 000 units.
Yet a visit through the townships of Langa, Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Cross Roads,
Mitchell’s Plain and Manenberg is one of the most revealing and enriching things you
can do whilst in Cape Town – for better or worse this area is considered the
birthplace of Cape Town’s soul and art, crafts, music and entrepreneurship abound in
a collective show of making the best of a bad situation. Add to this the pervasive
‘Cape sense of humour’ – the ability of people who live on the Flats to see
the funny side of life – despite the odds, and you will have a better understanding
of how the people of South Africa actually live. Yet, despite its association with flat
sandy plains, the Cape Flats is also an extensive wetland and home to unique strandveld
vegetation that has come under extreme urbanisation pressure. |
|
|
CAPE FLATS - DESTINATIONS
|
|
|
|
  Khayalitsha: More than
half of Cape Town’s unemployed live in the notoriously high crime area of
Khayalitsha, a township just outside Cape Town that means ‘new home’. Created
during apartheid as a dormitory area for migratory workers, today it is the biggest and
youngest black township on the Cape ... more about » Khyalitsha |
|
|
|
 The energetic community of Gugs, better known as Gugulethu, lies virtually
on top of Cape Town’s International airport, about 20 kilometres outside of Cape Town
- one of the oldest black townships in South Africa and arguably one of the fastest developing. Gugulethu
has been described as a combination ... more » Gugulethu Info |
|
|
|
 Set just 15 to 20 kilometres from the centre of Cape Town and accessible
where the N2 joins Bunga Avenue, Langa, the birth and resting place of Brenda Fassie -
outrageous superstar and queen of pop - is one of the oldest townships in Cape Town. An
area made up of infamous singles quarters, hostels ... more about » Langa |
|
|
|
 Manenberg is a largely Coloured community on the Cape Flats, where
clotheslines span across apartheid-government-built housing and children play in the
streets - the back of Table Mountain visible in the distance - the one redeeming factor in
a township with high levels of unemployment, overcrowding ... more » Manenberg |
|
|
|
 Described in a former resident’s own terms, Mitchell’s Plain is a
large, sprawling coloured township originally billed, when it was built about 20
years’ ago, as the area for coloureds and erected to house the middle income group.
Parts of it quickly deteriorated into little more than ‘urban ghettoes’ ... more
about » Mitchells Plain |
|
|
|
 Nyanga, a sprawling, poverty-stricken illustration of Cape Town’s urban
sprawl, is one of the oldest and largest black townships after Langa, establishing itself
as early as 1955. It lies about 26 kilometres from the city centre, along the N2 close to
the Cape Town International Airport and, like most of ... more about » Nyanga |
|
|
CAPE FLATS ATTRACTIONS
|
|
|
|
 We would like
you to personally experience this unique political set up by staying two days in a guest
house in a “black, coloured and white” area. This is also a golden opportunity
to experience the diversified cultural entertainment and cuisine of Cape Town. At the same
time, you will also visit the ... about » Cultural Homestay Tour
|
|
|
|
 Liziwe's Guest
House: Liziwe Ngcokoto is the owner of Liziwe's Guest House.
Before the establishment of the house she bought the plot, lived in a shack on the plot
for five years in Guguletu and then decided to build a house. Together with her husband,
they worked towards building their home and ... about » Liziwe's Guest House
|
|
|
|
 On 3 March 1986,
the Apartheid security forces killed seven young men from Umkonto we Sizwe. This brutal
cowardly act was one amongst many of the atrocities committed by the Apartheid regime. In
the streets of Gugulethu their blood was spilled mercilessly. On 21 March 2005, the
Western Cape ... more » Guguletu
Seven Memorial |
|
|
|
 Mzolis is Guguletus most popular hang-out spot. Every Saturday and Sunday
this is where people spend their afternoons, eating meat, chatting and just lounging
around. At Mzoli's, seating is outside where you can get a view of everyone passing by.
This way you get to interact with people while enjoying your meal. |
|
|
|
 One of the
country’s oldest ornithological field stations, has some easy walks and fantastic
bird hides that offers the bird lover hours of entertainment. Strandfontein’s Waste
Water Treatment Works is yet another example of a significant wetland, supporting, for
example, a greater bird life than St Lucia’s Estuary in KwaZulu Natal. |
|
« Western Cape | Cape Town Restaurants | Cape Town Beaches
» |
|
|
|
|
|
  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| To avoid dissapointment, it is advised
that you make your enquiries and bookings early for your Cape Town accommodation for the
holiday season. To facilitate your search here are a few direct links to some of the Western
Cape's most popular holiday spots. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Car Hire Cape Town - Hire from
international and local companies, which offer a wide range of cars, from budget to
luxury. For the best deals we recommend you book your car before travelling. |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
