District Six, Cape Town
Encyclopedia
District Six is the name of a former inner-city residential area in Cape Town
, South Africa
. It is best known for the forced removal of over 60,000 of its inhabitants during the 1970s by the apartheid regime.
The area was named in 1867 as the Sixth Municipal District of Cape Town. The District Six neighbourhood is bounded by Sir Lowry Road on the north, Tennant Road to the west, De Waal Drive on the south and Cambridge Street to the east. By the turn of the century it was already a lively community made up of former slaves, artisans, merchants and other immigrants, as well as many Malay people
brought to South Africa by the Dutch East India Company
during its administration of the Cape Colony
. It was home to almost a tenth of the city of Cape Town's population.
After World War II, during the earlier part of the apartheid era, District Six was relatively cosmopolitan. Situated within sight of the dock
s, it was made up largely of coloured
residents which included a substantial number of coloured Muslims, called Cape Malays
. There were also a number of black Xhosa residents and a smaller numbers of Afrikaans, whites, and Indians.
Government officials gave four primary reasons for the removals. In accordance with apartheid philosophy, it stated that interracial interaction bred conflict, necessitating the separation of the races. They deemed District Six a slum, fit only for clearance, not rehabilitation. They also portrayed the area as crime-ridden and dangerous; they claimed that the district was a vice den, full of immoral activities like gambling, drinking, and prostitution. Though these were the official reasons, most residents believed that the government sought the land because of its proximity to the city center, Table Mountain, and the harbor.
On 11 February 1966, the government declared District Six a whites-only area under the Group Areas Act
, with removals starting in 1968. By 1982, more than 60,000 people had been relocated to the sandy, bleak Cape Flats
township complex some 25 kilometers away. The old houses were bulldozed. The only buildings left standing were places of worship. International and local pressure made redevelopment difficult for the government, however. The Cape Technikon (now Cape Peninsula University of Technology
) was built on a portion of District Six which the government renamed Zonnebloem. Apart from this and some police housing units, the area was left undeveloped.
Since the fall of apartheid in 1994, the South African government has recognized the older claims of former residents to the area, and pledged to support rebuilding.
handed the keys to the first returning residents, Ebrahim Murat (87) and Dan Ndzabela (82). About 1,600 families were scheduled to return over the next three years.
The Hands Off District Six Committee mobilized to halt investment and redevelopment in District Six after the forced removals. It developed into the District Six Beneficiary Trust, which was empowered to manage the process by which claimants were to get their "land" back (actually a flat or apartment residential space). In November 2006, the Trust broke off negotiations with the Cape Town Municipality. The Trust accused the Municipality (then under a Democratic Alliance mayor) of stalling restitution, and indicated that it preferred to work with the national government, which was controlled by the ANC
. In response, DA Mayor Helen Zille
questioned the right of the Trust to represent the claimants, as it had never been "elected" by claimants. Some discontented claimants wanted to create an alternative negotiating body to the Trust. However, the historical legacy and "struggle credentials" of most of the Trust leadership made it very likely that it would continue to represent the claimants.
With his short novel A Walk in the Night (1962), the well-known Capetonian journalist and writer Alex La Guma gave District Six a place in literature.
South African painters, such as Kenneth Baker
, Gregoire Boonzaier and John Dronsfield are recognised for capturing something of the spirit of District Six on canvas.
In 1973, Adam Small and Chris Jansen combined to make coffee table book with Jansen's photographs of District 6 and the demolition of it, with moving poems by well-known poet and writer, Adam Small. The book was published by Human and Rousseau.
In 1986, Richard Rive
wrote a highly-acclaimed novel called Buckingham Palace, District Six, which chronicles the lives of a community before and during the removals. This book has also been adapted into successful theatre productions which toured South Africa.
In 1986, District Six – The Musical by David Kramer
and Taliep Petersen
told the story of District Six in a popular musical which also toured internationally.
In 1997 Pamela Jooste wrote her wellknown book,"Dance with a poor Man's daughter". It is the story of District 6 as experienced by an intelligent little girl who lived there.
District Six also contributed mightily to the distinguished history of South African jazz
. Basil Coetzee
, known for his song "District Six", was born there and lived there until its destruction. Before leaving South Africa in the 1960s, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim
lived nearby and was a frequent visitor to the area, as were many other cape jazz
musicians. Ibrahim described the area to The Guardian
as a "fantastic city within a city...", explaining, "[W]here you felt the fist of apartheid it was the valve to release some of that pressure. In the late 50s and 60s, when the regime clamped down, it was still a place where people could mix freely. It attracted musicians, writers, politicians at the forefront of the struggle. We played and everybody would be there."
South African writer Rozena Maart
, currently resident in Canada, won the Canadian Journey Prize
for her short story "No Rosa, No District Six". That story was later published in her debut collection Rosa's District Six.
South African singer/songwriter Warwick Lobban wrote about District Six in his song "The Town".
Tatamkhulu Afrika wrote the poem "Nothing's Changed
", about the evacuation of District Six, and the return after the apartheid.
District Six was also the album title of industrial group Amphibious Assault. The lyrics "You can take the people out of the heart of District Six but you'll never take District 6 out of the heart of the people" were used in the album on the title track.
District 9
is a 2009 science fiction
film produced by Peter Jackson
and directed by Neill Blomkamp
. Although set in an alternate Johannesburg
, it is inspired by the events surrounding District Six.
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is best known for the forced removal of over 60,000 of its inhabitants during the 1970s by the apartheid regime.
Creation and destruction
Cape Malays
The Cape Malay community is an ethnic group or community in South Africa. It derives its name from the present-day Western Cape of South Africa and the people originally from Maritime Southeast Asia, mostly Javanese from modern-day Indonesia, a Dutch colony for several centuries, and Dutch...
brought to South Africa by the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
during its administration of the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
. It was home to almost a tenth of the city of Cape Town's population.
After World War II, during the earlier part of the apartheid era, District Six was relatively cosmopolitan. Situated within sight of the dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
s, it was made up largely of coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
residents which included a substantial number of coloured Muslims, called Cape Malays
Cape Malays
The Cape Malay community is an ethnic group or community in South Africa. It derives its name from the present-day Western Cape of South Africa and the people originally from Maritime Southeast Asia, mostly Javanese from modern-day Indonesia, a Dutch colony for several centuries, and Dutch...
. There were also a number of black Xhosa residents and a smaller numbers of Afrikaans, whites, and Indians.
Government officials gave four primary reasons for the removals. In accordance with apartheid philosophy, it stated that interracial interaction bred conflict, necessitating the separation of the races. They deemed District Six a slum, fit only for clearance, not rehabilitation. They also portrayed the area as crime-ridden and dangerous; they claimed that the district was a vice den, full of immoral activities like gambling, drinking, and prostitution. Though these were the official reasons, most residents believed that the government sought the land because of its proximity to the city center, Table Mountain, and the harbor.
Group Areas Act
The Group Areas Act of 1950 was an act of parliament created under the apartheid government of South Africa on 27th April 1950. The act assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in urban areas in a system of urban apartheid...
, with removals starting in 1968. By 1982, more than 60,000 people had been relocated to the sandy, bleak Cape Flats
Cape Flats
The Cape Flats is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. To many people in Cape Town, the area is known simply as 'The Flats'....
township complex some 25 kilometers away. The old houses were bulldozed. The only buildings left standing were places of worship. International and local pressure made redevelopment difficult for the government, however. The Cape Technikon (now Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Cape Peninsula University of Technology, a university in Cape Town, South Africa, is the only university of Technology in the Western Cape province, and is also the largest university in the province, with over 32,000 students.-History:...
) was built on a portion of District Six which the government renamed Zonnebloem. Apart from this and some police housing units, the area was left undeveloped.
Since the fall of apartheid in 1994, the South African government has recognized the older claims of former residents to the area, and pledged to support rebuilding.
Area
The District 6 area is situated in the city bowl of Cape Town. It is made up of Walmer Estate, Zonnebloem, and Lower Vrede (the former Roeland Street Scheme). Some parts of Walmer Estate like Rochester Street were destroyed and some parts like Cauvin Road were left but the houses demolished. In other parts of Walmer Estate like Worcester Road and Chester Road people were evicted but only a few of the houses destroyed. Most of Zonnebloem was destroyed except for a few schools, churches and mosques. A few houses in the old Constitution street (now Justice Road) were left but the homes sold to white people. This is the case with Bloemhof flats (renamed Skyways). Most of Zonnebloem is owned by the Cape Technikon (which also is built over 50% of the land).Return
By 2003, work had started on the first new buildings: 24 houses that will belong to residents over 80 years old. On 11 February 2004, exactly 38 years after the area was rezoned by the government, former president Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
handed the keys to the first returning residents, Ebrahim Murat (87) and Dan Ndzabela (82). About 1,600 families were scheduled to return over the next three years.
The Hands Off District Six Committee mobilized to halt investment and redevelopment in District Six after the forced removals. It developed into the District Six Beneficiary Trust, which was empowered to manage the process by which claimants were to get their "land" back (actually a flat or apartment residential space). In November 2006, the Trust broke off negotiations with the Cape Town Municipality. The Trust accused the Municipality (then under a Democratic Alliance mayor) of stalling restitution, and indicated that it preferred to work with the national government, which was controlled by the ANC
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
. In response, DA Mayor Helen Zille
Helen Zille
Helen Zille is the Premier of the Western Cape, a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance political party, and a former Mayor of Cape Town.Zille is a former journalist and anti-apartheid activist, and famously exposed the truth...
questioned the right of the Trust to represent the claimants, as it had never been "elected" by claimants. Some discontented claimants wanted to create an alternative negotiating body to the Trust. However, the historical legacy and "struggle credentials" of most of the Trust leadership made it very likely that it would continue to represent the claimants.
Museum
In 1989 the District Six Museum Foundation was established, and in 1994 the District Six Museum came into being. It serves as a remembrance to the events of the apartheid era as well as the culture and history of the area before the removals. The ground floor is covered by a large street map of District Six, with handwritten notes from former residents indicating where their homes had been; other features of the museum include street signs from the old district, displays of the histories and lives of District Six families, and historical explanations of the life of the District and its destruction. In addition to its function as a museum it also serves as a memorial to a decimated community, and a meeting place and community center for Cape Town residents who identify with its history.Arts
South African painters, such as Kenneth Baker
Cecil Kenneth Baker (artist)
Cecil Kenneth Baker was a South African artist.Kenneth, as he is better known, was born at Harfield Road, Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa, which was, at the time of his birth, a predominantly working class suburb....
, Gregoire Boonzaier and John Dronsfield are recognised for capturing something of the spirit of District Six on canvas.
In 1973, Adam Small and Chris Jansen combined to make coffee table book with Jansen's photographs of District 6 and the demolition of it, with moving poems by well-known poet and writer, Adam Small. The book was published by Human and Rousseau.
In 1986, Richard Rive
Richard Rive
-Biography:Rive was born on 1 March 1931 in Caledon Street in the working-class coloured District Six of Cape Town.His father was African, and his mother was coloured, and Rive was given the latter classification under apartheid...
wrote a highly-acclaimed novel called Buckingham Palace, District Six, which chronicles the lives of a community before and during the removals. This book has also been adapted into successful theatre productions which toured South Africa.
In 1986, District Six – The Musical by David Kramer
David Kramer
David Kramer is a South African singer, songwriter, playwright and director, most notable for his musicals about the Cape Coloured communities, and for his early opposition to apartheid.-Early life:...
and Taliep Petersen
Taliep Petersen
Taliep Petersen was a South African singer, composer and director of a number of popular musicals. He worked most notably with David Kramer, with whom he won an Olivier Award.- Career :...
told the story of District Six in a popular musical which also toured internationally.
In 1997 Pamela Jooste wrote her wellknown book,"Dance with a poor Man's daughter". It is the story of District 6 as experienced by an intelligent little girl who lived there.
District Six also contributed mightily to the distinguished history of South African jazz
South African jazz
South African jazz is the jazz music of South Africa, also often mistakenly called "African jazz".-History:As in the United States, South African jazz was strongly influenced by the music styles of the black population. That said influences from the US led to its formation...
. Basil Coetzee
Basil Coetzee
Basil "Manenberg" Coetzee was a South African musician, perhaps best known as a saxophonist.Mountain Records describes Basil thus: 'His distinctive raunchy tenor sound and the untiring commitment to his cultural roots made him one of the best known jazzmen to come out of South Africa...
, known for his song "District Six", was born there and lived there until its destruction. Before leaving South Africa in the 1960s, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim
Abdullah Ibrahim
Abdullah Ibrahim , born Adolph Johannes Brand, 9 October 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa, and formerly known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer...
lived nearby and was a frequent visitor to the area, as were many other cape jazz
Cape jazz
Cape jazz is a genre of jazz, similar to the popular music style known as marabi, though more improvisational in character, which is performed in the very southern part of Africa...
musicians. Ibrahim described the area to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as a "fantastic city within a city...", explaining, "[W]here you felt the fist of apartheid it was the valve to release some of that pressure. In the late 50s and 60s, when the regime clamped down, it was still a place where people could mix freely. It attracted musicians, writers, politicians at the forefront of the struggle. We played and everybody would be there."
South African writer Rozena Maart
Rozena Maart
Dr. Rozena Maart is a South African writer, and professor, currently living between Cape Town, South Africa and Guelph, Ontario, Canada. She has been recognized for her writing, and for her work opposing apartheid and violence against women...
, currently resident in Canada, won the Canadian Journey Prize
Journey Prize
The Journey Prize is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by McClelland and Stewart and the Writers' Trust of Canada for the best short story published by an emerging writer in a Canadian literary magazine. The award was endowed by James A...
for her short story "No Rosa, No District Six". That story was later published in her debut collection Rosa's District Six.
South African singer/songwriter Warwick Lobban wrote about District Six in his song "The Town".
Tatamkhulu Afrika wrote the poem "Nothing's Changed
Nothing's Changed
Nothing's Changed is a poem by Tatamkhulu Afrika.Nothings changed is set in district six,Chapetown against the background of the apartheid and racism...
", about the evacuation of District Six, and the return after the apartheid.
District Six was also the album title of industrial group Amphibious Assault. The lyrics "You can take the people out of the heart of District Six but you'll never take District 6 out of the heart of the people" were used in the album on the title track.
District 9
District 9
District 9 is a 2009 South African science fiction thriller film directed by Neill Blomkamp. It was written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. The film stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, and David James...
is a 2009 science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film produced by Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
and directed by Neill Blomkamp
Neill Blomkamp
Neill Blomkamp is an Afrikaner-Canadian film and advertisement writer and director. Blomkamp employs a documentary-style, hand-held, cinéma vérité technique, blending naturalistic and photo-realistic computer-generated effects. He is best known as the co-writer and director of critically acclaimed...
. Although set in an alternate Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, it is inspired by the events surrounding District Six.
External links
- The District Six museum
- The District Six Beneficiary and Redevelopment Trust
- Southern Cross (SA Catholic newsweekly) article on District Six
- Interview with museum director on history of District Six, purpose of museum
- http://www.cvet.org.za Community Video Education Trust: a digital archive of 90 hours of videos taken in South Africa in the late 1980s and early 1990s including women of Lavender Hill talking about removals from District Six (June 6, 1985) and Albie Sachs at District 6 on his return from exile (1991). Other raw footage documents anti-apartheid demonstrations, speeches, mass funerals, celebrations, and interviews with activists that capture the activism of trade unions, students and political organizations mostly in Cape Town.]
- Interview with District Six Museum founder about his life in District Six and his motivation to start the museum.
- District Six at Golden Arrow