Cape Town – History & Good Hope for the future
By Noah Patton
Cape Town’s earliest inhabitants have left clues to their existence more than 12,000 years ago at a cave in Fish Hoek. It’s life as a town began as a small European outpost at the Fort of Good Hope enroute to the far reaches of the then known world. These days, Cape Town is a booming city of some 3.8 million people – a far cry from it’s humble roots.
HISTORY:
The Cape of Good Hope was first discovered by the Portuguese explorer, Bartolomeu Dias in 1488. Dias was on an expedition to discover a passage around the south of Africa and on his first pass near the Cape of Good Hope they were hit by a violent storm which lasted weeks. When it had finally calmed, he was on the open ocean and headed east, towards India. After another month at sea his crew refused to continue towards India, and he was forced to return to Portugal. On this return journey they found the Cape of Good Hope, but he would first name it the Cape of Storms in honour of the tumultuous weather they experienced near it. On Dias’s return, King John II of Portugal would rename it to the Cape of Good Hope, as its existence meant trade to the east was finally feasible. (1)
For the next century it would regularly be used by European ships, who would trade tobacco and metals in exchange for meat with the local Khoekhoe clans that inhabited the area. The Dutch would later create a way-station, where they would introduce an extraordinary range of useful plants to the region. These would include cereals, nuts, potatoes, fruits and grapes. As the settlement grew the Dutch found it difficult to meet demands in labour, so they imported slaves from Indonesia and Madagascar. These slaves are the ancestors of many communities in Cape Town, which is why the city has become one of the most multicultural in the world. (2)
When the Dutch Republic fell in the late 18th century, Britain seized control of their colonies – including Cape Town. Britain would later establish the Union of South Africa and Cape Town would flourish as a beacon of multiculturalism for many decades.
APARTHEID:
But, during the 1948 elections, the National Party won preaching ideals about racial segregation (known as Apartheid). The white South African government would use the slogan “swart gevaar” to refer to the perceived danger that the black African population posed. While they were in power multiple acts were passed, classifying areas to only specific races, prohibiting mixed marriages and suppressing any resistance. They banned any party or gathering of people that was communist, but they defined communism in such a way that it was used to label anyone who opposed Apartheid ideals as communist. The former multi-racial suburbs in Cape Town were demolished and residents were forced out of their homes.
Despite strong and consistent opposition to apartheid within and outside of South Africa, its laws remained in effect for the better part of 50 years. In 1991, the government of President F.W. de Klerk began to repeal most of the legislation that provided the basis for apartheid. (3)
Perhaps one of the most famous South Africans, Nelson Mandela, when released from his political incarceration in February 1990, worked with President F.W. de Klerk’s government to draw up a new constitution for South Africa. After both sides made concessions, they reached agreement in 1993, and would share the Nobel Peace Prize that year for their efforts. (3)
Nelson Mandela would make his first public speech since his 27-year imprisonment from the Cape Town City Hall’s balcony on February 11, 1990. This began a new era for South Africa and represented the beginning of the end of Apartheid in the country.
TODAY:
Cape Town today is a thriving hub for manufacturing, finance and business with nearly 10% of industry in the area from tourism. Table Mountain, which sits beside the city has one of the world’s highest levels of biodiversity and includes a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mountain is estimated to be home to about 2,200 species of plants – more than exist in the whole of the United Kingdom which has 1200 plant species and 67 endemic plant species. Many of these species, including a great many types of proteas, are endemic to the mountain and can be found nowhere else. (4).
Cape Town boasts beautiful beaches, a mostly sunny and warm climate and beautiful scenic drives in and around the city. In fact, no visit to South Africa is complete without a stay in South Africa’s booming town.
Bibliography:
- (1) Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). “Bartolomeu Dias” . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.
- (2) “Slavery and early colonisation, South African History Online”. Sahistory.org.za. 22 September 1927. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2020
- (3) History.com – https://www.history.com/topics/africa/apartheid
- (4) Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town