In Deep:
What You Need to Know About Cape Town

Michele Harvey

Table Mountain. Cape Point. The harbour. If having just one of these constitutes an embarrassment of riches, then Cape Town is a city spoiled absolutely rotten.

In Cape Town, An Embarrassment of Riches

In 1652, the Dutch East India Trading Company sent a small party of Dutch settlers, under the command of Jan van Riebeeck, to establish a supply station that could service the shipping route between Europe and the Spice Islands. Cape Town grew from there.

Today a diverse, international city, its cosmopolitan nature is reflected in both its varied architecture and cuisine. Cape Dutch buildings mingle with Islamic mosques and Hindu temples, while reminders of British colonial rule are everywhere. Meanwhile, Malay influences are evident in the many spicy curries, chutneys and rice dishes available across the city, and a diverse restaurant scene offers no shortage of options for people of all tastes.

The People of the Cape

The population of Cape Town’s greater metro area totals over four million, a figure that is constantly on the rise due to the “urban drift” phenomenon. The largest ethnic group, referred to as the Cape Coloureds, is a mixed-race group of largely Afrikaans-speaking (though most also speak English), Christian people that is almost entirely Westernized in terms of lifestyle and custom. In the 1950s the city’s constitution was altered, and Coloured peoples’ voting rights were rescinded. A decade later, the Group Areas Act came into being and many people lost their homes. It was at this time that the infamous District Six was demolished, and its residents moved to the Cape Flats.

A prominent sub-group is the Cape Muslims, whose forefathers came as slaves from Indonesia, Africa, India, and elsewhere in the East. Among them were highborn political exiles such as Sheik Yusuf, who led a rebellion against the Dutch in Java. Slavery was abolished in the 1830s and many of the freed slaves settled in an area known as the Bo-Kaap (Upper Cape Town) on the slopes of Signal Hill.

The majority of Cape Town’s black citizens are descendants of migrants from the historic Xhosa homelands of the Eastern Cape. They settled on the inhospitable Cape Flats in the sprawling suburbs of Langa, Nyanga, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha, in what were known as “squatter camps,” but which are now known as “townships.”

Table Mountain

Even in a city surrounded by mountains, Table Mountain stands apart. So named for the level plateau found at its peak, this natural wonder towers above South Africa’s legislative capital and constitutes the crown jewel in the city’s majestic backdrop, formed in conjunction with Devil’s Peak, Lion’s Head and Signal Hill. Famous for the National Park that bears its name and a cableway that provides spectacular views on its way to the top, we prefer to tackle one of the mountain’s many hiking trails—making the view from the top that much more rewarding.

Cape Point

“This Cape is a most stately thing,” wrote Sir Francis Drake in 1580, upon sailing around Cape Point, “and the fairest Cape in the whole circumference of the earth.”

Situated within Table Mountain National Park, Cape Point provides the peninsula with a mountainous view worthy of the region’s majesty. With a nature reserve situated within the park, you don’t need to leave the Cape to see creatures in their natural habitat. You’re almost certain to come across the notorious chacma baboons (please do not feed them), but you may also see eland and bontebok (two species of antelope), or even the rare mountain zebra. A large variety of birds are also regular visitors to the park, including sunbirds, black eagles, ostrich, and ocean-going species such as albatross and cormorant.