District Six is a former residential area of Cape Town located close to downtown and dock areas. It was made up of a mixture of ethnic and racially different people living in basically peaceful harmony. 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 kilometres 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. Today District Six stands virtually vacant because of the way the eviction of the people was handled and businesses and white residents refused to locate there.
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 centre, Table Mountain, and the harbour.
Langa Township is where most of the black District Six residents were forced to move. Our visit was very enlightening. The people were friendly and warmly welcomed us into their neighborhood. I felt totally safe walking through the streets and talking with the residents. We were even invited into a home unit to show us the condition of the unit and to talk with the family. I didn't take any pictures inside as I felt it would have been too much of an invasion of privacy.
This shows some of the newer brick housing units
They are cooking "Smileys", sheep heads cooked over fire and then having the skin scrapped off (what the woman is doing) then cooked some more before serving. They are called Smileys because they say they are smiling at you from the plate as you eat. NO, I didn't try one!
A street corner market
Our guide, Zingy, is on the left. He was talking with a fellow healer. Notice the headbands on Zingy and the other man's attire. Zingy strongly stated he was a Christian but that he had also been called to be a spiritual healer for his tribe. The blending of traditional religious beliefs and long held tribal rituals is very interesting.
Man getting a haircut.
Woman in the beauty shop.
Cooking liver
These are the most severe living conditions.
Goats roam the streets as they are considered sacred and are used even today in sacrificial ceremonies.. Zingy said that when he was inducted as a spiritual healer, he sacrificed 2 goats. One for his ancestors and one for his blessings. They do eat the animals after the sacrifice.
These are some of the middle income housing units.
This shows the condition of some of the housing as we drove through Langa.
Later that night we divided up into smaller 5 - 8 person groups and went to a local family home for dinner and personal interaction with the family members. It was a great experience. The host for my group was Brenda. She was a great hostess and was very open about her and her family's experience during Apartheid and current living situation. Her family is classified as colored and they live in a colored designated area called Grassy Park. To understand the classification of races here in South Africa, the people are designated as black, white or colored. I won't go into too much detail but colored are basically non-whites that are of mixed racial backgrounds. The people openly tell you their classification and there is no real racism tied to that classification. It is just like me telling someone I'm American.
Our hostess Brenda and her sister
Our guide for the dinner Enrique, who is also colored.
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