Cape Town
The Freedom struggle in Cape Town
Table of contents:
- Negotiations and the transition
- Black Consciousness and student revolt in the Cape
- Cape Town Civic and Community Organisations, 1980s
- Early struggles, contact and conflict in the Cape Colony
- Establishment of the Cape and its impact on Khoikhoi and Dutch
- Slavery
- The growth of trade unionism in Cape Town and the formation of early political organisations
- Growth of African Nationalism and Defiance
- Increasing repression and the turn to the armed struggle
- Growing social unrest: Community mobilisation, strikes and student protests in the Western Cape in the 1980s
- Conflict among civic organisations
- Formation and launch of the UDF
- Conclusion
Conclusion
Cape Town was an important arena in the struggle against racial segregation and social injustice. Struggles by Khoikhoi, Khoisan, slaves, African and coloured people against colonial domination and apartheid were geared towards asserting their rights in the face of onslaught by the white minority. While the initial response was armed conflict, overtime political organization became central to coordinating resistance against white minority rule.
The dismantling of apartheid in the 1980s and the advent of democratic rule in 1994 changed the political landscape of South Africa. People were allowed to participate in the political processes of the country and exercise their right to vote for a government of their choice. However, the legacy of apartheid is still evident in Cape Town. For instance, suburbs carved by the Groups Areas Act are demographically still visible. The impact of the influx controls, the Groups Areas Act and Coloured Labour Preference policies all contributed to the mushrooming of several informal settlements. Sprawling shacks on the outskirts of the city were passed onto the new government leaving housing with a backlog that would take a long time to clear. Consequences of these policies mentioned above are also still visible. Affluent places such as the Southern Suburbs (e.g. Newlands, Claremont, Bishopscourt) remain predominantly owned by white people, the townships and informal settlements in the south east of Cape Town still remain black and impoverished.
