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Portuguese explorers were the first to arrive, in 1487, but as they were focussed on finding the riches of the East, they stopped at the Cape only to replenish their supplies of fresh water. At this time, the Cape region was occupied by collectives of indigenous hunters-gatherers known as the Khoisan. They made it clear to the Portuguese that they were not welcome to stay longer than necessary. It was actually the crew of a Dutch shipwreck that established the first settlement on the Cape: they built a fort for protection while waiting to be rescued. The Dutch East India Company established a permanent walled fort in 1652, believing that it was a good location to have an outpost for replenishing the fresh water supplies of their ships. They began to trade with the native Khoisan, began cultivating the land and imported slave labour to handle most of the heavier work. The Khoisan were either killed outright or driven off their land; some died from new diseases that were introduced; and many survivors were forced into slave labour. By the end of the century, Dutch power was on the wane around the world. In the early years of the 19th century, the British seized control of the Cape region, abolishing slavery and initiating free trade. The resident Boers were outraged by these acts, leading to the Great Boer Treks of the 19th century. In 1948, one of Cape Town’s darkest eras was ushered in, with the rise to power of the National Party. This was the beginning of the policy of apartheid, which was created by legislation categorising all South Africans by race, and controlling their lives and fates accordingly. A sizable number of Cape Town’s younger residents demonstrated publicly against apartheid in 1976, following the example of children who had demonstrated in Soweto. The government tried to quell these protests and bloody street battles ensued. Finally, the outside world became outraged, leading to an international movement against apartheid; and in 1989, the local population voted to remove the oppressive government. In 1990, then President FW de Klerk reinstated the ANC party, and ordered the release of Nelson Mandela from prison. Not long afterwards, tourists started to take an interest in the country, and began arriving in Cape Town. This new level of interest – and the income flowing in – led to major new development projects in all parts of the city. | |
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