Southern Africa - Day 2 (Part 1)

Tuesday, 14 January 2020 - Cape Town, South Africa 

I arrived at Cape Town International Airport at approximately 11.30 am local time. About 21 hours after I left home and I’m on another continent. It wasn’t a good flight as I was plagued by children screaming and kicking the back of my seat. They should have a children only section in planes, seriously. 

Anyway no problems with immigration and I met my driver waiting for me at the airport, he dropped me off at my hotel. I am pleasantly surprised. Everyone here is so happy and friendly and welcoming. 

The first people in South Africa were the Bushmen or San. The first Europeans to reach South Africa were the Portuguese, who named the end of the country “Cape of Good Hope” in 1488, when they managed to sail around it to reach India. Permanent European settlement was only built in Cape Town after the Dutch East India Company reached the Cape of Good Hope in April 1652. In the 1700s, there was a colony of Boers (Dutch for farmers). By 1795, the British took control of the Cape as a consequence of the Napoleonic wars on the Dutch. This led to 2 Boer Wars in 1880 and 1899 between the Boers and the British for control over Transvaal and Natal. I just finished reading a book about this by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 😁.

Peace was restored in 1902 via the Treaty of Vereeniging, and the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910 which was a consolidation of the various Boer republics and British colonies into a unified state as a member of the British Commonwealth. In 1961, the Republic of South Africa was formed. 

In 1948, the Afrikaner-dominated National Party came to power and began full implementation of its long cherished dream of white supremacy. This was the start of apartheid. The 1980s saw a turning tide in the world against racial segregation which pressured South Africa to end apartheid. There were weapons and trade embargoes, boycotts, and banning from the Olympics. In the 1990s the government, under pressure, started releasing political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela. Democratic elections were held in April 1994 and Nelson Mandela was selected as the country’s first democratically elected president. 

Outside my hotel there were refugees from Congo just camping around; they want the government to send them to Canada but nobody seems to be doing anything. It’s actually quite sad to see them live like that on the streets, especially the little children. What a sad life, I hope they have brighter futures. Although unsightly, they pose no threat or problems and indeed I didn’t feel threatened. 

At the hotel, the receptionist who was a very bubbly and enthusiastic girl, offered to arrange transport for me to see the main sights in the city and to go up Table Mountain. Although tired and a bit sleepy, I couldn’t waste the afternoon away in Africa so after a bit of freshening up, off I went. My hotel room was very pleasant. So far everything has been beyond my expectation. This is the problem.  Can’t always rely on hearsay information or what you read on the internet. Sometimes you have to experience something for yourself in order to know what is true and what is fiction.

My driver’s name is Ebby and he is from Zimbabwe. They all speak really good English here so communication is not a problem at all. First, I went to Bo-Kaap, a place with brightly painted houses and cobbled street, known to the locals as the Muslim quarter. The area dates back 360 years and was originally a slave quarter, particularly slaves from Asia - these are the people who are now known as Cape Malays. 

Drove along Long Street, which is one street away from the hotel. As it’s name suggests, this is a long street full of pubs, bars and restaurants that apparently open all night till the morning. Then to City Hall, the building where Nelson Mandela gave his first speech after his release from prison. There is a statue of Nelson Mandela here. Then to a place called The Company’s Garden which is like a small park. There were people here playing local music with the marimba, something like a xylophone but made of wood - it sounded good for my ears. Beside the Garden is the Church of St George, a Dutch Reform church. I’ve really no idea what this is; I’ve enough problems as it is understanding the different denominations of Christianity that I know of, this is something I never even heard of until I arrived here. The Parliament of South Africa is also located nearby here.