Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - Cape Town, South Africa

The spectacular sail into Cape Town was dominated by the view of Table Mountain, a majestic, flat-topped mountain which loomed before us.  In 2012 it was inaugurated as one of the world's "New 7 Wonders of Nature."  Cape Town is a uniquely vibrant, cosmopolitan city where Africa meets Europe meets Asia.  Its population is quite diverse with 30% Black Africans, 48% Coloured (their classification), and 18% White.  An individual is classified as "Coloured" if s/he is of mixed race.  A huge gap exists within neighborhoods with rich suburbs and desolate ghettos.  Although Cape Town has a lovely face, it also has a dark side, common in so many major cities throughout the world.  Our destination consultant informed us that we needed to be cautious and remove all of our jewelry and valuables before we leave the ship because safety continues to be a problem.

Cape Town is located where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.  As we sailed around the Cape of Good Horn, the ocean was a bit tumultuous but nothing too intense.  We just needed to use extra caution when moving around the ship since it is a day at sea.  Cape Town has a population of 4.2 million people.  It has grown rapidly and the infrastructure is struggling.  The city has "reclaimed" over half-mile of land in the harbor area on which they built an entirely new waterfront, named Victoria and Alfred (V&A), which is a beautiful, fun, and exciting addition to this exhilarating city and includes dozens of restaurants, shops, bars, tour boat docks and a giant ferris wheel.

Although I'm trying to cut down on the length of my blogs this year, I am absolutely fascinated by the history of this exciting and dynamic city.  However, I also realize that not everyone is as interested in history as I am.  It's one of the main reasons I love traveling - to learn about other people, cultures and beliefs.  Sooooo, I am going to include a history of this area.  If you are not particularly interested in this information,  scroll down and I'll let you know when the history is finished and I return to the description of our activity.

The earliest inhabitants of Cape Town were most likely the ancestors of the San people (Oldest DNA on the planet).  These are the people who have a distinctive "click" in their language.  They now lead a hunting life in and around the Kalahari Desert.  Remains of their settlements are shown in rock paintings, and engravings have been found in many parts of South Africa.  This group was followed by the Khoi-Khoi people, who migrated from the north in the 1st-5th centuries.

The Portuguese explorer, Diaz, rounded the cape in 1488 and scraps of information on the local people began to be recorded.  Survivors of Portuguese shipwrecks from 1552 onward described settlements near the coast.  At that time the Portuguese were not interested in Africa.  Their focus was the route to India, so they planted a flag on Africa to show they were there but didn't claim it for Portugal. 

The Dutch arrived in South Africa in 1652 when the Dutch East India company established a settlement at Table Bay, now known as Cape Town.  On their arrival their relationship with the Khoi-Khoi was amiable.  However, in 1658-59 the Chief was taken hostage by the Dutch in an effort to force him to return some escaped slaves the Dutch had brought with them from Indonesia, as well as some disputes over land ownership and livestock.  The Chief was imprisoned on Robben Island, where many years later Nelson Mandela was held as a political prisoner.  The imprisonment of the Chief resulted in attacks and counter attacks by both sides and became known as the Khoi-Khoi-Dutch Wars that ended in the eventual defeat of the Khoi-Khoi. 

Slave labor, introduced by the Dutch, built a "slave lodge" for the purpose of housing them.  The lodge housed 1,000 slaves at at the same time in the 17th century and 20% of them died each year.  A total of 60,000 slaves passed through the slave market each year.

The 18th century witnessed the growth of Cape Town and the British became interested.  In 1795 the British seized the city from the Dutch, who then moved north looking for land of their own, away from British rule.   The British finally abolished slavery in 1795, although they continued to have "indentured servants" from India. The Dutch finally ceded control of Cape Town to the British in 1814. Cape Town began to boom, and the British focused on "high" culture and education, which were paid for with wine trade sales and taxes. 

The first docks were built in 1860 with labor supplied by convicts and prisoners of war.  In 1868 the population was 33,000 and by the 20th century it had skyrocketed to 100,000 people. One of the reasons for this dramatic increase in population is the discovery of diamonds in 1869. In the early 1900's legislation was enacted in which racial segregation was supported.  Power was shared among the Whites, with the Blacks being locked out.  The 1960's brought demonstrations against apartheid.  At one rally the police fired into a group of protestors and killed three people.  In 1963, Nelson Mandela and eight other African leaders were arrested and charged with sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government.  In 1964 he was sentenced to life in prison.  Mandela was imprisoned for a total of 27 years, 18 of those years on Robben Island.

In the early 1900's legislation was enacted in which racial segregation was supported.  Power was shared among the Whites, with the Blacks being locked out.  In the 1940's, plans were formulated by the Cape Town municipality to demolish houses under slum clearance.  District Six fell under the definition of a slum area.  This district was a multi working-class area near the center of Cape Town.  It was an impoverished but lively community of nearly 60,000 predominantly Coloured people.  It was once known as the soul of Cape Town.  This inner-city area harbored a rich cultural life with its narrow alleys and crowded tenements.  It was originally established as a community of freed slaves, merchants artisans, laborers and immigrants.  In 1950 the concept of "Apartheid" was introduced with the Population Registration Act and individuals were classified according to race. "Black, White, Coloured, or Asian."  Eventually, after years of arguments, in the 1960's and 70's, District Six was destroyed by the apartheid regime. It was only after the declaration of this area as a "whites only" area that extensive demolition began.  The area was cleared and residents forced to leave and set up households on the primitive Cape flats.  Approximately 55,000  people were uprooted.  Resistance by inhabitants was intense and the last residents only left in the mid 1970's.  After the 1994 democratic election, claims for restitution were made by families which had been forced out of District Six.  A large number of them were given the option to resettle in the District or accept financial compensation.

It was during the 1940's that a global leader sprang from the crowd onto the national scene and made a deep and everlasting effect on South Africa.  Nelson Mandela was a South African activist who helped bring an end to apartheid and was a global advocate for human rights.  He was a member of the African National Congress (ANC) party beginning in the 1940's and he was a leader of both peaceful protests and armed resistance against the white minorities oppressive regime in a racially divided South Africa. He and his fellow activists were first arrested in 1956 and went on trial for treason. He was acquitted but tensions between the whites and blacks continued to escalate.  The following year police opened fire on peaceful black protestors, killing 69 people.  Panic, anger and riots swept the country in the massacre's aftermath, and Mandela and the other protesters were forced to go underground and wear disguises to evade detection.

In 1961, Mandela co-founded and became the first leader of the organization "Spear of the Nation," also known as MK, a new armed wing of one of the main political parties.  In 1963, Nelson Mandela and eight other African leaders were arrested and charged with sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government. His actions landed him in prison in for 27 years and made him the face of the anti-apartheid movement both within his country and internationally.  He and the seven other defendants narrowly escaped the gallows and were instead sentenced to life imprisonment.  In a stirring opening statement that sealed his iconic status around the world, Mandela ended his opening statement with the following words:  "I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and a society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.  It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve.  But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."  The trial lasted for eight months and attracted substantial international attention.  Even though he was tortured and forced to work in the mines, Mandela never lost hope or allowed his captors to rob him of his irrepressible human spirit.  

In 1994, after Mandela's release from prison as president in the first free multiracial parliamentary elections in South Africa, the country moved towards equality.  He introduced numerous social and economic programs designed to improve the living standards of South Africa's Black population.  Improving race relations, discouraging Blacks from retaliating against the White minority and building a new international image of a united South Africa were central to President Mandela's agenda.  He formed a multiracial "Government of National Unity" and proclaimed the country a "rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world."  

End of history and background of Cape Town and South Africa.  Now, back to our time in this fascinating area.

Now, here's a little bit of information about how we spent our very brief time here. Since we have been to this area many times before and have been to most of the tourist sites within the city as well as the surrounding countryside, we decided to forego the tours and do a deeper exploration of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.  It's a delightful place filled with restaurants, coffee houses, two shopping malls, and even a large ferris wheel.  

We found the shop where we bought our lovely ceramic art piece of a female leopard and her two clubs on a previous visit.  We walked through the shop and admired the ceramics they had on display but we have now downsized our collections from our travels so we resisted buying anything else!  

We strolled leisurely along the waterfront and ducked into many of the souvenir shops looking for gifts for Christmas but unfortunately didn't find anything this time.  We kept walking and passed two KFC's which appear to be huge throughout Africa!  We also found a McDonald's which was packed with customers.  It was warm as we walked so when we spotted a Starbucks we ducked in and ordered a couple of frappuccino's.  Neither Bob nor I had ever tasted one before so it was quite a treat (although I was aware that it must have had at least 4,000 calories)!!!  Once we had seen most of the waterfront we started our walk back to the ship.

Although the ship was docked fairly close to where we were, we had to wind our way around the port to reach it.  Unfortunately, there was no shuttle to give us a lift so we walked.  Now, for most people, including Bob, this was not difficult.  However, for me, it was quite a chore.  I made it but needed a few rest stops along the way.  Bob was very patient with me as he waited while I caught my breath before we continued.  We finally reached the ship and had to climb up the steep stairs to Deck 5 to reach the entrance.  When we reached our cabin Bob checked our steps, which measured just under 3 miles!!!  No wonder this ole' lady was tired!!  My little walker and I were grateful to have a while to rest.

We have enjoyed our return visit to this mesmerizing, riveting city.  The people, their stories, history, architecture and beaches always draw us into this spellbinding place.  We learn so much from what we hear and see.  I continue to learn more about the world in which we live and how some beliefs and cultures have developed.   I know my attitudes have evolved after traveling and I look forward to learning more about the world as we continue our global explorations. 

Now, we will continue our tour of Africa by traveling up the West Coast.  Our first stop will be in the town of Luderitz, which we have not visited on previous cruises.  Bob will be taking a tour to a ghost town while I will be exploring the small town on foot. After leaving our two ports in Namibia we will continue our travel northbound up the West Coast of Africa.  This segment of the World Cruise can be a bit challenging.  It is extremely poverty-stricken and infrastructures are very, very basic.  However, the west coast has a rich, diverse, fascinating, however, at times, horrific history.   It often evokes a sense of mystery.  Currently, Western countries often have a false image of this enormous, colorful and diverse part of the world.  As far back as the 17th century, the Western world has referred to Africa as the "Dark Continent."   Although we will come face-to-face with extreme poverty we will also enjoy the tremendous joy that the local people display.  I will write more once we leave Luderitz.

"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, his background, or his religion.  People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."       Nelson Mandela