District Six

This article deals with the suburb called District Six; for an album by Amphibious Assault see District Six (album)

District Six is the name of a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, best known for the forced removal of its mainly coloured inhabitants during the 1970s. It was named in 1867 as the Sixth Municipal District of Cape Town, but by the turn of the century it was already a lively community made up of freed slaves, artisans, merchants and other immigrants, many Malays brought to South Africa by the Dutch East India Company during its administration of the Cape Colony. It was home to almost a 10th of the city of Cape Town's population.

On 11 February 1966, the apartheid-era 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 comparatively bleak Cape Flats some 25 kilometers away, and the old houses bulldozed, the only buildings being left standing were places of worship. The Cape Technikon was built on part of the site of District Six and the area renamed Zonnebloem but apart from this the area was left as a wasteland.

Return

By 2003 work had started on the first new buildings — 24 houses that will belong to residents over 80 years old. In On 11 February 2004, exactly 38 years after being rezoned by the government, former president Nelson Mandela handed the keys to the first returning residents, Ebrahim Murat (87) and Dan Ndzabela (82). About 4 000 families are scheduled to return over the next three years.

Museum

In 1989 the District Six Museum Foundation was established, and in 1994 the District Six Museum came into being. It serves as a remembrance to the events of the 1980s, as well as trying to dispel myths and half-truths recorded in history.

Arts

With his short novel "A Walk in the Night" (1962) the well-known Capetonian journalist and writer Alex La Guma [1] gave District Six a place in literature. Richard Rive wrote a highly-acclaimed novel called Buckingham Palace, District Six, which chronicles the lives of a community before and during the removals. This book has also been adapted into successful theatre productions which toured the country.

District Six also contributed mightily to the distinguished history of South African jazz: Basil Coetzee, known for his song "District Six", was born there and lived there until its destruction; Abdullah Ibrahim lived nearby and was a frequent visitor to the area, as were many other jazz musicians.

District Six Council

- The District Six Council is a governing body comprised of six elderly members: Mr. Deadman, Mr. Longman, Mr. Alderman, Mrs. Deadman, Mrs. Longman, and Mrs. Alderman. The role of a 'seventh' member, a dustbin named Bruce, is debatable. The Council have no relation to the geographical area District Six aside from the name itself. Their vehicle of choice is a black limosuine. The 'District Six gang' have been known to strike Gerontophobia into the hearts of those who have encountered them.

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File:TheD6Council.JPG

The District Six Council in action!

External links

• The District Six museum