District Six

This article deals with the suburb called District Six; for an album by Amphibious Assault see District Six (album); for the Council of the same name see District Six Council, for Mr. Shaw see Mr. Shaw

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.

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.

History of the District Six Council

The Headmaster XII Era

The first incarnation of District Six Council was formed many generations ago as a governing body to advise and counsel the Headmaster . As the years passed, the Council became more elaborate, and their somewhat archaic priciples soon became outdated in the fair, equal society. For instance, women were not allowed onto the Council body, an issue that became one of contetion between Headmaster XII and Mr. Deadman, who at the time, was seen as an enthusiastic, young moderniser. His polices of reform angered Headmaster XII and the somewhat hardline members of the council. Despite the differences in opiniom, Mr Deadman and his team were elected onto the District VI body. The first of their reforms was to modernise their image, changing the name to District Six. They still hold office today, as tribute to their success.

To the students, Headmaster XII was a plesant, if austere headmaster, yet, inside him, beat a heart of headonism and gluttony, and pure malice, this became all to apparent to the school when he fell off the stage and he was mocked. This public embarrasment led to his polite exterior being dropped, the school were able to see thier headmaster for what he was.

He became a virtual reluse, only leaving his Office to take assembly, and on the rare occasions he emerged during a break, he would do so clad in his ornamental finery. Some said he took the business of headmastership far too seriously- and they only had to point to the six-thousand-strong school council to reinforce this claim.

As he rarely showed his face around the school, he attacked his advisors- the council- viciously, often deliberatley seeking to divide opinion on the most important of issues. Of course, the arguements always fell between two camps, the hardline councillors of Headmaster XII's heyday, and the young radicals who followed Mr Deadman's reformed District Six.

In a show of power, in order to dissuade people from following Mr Deadman, and to reclaim some authority inside the Council body, Headmaster XII added fine ornaments to the Chamber, beginning a policy of pomp and circumstance, he even went as far as to enslave District Six into building a monstrous chair, atop which Headmaster XII laungished, almost out of sight.

As the bitter feud continued, Headmaster XII began a 'dirty tricks war' against District Six, employing them in menial tasks, such as filling out forms and paperwork, and throwing paper at them. He also lied to the council, using a policy of fear to convert them to his line of thought. He told them of life after death, those who followed him faithfully would acsend to council heaven, those, who did not do as asked- like Mr Deadman, fill out forms eternally, in the agony of council hell.

To strenghen his hand against District Six, Headmaster XII declared the situation an emergency, and using the powers granted by The Bill of the Headmaster's Rights, formed his own body of six advisors, totally loyal to him, in doing so breaking the laws established at the foundation of the very first council and bypassing the democratic process entirely. They were named Borough Six, and are comparable to the inquisitors of Medieval fame. Their main role was to suffocate the powers of District Six through whatever means achievable. In practise, they were beaurocratic and officious, preferring to do things exactly by the book, in contrast to District Six's radicalism. Because of this, Headmaster XII could rule them easilly, however, in the fight against District Six, they were no match for Mr Deadman's imaginative schemes. It can be assumed that this is where the more unorthodox council procedure implemented by District Six today first origniated. Due to this, the desision making process was complety bypassed, the main council and District Six had no say in any matters.

As a result of this, education suffered, halting completley. Mr Deadman recognised this, and was duly concerned, and elisted the help of then deputy headmaster Mr Azzaro to keep Headmastetr XII in check. One such example of Mr Azzaro's intervention was to save a boy from being bludgenoed to death by Headmaster XII. This was the first emergency measure implemented by District Six. They then used The Bill of the Constitiutional Right of Any District Six Member to Take Immediate Charge of the St. Andrews CE High School For Boys In A Time of Crisis if They so See Fit in Accordance with Arcticles Six to Ten Inclusive, to enable Mr Deadman to mangage school affairs concurrrently with his own.

This was of little concern to Headmaster XII, who now spent all his waking hours inside his newly entitled "Throne Room", and these waking hours were many, as he had little time for sleep, becoming haggard and repulsive in appearance.

However, he thought that he had lost all influence, and decided to split the Council into two, out of spite, to this end, he built a massive, ugly wall dividing the two halves of the chamber. He commanded one side with his followers, and District Six and the Radical Reformers occupied the other. As a result of this, desistion making ground to a complete halt.

Some of the teaching staff decided the situation had spirralled out of all control, and urged Mr Azzaro to seek a solution with the help of well respected Head of English Mr Briscoe. To this end, the two locked themselves in Mr Azzaro's office and worked without rest to devise a method that would be totally foolproof at restricting Headmaster XII's power. Meanwhile in the Council Chamber, it had transpired that Headmaster XII had in fact terminated the contracts of all the council members on his half of the council. He cited finacial reasons as the cause, but it soon became apparent that this was not so.

Before he could terminate Mr Azzaro's contract, he was presentented with the fruits of Mr Azzaro and Mr Briscoe's labour: the Magna Carta, a few of the more important clauses are shown below:

12: The council is to be reunified under your leadership, but District Six will once again have the leading role in the decision making process 17: Borough Six is to be disbanded with immedate effect, they are under no condition to ever be employed again at St. Andrews, or any other such body which questions the authority of District Six. 54. The Bill of the Headmaster's Rights is to only be implemented during a geunine emergency as confirmed by Mr Azzaro. 80. The Council Wall is to be torn down. 470. Staff whom are being considered for sacking must be reviewed by a body comprising of yourself, Mr Azzaro and District Six, only when genuine reasons for sacking have been established can the staff member's contract be terminated. The exception to this rule is Mr Azzaro, whom under absolutley no circumstances whatsoever, no matter how urgent the emergency, can his contract be terminated 471. You are to be the best man at the District Six wedding.

For reasons that were unknown at that time, Headmaster XII readilly agreed, claiming that the conflict had gone too far. The wedding in question was marriage of the male members of District Six to the three female members.

At the wedding, the remaining council rejoiced, as they saw a new beginning, with Mr. Deadman at the figurehead. They were so overjoyed that they did not question why Headmaster XII was clad entirely in black, as appropriate for a funeral. Instead, they were glad that he had brought his newborn son along to join in the celebrations.

Headmaster XII finally brought the long running feud to a bloody conclusion shortly after the exchange of wedding vows. He excused himself from the recepiton with the immortal words: 'I'm just going to the toilet'. The council were left questioning this, as there was no toilet present. They were even more suprised to find him return with a huge machine gun, torn from its base, and procceed to ruthlessly gun down the assembled council members. All three thousand were massacared, except District Six, who in the confusion, managed to save his son and escape the chilling scene.

It had transpired that Headmaster XII only signed the Magna Carta as it acually gave him more freedom to attack the council without their suspicisions being raised, he also wished to destroy the school he once raised out of spite for Mr Deadman, it also transpired that the sacking of his council members was part of this elaborate process. Having evaded the law, he decided to quit while he was ahead, by using the Bill of the Headmaster's Emergency Rights, which proportedly cancelled out everything, although it didnt really exist. He decided to shut the school down and retire to a huge country manor he was able to afford with stolen school funds.

District Six meanwhile, split up, and, each member consumed with hatred, lost all sanity, which may explain their actions today. The first of these, was to convene simultanously, without prior arrangement or discussion, or in fact meeting at all, at Headmaster XII's manor, confronting him whilst he gardened, and burying him alive, killing him as a result of the process.

However, the conflict itself was not buried, and Mr. Deadman decided to concoct a scheme, honed by his brilliant, if insane mind.

However, the school had, in recent years, flourished under his guiding hand, however, it became more apparent that he had no desire to teach his pupils, all he sought was fame and fortune.

Electoral Procedure

District Six is in fact an elected body, voted into office by the rest of the main body of the council. Records show that the last election took place over half a century ago, and in fact, the council no longer exists. District Six, the representitive body elected by the council to assist the Headmaster of St Andrews C of E High School for Boys, survives, with all six members intact, although in which role no-one is quite sure.

External links

• The District Six museum