At the start of apartheid in 1948, no one living in District Six could have imagined being forcibly removed and relocated to what is today the 'Cape Flats'. District Six was established in 1867 as a mixed community of labourers, immigrants, freed slaves, merchants and artisans. The area was a vibrant and culturally rich community and was within walking distance of the City Center and the Port.
District Six was the opposite of everything apartheid stood for, where people of every race and different religions and cultures lived peacefully side by side. The 'group areas act' was passed on 27 April 1950 and on 11 February 1966, exactly 52 years ago, District 6 was declared a 'whites only' area under the 'group areas act'. The act enforced the seperation of people, based on the colour of their skin.
My mother was born in District Six in the year 1966 in their home in Pontac Street, and long to return to her place of birth. More than 60 000 people were forcibly removed from the area, packing their belongings on to trucks and watching as their beloved District Six was bulldozed to the ground.
Quotes from ex-residents of District Six
District Six “No matter where we are, we are here.”
Mrs Abrahams (taken from the memory cloth, 1994)
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird, that cannot fly.” – Langston Hughes of District 6.
District Six Today - An Open and Empty Land, Waiting for the Return of it's People
