1488 – Discovery of the Cape of Good Hope by Portuguese explorer, Bartolomeu Dias. His crew was on the mission to chart the entire African continent. Since the Cape is a halfway point of a long voyage between the West and East, it was a logical place for sailors to stop. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
The Cape of Good Hope. (Image Source: Roddy Bray, 2012)
1497 – Vasco de Gama, a Portuguese explorer, picked up where Dias left off, following the route all the way to India, opening up a sea route for the spice trade. The discovery of the Cape route invited trade into Southern Africa, bringing a completely new set of influences. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
De Gama’s route around the African continent. (Image Source: BBC)
1500s – The Spanish and Portuguese dominated the trade route through the Cape. They largely avoided settlement in the Cape, however, due to fear of storms and poor relations with the local community, the Khoekhoe people. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
Spanish and Portuguese ships sailing near Table Bay, Cape Town circa 1500s. (Image Source: Roddy Bray, 2012)
1652 – Jan van Riebeeck arrived at the Cape on the 6th of April and began to establish a permanent supply base for the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The town was developed with a few guesthouses, taverns, streets, and the name “Cape Town” was established shortly after van Riebeeck left after his 10-year stay. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
Jan van Riebeeck and ship’s crew arrive in the Cape. (Image Source: Roddy Bray, 2012)
1780s – French troops were stationed in Cape Town to defend the Cape from British attack. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
Several buildings were constructed (in the Dutch style) during the boom in the 1780s. (Image Source: Roddy Bray, 2012)
1795 – British troops landed on the Cape Peninsula and occupied Cape Town. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
1814 – Battle of Waterloo. The Cape officially became a part of the British Empire. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
(Image Source: Roddy Bray, 2012)
1824 – British merchants who settled in Cape Town became a powerful and active middle class and started pushing liberal reform principles, such as the emancipation of slaves, liberalization of trade, participation in sport, infrastructure development, health care, literature, education, arts, sciences, and self-government. This desire to “modernize” Cape Town was not well received by the Afrikaners (of mostly Dutch descent). (Roddy Bray, 2012)
Art and culture was a part of the “modernization” movement. (Image Source: Roddy Bray, 2012)
1834 – Slaves were emancipated in Cape Town, although the Afrikaners preferred a slave-based economy. Afrikaners launched a counter-movement and many left the region to establish independent communities. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
Many Afrikaners left the Cape in search of a new home. (Image Source: Roddy Bray, 2012)
1867 – Diamond mining boom, attracting many more immigrants into the city. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
(Image Source: http://www.jewellerynetasia.com)
1909 – National Convention of 1909 where an agreement of self-governance was established between the British and Afrikaners. Boundaries of the nation were established, Cape Town was named the legislative capital but the Executive branch would be based in Pretoria, South Africa. This reconciliation between the English and Afrikaners failed to account for Black and Coloureds’ preferences. The agreement shifted power to Pretoria and Johannesburg, where Afrikaners mostly resided. Durban was also considered a more profitable port than Cape Town due to its proximity to the Transvaal region. Since losing economic and political influence, Cape Town promoted itself as a cultural center (Roddy Bray, 2012)
It came time for the end of British rule and government functions turned over to both British and Afrikaners in multiple locations within South Africa. (Image Source: Roddy Bray, 2012)
1918 – University of Cape Town was established (Roddy Bray, 2012)
The University of Cape Town campus. (Image Source: http://www.surgsoc.org)
1923 – Urban Areas Act was passed. The city government enforced spatial segregation and closed the city off to black migrants. Overcrowding and informal townships were created in areas surrounding Cape Town. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
Urban planners cleared slums in the city and built townships outside the city to spatially divide the affluent from the poor. (Image Source: Roddy Bray, 2012)
1947 – The royal family visits from the United Kingdom. Their visit was well celebrated not only by English-speaking whites, but by coloureds, and blacks alike who identified more with the liberal regime of Britain since they believed they were treated better compared to the new conservative order controlled by the Afrikaners. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
The Royal Family visits Cape Town. (Image Source: http://www.stgeorgespark.nmmu.ac.za)
1948 – A government was elected committed to a policy of apartheid, a policy of universal segregation. (Roddy Bray, 2012)
A “Whites Only” bench. (Image Source: http://www.capetowndailyphoto.com)
1954 – Cape Town International Airport was opened. Two international flights were initially offered: one direct flight to Britain and one indirect flight to Britain via Johannesburg. The airport now has several direct flights to destinations in Africa, Asia, and Europe. (Brickford-Smith et al., 1999)
Modern-day Cape Town International Airport. (Image Source: http://www.voiceofsouthafrica.com)
1959 – Boycott movement launched by South African exiles in the United Kingdom, later named “Anti-Apartheid Movement.” Several economic sanctions were established, including consumer goods a freeze in foreign direct investment by Great Britain, and sporting, cultural and academic boycotts working to isolate South Africa until apartheid was lifted. (Michigan State University, 2014)
British protests against the South African apartheid government. (Image Source: http://www.sahistory.org.za)
1970s – A post-Cold War crisis in global capitalism occurred, with slower rates of growth, high inflation, and recession around the world. (Reuss, 2014)
1970s and 80s – Neoliberalism came into prominence and increased pressure was placed on the South African apartheid government from outside and inside to implement more market-oriented economic policies.
1994 – Transfer of power from apartheid government to the African National Congress (ANC), and the Republic of South Africa transformed into a democracy. Some critics say that South Africa is still a “choiceless democracy” or a “low-intensity” democracy in socio-economic policy terms. (Bond, 2014)
South African citizens line up waiting to vote in open elections in 1994. (Image Source: http://www.commongood.org.za)
1994 – South Africa’s Reconstruction and Development Program (RDP) was established. The RDP is an integrated, coherent socio-economic policy framework. It seeks to mobilize all of South Africa’s people and the country’s resources toward the final eradication of apartheid and the building of a democratic, non-racial and non-sexist future (O’Malley, 2014). This equity-oriented policy was abandoned by the ANC in favor of a more neoliberal program, GEAR, a few years later (Mifaftab, 2007).
1999 – The Cape Town Partnership was founded. This organization is a public-private partnership that oversees the city improvement districts and develops spatial plans for the future city center. These urban revitalization strategies similar to those popularized by New York City. While its primary mission is to enhance the business climate in downtown Cape Town, it has expanded its mission to ensure that the social and economic regeneration of the Central City of Cape Town is inclusive, caring, sustainable, and to the benefit of the broader city region. (Cape Town Partnership, 2013). It has been criticized that the CIDs in Cape Town restructure urban space to serve the ideal of a world class city integrated into the global economy, at the cost of the city’s social and spatial integration (Mifaftab, 2007).
The Cape Town Partnership logo. (Image Source: Cape Town Partnership, 2013)
2006 – South Africa’s Growth, Employment, and Redistributions (GEAR) economic policy. GEAR prescribes growth by liberalizing international trade, and relying on market mechanisms for state restructuring and integration into the global economy. The restructuring of municipal government promoted developmental local government through integrated development plans and unified the city’s tax base through a unified municipal government, Unicity (Cape Town city government); but the restructuring also promoted municipal operations as a private business. (Mifaftab, 2007)
2009 – Silicon Cape Initiative founded. It is a non-profit, private sector community organization. Its vision is to establish an ecosystem in the Western Cape that attracts and brings together local and foreign investors, technical talent and entrepreneurs so as to foster the creation and growth of world-class IP startup companies that are able to compete with other similar hubs around the world. (Silicon Cape Initiative, 2014)
Cape Town, the “Silicon Valley” of South Africa. (Image Source: Silicon Cape Initiative, 2014)
2009 – City of Cape Town created an Anti-Land Invasion Unit to stop people attempting to illegally occupy land. The unit demolishes illegal shacks and evicts those that attempted to grab land in the city. (Pollack, 2009)
Law enforcement officers evicting unlawful settlements in Cape Town. (Image Source: Pollack, 2009)
2010 – South Africa’s New Economic Growth Path (NEGP) economic policy launched. The new plan increases strategic partnerships between the South African government and the private sector. Five key physical and social infrastructure areas are targeted: energy, transport, communication, water, and housing. (The Republic of South Africa, 2010)
2010 – FIFA World Cup. The large, world event spurred regional governance collaboration designed to improve overall productivity and improve the connection of global flows of both people and markets. (Brookings Institution, 2013)
The World Cup stadium built in Cape Town. (Image Source: http://www.theguardian.com)
References
Brickford-Smith, V, E. Van Heyningen, and N. Worden. (1999). Cape Town in the Twentieth Century: An Illustrated Social History. David Philip Publishers: Claremont, South Africa.
Bond, P. (2014). South Africa- Mandela and the transition to neo-liberal elitism. Africa – News and Analysis. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from http://africajournalismtheworld.com/2014/02/06/south-africa-mandela-and-the-transition-to-neo-liberal-elitism/.
Brookings Institution. (2013). Cape Town. The 10 Traits of Globally Fluent Metro Areas. Global Cities Initiative. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from www.brookings.edu.
Cape Town Partnership. (2013). Our Purpose. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from http://www.capetownpartnership.co.za/about/our-purpose/.
Mifaftab, F. (2007). Governing Post Apartheid Spatiality: Implementing City Improvement Districts in Cape Town. Antipode.
Michigan State University. (2014). Anti-Apartheid Movement. African Activist. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from http://africanactivist.msu.edu/organization.php?name=Anti-Apartheid+Movement.
O’Malley, P. (2014). The Reconstruction and Development Programme. www.NelsonMandela.org.
Pollack, M. (2009). City’s anti-land invasion unit to stop land grabs. City of Cape Town. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/Pages/Citysantilandinvasionunittostoplandgrabs.aspx.
Reuss, A. (2014). What can the crisis of U.S. Capitalism in the 1970s teach us about the current crisis and its possible outcomes? Retrieved April 22, 2014 from http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2009/1109reuss.html.
Roddy Bray. (2012). Roddy Bray, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from www.capetown.at/heritage/index.htm.
Silicon Cape Initiative. (2014). About. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from http://www.siliconcape.com/.
The Republic of South Africa. (2014). The New Growth Path. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from www.gov.za/documents/.