District Six, Cape Town

District Six, Cape Town

District Six is a former inner-city residential area in Cape Town that is known for its dark history during the Apartheid era.

District Six is a former inner-city residential area in Cape Town that is known for its dark history during the Apartheid era. After the abolition of slavery in 1833, the area attracted freed slaves, merchants, artisans, labourers and immigrants. The 20th century witnessed the marginalization and persecution of the community, with large areas razed in 1901 after a bubonic plague outbreak. After District Six was declared as a white area under the Group Areas Act in 1966, homes and buildings were demolished, and over 60,000 residents were forcibly removed from the area.

After the end of apartheid in 1994, the District Six Museum was established in an old Methodist church to document the horrors of the past and the suffering of its residents. The ground floor features a large street map of District Six, with handwritten notes from former residents indicating the locations of their homes. There are also stories of the families that lived here, along with memorabilia such as street signs.