- Sunday 11 February marked 58 years since the area was declared a white area under the Group Areas Act.
- Over 60 000 people were forcibly removed to outlying areas, now known as the Cape Flats and their homes in District Six were flattened by bulldozers.
- On Saturday 10 February, the District Six Museum held its annual commemoration day.
“It still makes me sad, because there was such a lovely way of things when we were living in District Six, until we left.” So, says Mavis van Turha (87) as she recalls that painful day when she and her family were forcibly removed from their District Six home.
Sunday 11 February marked 58 years since the area was declared a white area under the Group Areas Act.
Over 60 000 people were forcibly removed to outlying areas, now known as the Cape Flats and their homes in District Six were flattened by bulldozers.
On Saturday 10 February, the District Six Museum held its annual commemoration day.
A stone memorial event happened at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s (CPUT) Hanover Residence in District Six.
The location is significant as the original Hanover Street ran through it before it was demolished.
Zeenat Patel-Kaskar, the museum’s newly appointed executive director, said they are working with the university to discuss a more permanent memorialisation of the project.
The event was attended by former residents, families, and patrons of the museum, with members of the District Six minstrels providing entertainment.
Former resident Van Turha explains that her family was moved to Ottery.
“There was a lot of heartache at that time. We’ve tried to move on but thanks to the District Six Museum, we still have the opportunity to come into District Six again,” she said, adding the family’s application to move back was submitted late.
Martin Cloete (61), another former resident, says his father owned a house in Hanover Street. The house was demolished in 1971.
Cloete explains that he has since moved back after he started the restitution process in 1995. “It took us 28 years to get our place back. I got the keys last year and we now live in Ashley Street. I am glad I am back, it’s our legacy.”
Cloete also lamented what he describes as the shoddy workmanship of the houses.
“The place that they gave us has so many problems and it doesn’t seem to get resolved. We have geysers and water pipes bursting. There are so many issues still to be resolved.”
Patel-Kaskar said: “We should not be dropping memory stones because it should not have happened in the first place. This displacement and the horror we experienced should not have happened. Today is about our words, all our collective and collected trauma, and our will to survive.”
Nomvula Dlamini, deputy chair of the museum, said it is important that people never forget what happened.
“Those forced removals have happened in District Six, Sophiatown and many other parts of South Africa. They should be a reminder to all of us that that kind of thing that dispossesses people, that destroys community life and destroys part of our culture should never happen again.”
Artist Ayesha Price created a site-specific art installation called ‘we have lost one another’ to commemorate the area and its residents.
Patel-Kaskar added that there would be several events throughout the year to commemorate the museum’s 30th anniversary this year.
