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One of the most delightful pedestrian thoroughfares in Cape Town is Government Avenue, where you are as likely to see a nut-munching squirrel as you are to see a passing politician on lunch break.
Strolling seawards past the lush Company’s Garden, you have the South African Library on your left and the rather grand Houses of Parliament on your right.
The original Parliament structure, complete with Corinthian porticos and a huge dome, was designed by Charles Freeman. The House of Assembly was the design of well-known architect, Sir Herbert Baker.
Built in 1885, the South African Houses of Parliament have since been one of the most dramatic political arenas in the world, at times rivalling even the British House of Lords for its lively debates.
In 1890, Cecil John Rhodes was elected prime minister of the Anglophile Cape Colony and he and his empire-building stalwarts occupied these halls of power for 5 years. In 1895 Rhodes, having backed the ill-fated Jameson Raid aimed at overthrowing President Paul Kruger’s gold-rich Transvaal, and was forced to resign his position.
The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town were witness to debates concerning the South African Anglo-Boer War, World War I, World War II and the political changing of the guard, from the United Party of General Jan Smuts to the National Party, whose brainchild was the loathed apartheid system.
In 1960, shortly before South Africa was declared a republic, the prime minister of Britain, Sir Harold MacMillan, made a speech in the South African Parliament that resounded around the world.
Dubbed the ‘Winds of Change speech’, it presaged Britain’s intent to free herself of her African colonies and ushered in a new era for the continent.
A scant 6 years later, there was high drama in the House of Assembly as a parliamentary messenger called Dimitri Tsafendas stabbed to death one of the grand masters of apartheid, Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, prime minister of South Africa at the time.
Some of the most stirring events in the Houses of Parliament during the apartheid era took place when opposition party members stood up to hold the Nationalist government to account for the disastrous effects of apartheid.
In 1994, the Houses of Parliament were witness to yet another phase for South Africa when Nelson Mandela became president after the country’s first democratic elections.
The street known as St George's Mall, in the Centre of Cape Town, was once a busy central road, but in recent times it was bricked up and blocked off to traffic. This pedestrian walkway through the heart of the city is now lined with fashionable shops and restaurants, while the vast paved area that runs north to south through the city is populated with colorful street vendors and buskers. This is a great walk for anybody with time to kill, and the experience is free - meaning it will fit into any budget - unless you choose to purchase some of the colourful trinkets or scented foods available.
The V&A Waterfront is a mixed-use destination located in the oldest working harbour in the Southern Hemisphere. With Table Mountain as its backdrop, the 123-hectare neighbourhood is located within Cape Town, South Africa, where millions of people visit each year.
In November 1988, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (Pty) Ltd was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary by Transnet Ltd. Its aim was to redevelop the historic docklands around the Victoria and Alfred Basins as a mixed-use area with a focus on retail, tourism and residential development with a working harbour at its centre.
Today it is a mixed-use development with 24 million visitors a year. Over 23 000 people work and live within its neighbourhood.