A New Age

Cape Town became a municipality in 1840. A liberal constitution was granted to the Cape Colony in 1853 and the first elected Parliament met on 30 June 1854. On 28 November 1872 complete self-government for the Cape Colony was promulgated by a proclamation of Sir Henry Barkly, who laid the first foundation stone of the present Houses of Parliament in 1875.

In the second half of the century the building of railways, the opening of diamond and gold mines in the interior, and all their manifold and far-reaching economic consequences added enormously to the commercial importance of Cape Town. The sleepy settlement awoke and began to grow as never before. A railway was completed to Stellenbosch and Wellington in 1863. The discovery of diamonds in Griqualand West a few years later demanded its extension to the distant diamond fields. In 1885 it had barely reached Kimberley when the Witwatersrand goldfields presented a still more distant goal. Within the next decade the opening of gold mines in Southern Rhodesia lured the railhead still farther northward. Cape Town was transformed within a generation from a roadstead on Table Bay, to one of the major ports serving a rapidly developing sub-continent.

During the mid 19th century, harbour improvements were urgently needed. The port in Table Bay possessed only four jetties, and recurrent wrecks in the bay were grim reminders of its exposure to north-westerly gales. The storms of 1857 and 1865 accounted for 24 shipwrecks off the Cape coast. The work was started in 1860 and was completed in 1870 when the Alfred Dock was inaugurated by Prince Alfred. Completion of the Robinson Graving Dock twelve years later equipped the port to repair the largest vessels of the time, and the extension of the harbour works to form the outer Victoria Basin by the end of the century endowed Table Bay with a commodious modern harbour. The waterfront became increasingly cluttered with a miscellaneous collection of skin-drying, wool-processing, fish-smoking, soap making and boat-building establishments.

At Simon's Town, new fortifications and the Selborne Dock were constructed and the little town was transformed into a modern naval base. The demand for fresh farm produce made potential farm land too valuable to be left idle. Farms were developed over the Cape Flats where dairy and poultry farming was most common, as well as vegetable and flower farming.

Before 1914 South Africa depended mainly upon overseas countries for most of the manufactured articles in daily use. As such imports were not so readily available in wartime, the First and Second World Wars provided powerful incentives to develop South African industries. Moreover, after 1918 and especially after 1945, many overseas manufacturers found it economically advantageous to establish branch factories in the Union. Expanding overseas trade necessitated the building of a new 200-acre basin in the harbour. But its inadequacy to meet the needs of the port was soon recognised and plans to modify and incorporate it in the basin now known as the Duncan Dock were being formulated even before the new basin was completed. The construction of the Duncan Dock, begun in 1938, proceeded and was practically completed by 1945 when the 1 200 foot long Sturrock Graving Dock was opened.

War & Apartheid

South Africans fought alongside the Allies in both world wars, but Afrikaner opposition to British support continued throughout. The opponents of involvement were very much in the minority and whites from both language groups volunteered in large numbers, as did those of mixed descent. South Africans fought in German South West Africa (now Namibia) during the First World War. Other areas of operation were East Africa and western Europe where, at Delville Wood, 3152 South Africans held their positions against massive bombardment and counter attack. 755 survived unwounded. During the Second World War, South Africans again fought against the Nazis in East Africa, in the Western Desert and in Europe, forging a path up the spine of Italy in one of the toughest campaigns of the war.

The years between the forming of the Union in 1910 and the historical parliamentary election of 1948 witnessed the growth of South Africa into a powerful industrial nation. The National Party won its first election under the leadership of D. F. Malan in 1948. Its rise to power marked the beginnings of the apartheid era. For the first time Afrikaners were in the driving seat and legal segregation on racial lines became the main thrust of policy.

Apartheid stunted the economic growth of the country. The world shunned it and sanctions brought South Africa to its knees. Cape Town suffered enormously as ships no longer docked at the port, and instead, by-passed the Cape. Many Capetonians emigrated to other parts of the world, taking with them the expertise so desperately needed in a growing economy.

During the last decade, violence and bloodshed have brought a nation to the turning-point of reconciliation. The 1994 election saw the inauguration of the first black State President, Nelson Mandela, who headed a government of national unity. Cape Town has always been the liberal centre of South Africa, and it is ironic that the people of the Western Cape voted in the National Party as their provincial government.

Cape Town Today

The Mother City and the Western Cape are home to South Africa's parliament and are a major international tourist attraction. Tourism remains the most important economic key to the development of the Western Cape. There are about 75,000 people employed in the tourism industry in this area. Two out of every three tourists to South Africa include a visit to the Western Cape in their itinerary.

The Western Cape's gross regional product is about R4,5 billion, which is over 13% of the country's total gross domestic product, and the area only has about 10% of the country's population. The major contributors are agriculture (9%), industry (22%), financial services (22%), commerce, catering and accommodation (17%) and personal and social services (16%). There is virtually no mining in the Western Cape.

Five of the country's six major insurance giants have their headquarters in Cape Town. The province is also the country's leading clothing and textile producer, with nearly 600 formal manufacturers employing over 40 000 people and producing nearly R1,8 billion a year. Cape Town is the headquarters of the Southern African oil industry and many other industries involved with global commerce are locating their offices here. The Western Cape is viewed as being historically freer of labour unrest than the other provinces.

A survey conducted by Wesgro showed Cape Town as the most attractive location for foreign investment. Wesgro believes that the Western Cape has the fastest growing economy in South Africa. The key aspects are the very promising tourism sector which has been strengthened by Cape Town's bid for the 2004 Olympics, the public sector, parliament and regional government, and metropolitan and local councils.