Cape Town the Mother City of South Africa
Spread over 2445 square kilometres area, it is the second most populous urban area of South Africa, with a population of 3.7 million and popularly known as the mother city of South Africa. It is a tourist friendly and Windy City where one can experience all the four seasons in a day.
Dutch people had established their first colony in Cape Town. It was known as Cape of Storms, the Cape of Good Hope, a milestone to establish trade with the Far East. Because on half way to India, the Dutch voyagers used to receive fresh food, fresh water and fresh manpower (slaves) from this place. The Signal Mountain was used for firing cannon against the enemies coming towards the bay as well as alerting the army at the bay to defend the establishment.
But British were the wiser traders. Their chain of establishment never change their goal of business interests and sustain with the single line of commands and decision making system. It didn't change with the change of the moods of the Kings. They first removed the Dutch supremacy over the area and then established the rule of British Law over the land for many years. After independence from the British colonial rule, the democracy has opened equal opportunities for all. However, as usual, heavy expenditure on elections and corruption in administration are the two major complaints of democracy persist over here like other democratic countries.
There are many places to visit in Cape Town. The Table Mountain is flat like a table and with clouds over it, looks like a table cover over the table, the table top. The Lion Head is an inactive lava mountain, looks like the upper part of a lion. Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean meet here. The meeting place of warm and cold water. The Atlantic Ocean is very cool and doesn't attract swimmers but the bay is beautiful. It has been divided into three parts: the wagons zone, cold storage zone and the Victoria Water Point. Victoria Water Point is the major spot of tourists attraction as people go here for walking, boating, shopping and eating. The City is generally safe and the hotels provide cab services at an hourly interval to drop and pick up till 11.30 PM. The long street is the busiest street for the youths to enjoy night life in weekends.
The city is maintained clean. The Country is ruled by the African National Congress, but the Cape Town Province is under the rule of the opposition party the Democratic Alliance. There are 9 Provinces of the Country, 5 under the rule of ANC and 4 under the rule of DA. As Johannesburg is the financial capital and centre economic activities of SA, Cape Town is the legislature capital and a tourist destination of the Country. It is a seat of the Parliament. Though rule by the coloured, the white population, small in number but placed well in government, trades and commerce. The tax structure is aligned with the incomes. Higher caped people pay high taxes. Tourism provides income to the government and to the traders of goods and services, and employment opportunities to the locals. Our Driver Noor, a young man of Malaysia (father side) and Indian (mother side) origin, studied upto Metric, did his diploma in Draftsmanship, worked with an architect for sometime but fed up soon with the table job, moved out and joined the tourism sector as driver, where he travels a lot, see many places, meet and interact with many people and earn better than the table job of a draftsman.
Drop outs in education is one of the major challenges of the administration. They have made a rule that all the registered shops can keep minimum metric passed staff only. This is to push the students to complete education upto metric level at least. However, the dropouts work at the unregistered stores and corners and earn the minimum wages. After 1994, when the city was opened up for the coloured population, lot of slums colonies have been developed around the harbour area. The local government build beautiful houses for the slum dwellers with rooftop solar power system and other facilities but as usual the slum dwellers occupy the houses, stay for a month or two and then rent them out or sale to the third parties and return to the slums again. Meantime, new slum dwellers arrive into the city.
The city has been developed horizontally. No sky scraper buildings around. It is widely spread, clean and free from footpaths environments.
We had good sleep after an Indian supper in the hotel 'Jewels of India' and good morning with continental breakfast at the Southern Sun Hotel in Cape Town. The atmosphere is cloudy and windy and we may be riding a boat to sail around the cape point, the cape agulhas and the meeting point of Indian and South African hearts, the meeting of Indian and Atlantic Oceans, the meeting of warmth (green) and cold (blue) water. Millions of years ago our lands were separated from this corner and we had sailed through the water of Indian Ocean towards Himalayas. Later, the sailors of Gujarat and west coast had established trade linked with this place and shown a way to India to Vasco da Gama, the history of India changed. Coloured we have been further coloured with the principles of rule of law, principles of natural justice, equality, liberty and justice.
Do visit Cape Town, the Mother City of South Africa.
Punamchand
Cape Town
10 September 2016
Spread over 2445 square kilometres area, it is the second most populous urban area of South Africa, with a population of 3.7 million and popularly known as the mother city of South Africa. It is a tourist friendly and Windy City where one can experience all the four seasons in a day.
Dutch people had established their first colony in Cape Town. It was known as Cape of Storms, the Cape of Good Hope, a milestone to establish trade with the Far East. Because on half way to India, the Dutch voyagers used to receive fresh food, fresh water and fresh manpower (slaves) from this place. The Signal Mountain was used for firing cannon against the enemies coming towards the bay as well as alerting the army at the bay to defend the establishment.
But British were the wiser traders. Their chain of establishment never change their goal of business interests and sustain with the single line of commands and decision making system. It didn't change with the change of the moods of the Kings. They first removed the Dutch supremacy over the area and then established the rule of British Law over the land for many years. After independence from the British colonial rule, the democracy has opened equal opportunities for all. However, as usual, heavy expenditure on elections and corruption in administration are the two major complaints of democracy persist over here like other democratic countries.
There are many places to visit in Cape Town. The Table Mountain is flat like a table and with clouds over it, looks like a table cover over the table, the table top. The Lion Head is an inactive lava mountain, looks like the upper part of a lion. Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean meet here. The meeting place of warm and cold water. The Atlantic Ocean is very cool and doesn't attract swimmers but the bay is beautiful. It has been divided into three parts: the wagons zone, cold storage zone and the Victoria Water Point. Victoria Water Point is the major spot of tourists attraction as people go here for walking, boating, shopping and eating. The City is generally safe and the hotels provide cab services at an hourly interval to drop and pick up till 11.30 PM. The long street is the busiest street for the youths to enjoy night life in weekends.
The city is maintained clean. The Country is ruled by the African National Congress, but the Cape Town Province is under the rule of the opposition party the Democratic Alliance. There are 9 Provinces of the Country, 5 under the rule of ANC and 4 under the rule of DA. As Johannesburg is the financial capital and centre economic activities of SA, Cape Town is the legislature capital and a tourist destination of the Country. It is a seat of the Parliament. Though rule by the coloured, the white population, small in number but placed well in government, trades and commerce. The tax structure is aligned with the incomes. Higher caped people pay high taxes. Tourism provides income to the government and to the traders of goods and services, and employment opportunities to the locals. Our Driver Noor, a young man of Malaysia (father side) and Indian (mother side) origin, studied upto Metric, did his diploma in Draftsmanship, worked with an architect for sometime but fed up soon with the table job, moved out and joined the tourism sector as driver, where he travels a lot, see many places, meet and interact with many people and earn better than the table job of a draftsman.
Drop outs in education is one of the major challenges of the administration. They have made a rule that all the registered shops can keep minimum metric passed staff only. This is to push the students to complete education upto metric level at least. However, the dropouts work at the unregistered stores and corners and earn the minimum wages. After 1994, when the city was opened up for the coloured population, lot of slums colonies have been developed around the harbour area. The local government build beautiful houses for the slum dwellers with rooftop solar power system and other facilities but as usual the slum dwellers occupy the houses, stay for a month or two and then rent them out or sale to the third parties and return to the slums again. Meantime, new slum dwellers arrive into the city.
The city has been developed horizontally. No sky scraper buildings around. It is widely spread, clean and free from footpaths environments.
We had good sleep after an Indian supper in the hotel 'Jewels of India' and good morning with continental breakfast at the Southern Sun Hotel in Cape Town. The atmosphere is cloudy and windy and we may be riding a boat to sail around the cape point, the cape agulhas and the meeting point of Indian and South African hearts, the meeting of Indian and Atlantic Oceans, the meeting of warmth (green) and cold (blue) water. Millions of years ago our lands were separated from this corner and we had sailed through the water of Indian Ocean towards Himalayas. Later, the sailors of Gujarat and west coast had established trade linked with this place and shown a way to India to Vasco da Gama, the history of India changed. Coloured we have been further coloured with the principles of rule of law, principles of natural justice, equality, liberty and justice.
Do visit Cape Town, the Mother City of South Africa.
Punamchand
Cape Town
10 September 2016
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