Timeline of Cape Town

The following is a timeline of the history of Cape Town, South Africa.

Prior to 19th century

Part of a series on the
History of South Africa
General periods
Before 1652 1652–1815 1815–1910 1910–1948 1948–1994 Since 1994
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• 1651 - Jan van Riebeeck visits the Cape as part of a rescue mission to save stranded sailors.
• 1652
  • 6 April: Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company arrives.
  • Fort de Goede Hoop built.
• 1653 - Arrival of the first slave, Abraham van Batavia.
• 1654 - Redoubt Duijnhoop built.
• 1658 - Conflict between the Khoi and settlers.
• 1679
  • Castle of Good Hope built.
  • Simon van der Stel becomes commander of Dutch colony.
• 1688 - French Huguenot immigrants begin arriving.
• 1699
  • Dutch Reformed church built.^[1]
  • Parade Ground laid out.^[2]
• 1725 - Chavonnes Battery built.
• 1755 - Town House built.^[2]
• 1761 - Dessinian Library established.^[3]
• 1772 - Hospital founded.^[2]
• 1780 - Lutheran Church built.^[2]
• 1786 - Committee of the High Court established.^[4]
• 1787 - Württemberg Cape Regiment in residence.
• 1790 - Castle of Good Hope rebuilt.
• 1795
  • British in power in Cape Colony.^[5]
  • Johann Christian Ritter sets up printing press.
• 1798
  • Fire.^[6]
  • Auwal Mosque built.

19th century

A model of Cape Town was it would have appeared in 1800.

• 1802 - Freemason's Lodge built on Bouquet Street.^[7]
• 1803 - Dutch regain power in Cape Colony by the Treaty of Amiens.^[5]
• 1804 - Coat of arms of Cape Town in use.
• 1806
  • British in power in Cape Colony again.^[5][8]
  • Noon Gun firing begins.
• 1807
  • Palm Tree Mosque congregation formed.
  • Slave Trade Act passed.
• 1814 - Cape Town ceded to Britain by the Anglo–Dutch Treaty of 1814.^[9]
• 1819
  • Commercial Exchange founded.^[6]
  • Howell's bookshop in business.^[3]
• 1820 - Royal Observatory founded.^[6]
• 1821
  • South African Public Library founded.^[7]
  • Flagstaff erected on Lion's Rump hill.^[10]
• 1823 - Population: 15,500.^[11]
• 1824
  • Green Point Lighthouse built.
  • South African Commercial Advertiser begins publication.^[12]
  • South African Literary Society founded.
• 1825 - South African Museum founded.^[13]
• 1827 - Colonist newspaper begins publication.^[14]
• 1829
  • Vagrancy and pass laws of 1809 repealed.
  • South African College inaugurated.
• 1830 - Cape of Good Hope Literary Gazette begins publication.^[15]
• 1831 - De Zuid-Afrikaan newspaper begins publication.^[12][16]
• 1834
  • Slaves freed in British Empire.^[8]
  • St. George's Church built.
  • Popular Library established.^[3]
• 1839 - Cape Town Municipality established.^[6]
• 1841 - Cape Town Mail newspaper begins publication.^[17]
• 1844 - Nurul Islam Mosque founded.
• 1845 - Mutual Life Assurance Society of the Cape of Good Hope established.
• 1846
  • Gaslight introduced.^[6]
  • South African Mining Company founded.
• 1847 - Anglican Diocese of Cape Town established.
• 1848
  • Hercules Crosse Jarvis becomes mayor.
  • Botanic Garden established.^[18]
• 1849 - Anti-convict demonstrations.^[14]
• 1851 - South African Fine Arts Association organizes exhibition in the Company's Garden.
• 1853 - Anti-Mormon riots.^[6]
• 1854 - First establishment of the Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope
• 1857 - Cape Argus newspaper and Cape Monthly Magazine begin publication.^[19]
• 1858 - Smallpox outbreak.^[14]
• 1859 - Prison built.^[7]
• 1860
  • Wellington-Cape Town railway begins operating.^[6]
  • Harbor works begun.^[1]
  • Public Library building constructed.^[2]
  • Telegraph begins operating (Simon's Town - Cape Town).^[6]
• 1861 - first Railway station built.
• 1863
  • Horsecar trams begin operating.
  • Grey Library opens.^[20]
• 1864 - Somerset Hospital opens.
• 1867 - District Six formed.
• 1868 - Population: 22,543.^[5]
• 1870 - Alfred Basin constructed.^[2]
• 1871 - South African Art Gallery founded.^[2]
• 1872
  • The Cape attains responsible government, led by its first Prime Minister John Molteno
  • Cape Government Railways founded.^[21]
• 1873
  • Founding of the University of the Cape of Good Hope, later UNISA
  • First official use of Dutch in the Cape Parliament.
• 1874
  • Founding in Cape Town of the South African Teachers' Association.
  • Founding of the Cape Government Railways
  • The "Molteno Regulations", drawn up in Cape Town, establish the South African public library system.^[22]
• 1875.
  • Population: 33,000.
  • The Cape's first water engineer, John Gamble, appointed by the Cape Government and begins work on Cape Town's water infrastructure.^[1]
  • The Cape Town railway station built.^[23]
  • Opening of Cape Western railway line (11 May 1875), Cape Town Docks to junction with mainline, 7 miles 1 chain (11.3 kilometres).^[24]
• 1876
  • Cape Times newspaper begins publication.
  • Villagers Cricket Club is founded.
  • Opening of the Cape Town to Worcester railway line (16 June 1876)
  • South Africa's first official archives established by Cape Government in Cape Town.^[25]
• 1877
  • First South African International Exhibition is held in Cape Town.
  • Cape Council of Education is established.^[26]
• 1878
  • Railway station enlarged.
  • The first telephones are set up in the Cape.^[2]
• 1879 - Wesleyan Methodist Church built.^[2]
• 1880 - School of Art established.^[27]
• 1881 - Opening of the Molteno Dam in Oranjezicht
• 1884 - Opening of the new Cape Parliament building
• 1885 - Standard Bank of South Africa headquarters relocates to Cape Town.^[28]
• 1886 - Houses of Parliament built.^[2]
• 1887 - Kaapse Klopse minstrel festival begins.^[29]
• 1889 - Newlands Cricket Ground in use.
• 1891
  • Valkenberg Hospital and Mountain Club^[30] founded.
  • Population: 51,251.^[1]
• 1892 - The Franchise and Ballot Act of Cecil Rhodes places restrictions on the multiracial Cape Qualified Franchise
• 1894 - Owl Club formed.
• 1896 - Electric trams begin operating (approximate date).
• 1897
  • Woodhead Dam constructed.
  • Museum and General Post & Telegraph Offices open.^[2]
• 1898 - Jewish Tailors Union organized.^[31]
• 1899 - Mount Nelson Hotel in business.^[32]

20th century

• 1900 - St. James Church built.
• 1902 - African Political Organization founded.
• 1904
  • Tivoli music hall opens.^[2]
  • Population: 77,668.^[1]
• 1905 - Cape Town City Hall and Synagogue built.^[2]
• 1910
  • Cape Town in Cape Province becomes capital of Union of South Africa.^[8]
  • Groote Schuur becomes official Cape residence of Prime Ministers of South Africa.
• 1912 - Rhodes Memorial dedicated on Devil's Peak.
• 1913 - Botanical Society organized.^[38]
• 1914
  • Cape Philharmonic Orchestra active.
  • Koopmans-de Wet House museum opens.
• 1915 - Die Burger newspaper begins publication.
• 1918
  • University of Cape Town active.^[39]
  • Langa (suburb) established.^[40]
• 1919 - Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union founded.
• 1928 - Table Mountain Aerial Cableway begins operating.
• 1930 - South African National Gallery building opens.
• 1934 - UCT Ballet Company established.
• 1935 - Trolleybuses begin operating.
• 1936 - St. George's Cathedral and Table Bay power station^[39] constructed.
• 1938 - Groote Schuur Hospital founded.
• 1939 - Catholic Vicariate of Cape Town active.^[41]
• 1940 - Mutual Building constructed.
• 1942 - Varsity student newspaper begins publication.
• 1945 - Duncan Dock constructed.^[42]
• 1946 - Wingfield Aerodrome active (approximate date).^[43]
• 1948 - Nyanga (suburb) established.^[40]

1950s-1980s

• 1950s - Cape Flats populated per race-based legislation.
• 1950 - Maynardville Open-Air Theatre founded (1 December 1950), by the Athlone Committee for Nursery Education.^[44][45]
• 1952 - Athlone Teachers’ Training College founded (February 1952), South Africa's first college for coloured teachers of pre-school children, using money raised from the Maynardville Theatre's performances.^[46][47]
• 1953 - Coloured People's Organisation active.^[39]
• 1954 - D.F. Malan Airport opens.
• 1956
  • Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital opens.
  • Maynardville Open-Air Theatre holds its first Shakespeare performance (29 January 1956), circa five years after its founding.^[48]
  • Clarke's Bookshop in business.^[49]
• 1958 - Gugulethu (suburb) established.^[40]
• 1960
  • Sentinel News begins publication.
  • University College of the Western Cape opens.
  • Milnerton Lighthouse commissioned.
• 1961
  • City becomes part of the Republic of South Africa.
  • Cape Town railway station rebuilt.
• 1962
  • Athlone Power Station commissioned.
  • Naspers Centre built.
• 1964
  • Pollsmoor Prison established.
  • Robert Selby Taylor becomes archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town.^[39][50]
• 1967 - Cape Town Philharmonia Choir founded.
• 1968
  • Non-whites banned from District Six and houses demolished per race-based legislation.
  • Centre for Conflict Resolution headquartered in Cape Town.^[51]
• 1971 - Nico Malan Theatre Center opens.
• 1972
  • Student protest; crackdown.^[50]
  • Athlone Stadium and 1 Thibault Square built.
  • Waterworks Museum and Space Theatre founded.
• 1976
  • August: Racial unrest.^[50]
  • UCT Radio begins broadcasting.
  • Good Hope Centre built.
• 1978
  • Cape Argus Cycle Race begins.
  • Cape Town Civic Centre built.
• 1979 - Hout Bay Museum opens.
• 1986 - Desmond Tutu becomes archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town.
• 1987 - Table Talk newspaper begins publication.
• 1989
  • 2 September: Purple Rain Protest.
  • 13 September: Cape Town peace march.

1990s

• 1990
  • 3 February: Peace Ritual begins.
  • 11 February: Nelson Mandela gives public speech after his release from prison.
  • Women's Centre organized.^[52]
  • Club Eden opens.
• 1993 - Metlife Centre built.
• 1994
  • 27 April: South African general election held.
  • District Six Museum opens.^[53]
• 1995
  • MFM 92.6 and Voice of the Cape radio begin broadcasting.
  • Two Oceans Aquarium opens.
  • 1995 Rugby World Cup held.
• 1996
  • Cape Town/Central, Tygerberg, South Peninsula, Blaauwberg, Oostenberg, and Helderberg municipalities created.
  • Gallery Mau Mau active.
  • Flag of Cape Town redesign adopted.
  • Population: 987,007.^[54]
• 1997 - Cape Talk radio begins broadcasting.
• 1998
  • Table Mountain National Park established.
  • August: Restaurant bombing.
• 1999
  • Surfing competition begins.
  • National Library of South Africa,^[55] Cape Town Opera, and Ajax Cape Town football team established.

21st century

• 2000
  • City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality formed by merger of Cape Town/Central, Tygerberg, South Peninsula, Blaauwberg, Oostenberg, and Helderberg.
  • Central City Improvement District and Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign organized.
  • MTN Sciencentre^[56] and Canal Walk shopping centre open.
  • Homegrown (drum and bass event) begins.
  • Institute for Justice and Reconciliation established.^[51]
• 2001
  • Cape Town Pride parade begins.
  • Baphumelele Children's Home founded.
  • Gold Museum opens.^[57]
  • Population: 827,218.
• 2003
  • Mayoral Committee of the City of Cape Town active.
  • Die Son newspaper begins publication.
  • Cape Town International Convention Centre and Mzoli's open.
  • 2003 Cricket World Cup held.
• 2004 - Africa Centre established.
• 2005
  • Cape Peninsula University of Technology and Cape Cobras cricket team established.
  • Daily Voice newspaper begins publication.
• 2006
  • Cape Town Book Fair begins.^[58]
  • Homeless World Cup football contest held.
  • Neighbourgoods Market in business in Woodstock.^[59]
• 2007
  • University of Cape Town's African Centre for Cities active (approximate date).^[60]
  • Isango Portobello theatre group active.
• 2008
  • Cape Town TV and Hillsong Church established.
  • Chavonnes Battery museum opens.^[61]
  • Spier Poetry Exchange (festival) and Infecting the City (arts festival) begin.
• 2009
  • Cape Town Stadium opens.
  • Dan Plato becomes mayor.
  • Silicon Cape Initiative founded.
  • Organised Chaos LAN Party begins (approximate date).
• 2010
  • June–July: FIFA World Cup held.
  • Chippa United Football Club formed.
• 2011
  • MyCiTi bus begins operating.
  • Patricia de Lille becomes mayor.^[62]

See also

• History of Cape Town
• List of mayors of Cape Town
• List of Cape Town suburbs
• Fortifications of the Cape Peninsula
• Governors of the Cape Colony (1652–1910)
• History of Cape Colony before 1806
• History of Cape Colony from 1806 to 1870
• History of Cape Colony from 1870 to 1899
• History of Cape Colony from the Second Anglo-Boer War

Other cities in South Africa

• Timeline of Johannesburg
• Timeline of Pretoria, Tshwane

References

Further reading

Published in the 19th century

• Robert Semple (1805), "Cape Town", Walks and sketches at the Cape of Good Hope to which is subjoined a journey from Cape Town to Blettenberg's Bay (2nd ed.), London: Printed by and for C. and R. Baldwin 
• Josiah Conder (1830), "Cape Town", The Modern Traveller, London: J.Duncan 
• "British Colonies: Cape Town". The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. London: J. Limbird (716-717). April–May 1835. 

Published in the 20th century

• "Cape Town", Official South African Municipal Year Book, Cape Town: Francis G. Pay, 1914 
• Dorothea Fairbridge (1922), "Old Cape Town", Historic houses of South Africa, London: H. Milford, Oxford University Press, OCLC 2777566 
• John Western (1981). Outcast Cape Town. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-20737-0. 
• Noelle Watson, ed. (1996). "Cape Town". International Dictionary of Historic Places: Middle East and Africa. UK: Routledge. pp. 165–170. ISBN 1884964036. 
• Grant Saff (1998). Changing Cape Town: Urban Dynamics, Policy, and Planning During the Political Transition in South Africa. University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-7618-1199-2. 

Published in the 21st century

• Vivian Bickford-Smith (2003). Ethnic Pride and Racial Prejudice in Victorian Cape Town. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-52639-5. 
• Christoph Haferburg; Jürgen Ossenbrügge, eds. (2003). Ambiguous Restructurings of Post-apartheid Cape Town: The Spatial Form of Socio-political Change. Lit Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8258-6699-0. 
• Kevin Shillington, ed. (2004). "Cape Town". Encyclopedia of African History. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-45670-2. 
• S.B. Bekker; Anne Leildé, eds. (2006). Reflections on Identity in Four African Cities. South Africa: African Minds. ISBN 978-1-920051-40-2.  (about Cape Town, Johannesburg, Libreville, Lomé)
• Tony Roshan Samara (2011). Cape Town After Apartheid: Crime and Governance in the Divided City. U of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-7000-0. 
• Ciraj Rassool; Virgil Slade (2013). "'Fields of Play': the District Six Museum and the History of Football in Cape Town". In Susann Baller; et al. Global Perspectives on Football in Africa: Visualising the Game. Sport in the Global Society. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-96587-9. 
• Crime Networks and Governance in Cape Town, Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies, 2014 – via International Relations and Security Network 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to History of Cape Town.

• "(Items related to Cape Town)". Internet Library Sub-Saharan Africa. Germany: Frankfurt University Library. 
• "(Articles related to Cape Town)". Connecting-Africa. Leiden, Netherlands: African Studies Centre. 
• New York Public Library. Images related to Cape Town, various dates

Communities of City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, Western Cape
Seat: Cape Town
Cape Flats	Athlone Crawford Gugulethu Hanover Park Heideveld Joe Slovo Kenwyn Lansdowne Manenberg Nyanga Ottery Philippi Rondebosch East Strandfontein Wetton
Helderberg	Faure Gordon's Bay Lwandle Macassar Parel Vallei Sir Lowry's Pass Village Somerset West Strand
Mitchells Plain Khayelitsha	Blue Downs Crossroads Eerste River Khayelitsha Kuils River Mfuleni Mitchell's Plain QQ Section
Northern	Brackenfell Durbanville Fisantekraal Kensington Kraaifontein Panorama Philadelphia Wallacedene
South Peninsula	Bergvliet Bishopscourt Capri Village Claremont Clovelly Constantia Da Gama Park Diep River Fish Hoek Glencairn Grassy Park Harfield Village Heathfield Hout Bay Imizamo Yethu Kalk Bay Kenilworth Kommetjie Llandudno Lotus River Masiphumelele Meadowridge Mowbray Muizenberg Newlands Noordhoek Ocean View Plumstead Retreat Rondebosch Rosebank Scarborough Simon's Town St James Southern Suburbs Steenberg Tokai Wynberg
Table Bay	Bakoven Bantry Bay Bo-Kaap Camps Bay Cape Town Clifton De Waterkant Devil's Peak Estate District Six Epping Foreshore Fresnaye Gardens Goodwood Green Point Higgovale Langa Maitland Mouille Point Ndabeni Nomzamo Observatory Oranjezicht Pinelands Robben Island Salt River Schotsche Kloof Sea Point Tamboerskloof Thornton Three Anchor Bay University Estate Vredehoek Walmer Estate Woodstock Zonnebloem
Tygerberg	Belhar Bellville Bishop Lavis Bonteheuwel Bothasig Delft (Blikkiesdorp) Edgemead Elsie's River Monte Vista Norwood Parow Tygerberg
Blaauwberg	Atlantis Bloubergstrand Century City Dunoon Joe Slovo Park Mamre Melkbosstrand Milnerton Parklands Table View

Years in South Africa (1910–present)
1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019