Apartheidbyothermeans

Imam Rashied of Claremont Main Road mosque (thanks @suhairsolomon) tries to explain to a metro cop - probably surprised to find himself facing off against a series of the Cape’s religious leaders (including anti-apartheid hero, Allan Boesak - over whose shoulder the imam is pointing) that the activity is around a celebration of the sacrifices made by Khoi pastoralists who were the first to shed blood against colonial raiders, and who were the first to have their land usurped right here in Observatory. ...

Astonishingly, some suburban houses in Cape Town have retained their original low walls without their inhabitants being murdered nightly, presumably. Though I also know it’s a relief when people don’t regularly hop into your yard. Cape Town is a cruel city. And being “middle class” here (actually being in the top 5% nationally) puts you in a weird place in terms of how to react to the countless people struggling at the margins. There’s a lot of ignoring, pretence, occasional sympathy, and the ever-popular blaming-the-poor-for-their-poverty. ...