District Six Commemoration walk

Loyiso Langeni
11 February 2013

The 11^TH of February is a commemoration of the 1966 forced removals and home demolition in District Six.

District Six was declared a White group area, leading to the resident families to be relocated to places including Bonteheuwel, Khayelitsha, Langa and Mitchell’s plain.

The District Six Museum today hosted a remembrance walk from the Museum to the cairn where stones are placed in Hanover Street in remembrance of the former resident’s homes.

Director District Six Museum, Bonita Bennett said “District Six was one of many sites force removal in South Africa; we do not forget the people of Jacob’s Fleur, Simon’s Town, Constantia and places all over the Western Cape.

Bennett said that Sophiatown was declared a white group area on the 12^th of February 1955, which share a close date with District Six.

One of the resident said, “this racism government destroyed us, our culture, we were blacks living next to one another Muslims, Christians, Jews; your mother was my mother, your father was my father.”