Cape Flats: A New Beginning in the Heart of ‘Apartheid’s Wasteland’

Lookout Hill stands as the tallest point on the Cape Flats, offering a commanding view of the sprawling landscape.

Though just a modest sand dune, the elevated wooden platform at the summit provides sweeping vistas over Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s largest township, home to anywhere from 300,000 to 3 million residents, depending on the source.

Under apartheid, Khayelitsha and the other townships that make up the Cape Flats were branded as the ‘dumping grounds’ for non-white South Africans.

Even now, more than two decades into South Africa’s democracy, the prevailing narratives about these neighborhoods continue to focus on poverty, high crime rates, and their social and economic isolation from the more affluent, predominantly white suburbs of the city.

Lookout Hill; Corner of Mew Way & Spine Road, Ilitha Park, Khayelitsha, Cape Town; +27 (0)21 361 7098

Seeing the Bigger Picture

For Buntu Matole and Ayanda Cuba – two innovative social entrepreneurs from the area – the view offers a much more inspiring perspective.

From our position at the top of the hill, they point out various landmarks and discuss their plans for transforming the area.

At the end of the road, there’s a vacant plot they’ve identified for an African food market, one of their key development ideas.

At the far end of Khayelitsha, just off the highway, lies an abandoned playing field that Buntu and Ayanda envision transforming into a sustainable sports complex.

For Buntu and Ayanda, Khayelitsha is a place brimming with opportunity and untapped potential.

As I make my way back down onto the lively Spine Road, enveloped in a mix of bass-heavy music, sizzling chicken, and honking car horns, it becomes clear that Matole and Cuba’s vision is shared by many.

Business is thriving

Just a short walk from Lookout Hill, inside a repurposed metal shipping container, is Espinaca Innovations, a thriving bakery offering artisanal spinach bread and muffins, with the goal of promoting healthier living among local residents.

Nomjana plans to expand his thriving bakery into a café and deli, aiming to tap into the growing tourism traffic along Spine Road.

A vibrant local coffee scene has emerged since the opening of Department of Coffee, Khayelitsha’s first ‘real’ coffee shop, which debuted in late 2012.

Ikasi Culture

Further along Spine Road, I stop at a newly opened lounge bar, Deep Kultsha Cafe.

One of the owners, Sabelo Simbeku, invites me inside. He and his team are busy preparing for their grand opening event scheduled for the weekend.

Deep Kultsha Cafe is the tallest building on the street, offering expansive views of the neighborhood through its floor-to-ceiling windows.

The plush leather furniture and upscale drink selection are clearly designed to appeal to the rising local middle class.

Simbeku mentions they’re also looking to attract a more diverse crowd.

'The image of the township is gradually shifting,' he says. 'More and more white people are starting to visit Khayelitsha. The space is open, the market is ready. Their fears are slowly fading, and they are coming here to enjoy themselves and experience the true essence of ikasi (township) culture.'

Espinaca Innovations; 42 Spine Road, Khayelitsha; +27 (0) 73 095 0119

Department of Coffee; 158 Ntlazane Street, Khayelitsha; +27 (0) 73 300 9519

Deep Kultsha Cafe; 39-41 Mthawelanga Street, Ilitha Park, Khayelitsha; +27 (0) 60 900 9607

'There’s so much potential here'

Mfundo Mbeki, the owner of Rands – a trendy open-air party venue just around the corner from Deep Kultsha Cafe – shares the same sentiment.

'We’ve noticed a lot of people from outside Khayelitsha coming here,' says Mbeki. 'Khayelitsha has so much to offer in terms of tourism. There’s a lot we can do here.'

Like everyone else I’ve spoken with, Mbeki is young and grew up in the area. Since Rands opened last August, it’s been packed to capacity every weekend.

It’s not just Khayelitsha that is redefining Cape Town’s townships, challenging the stereotype of being impoverished, isolated areas with little to offer tourists except a backdrop for the much-maligned ‘poverty safari’ tours.

Rands; Shop 6, 3 Monza Street, Khayelitsha; +27 (0) 84 388 9977

Langa, the beating heart of Cape Town

Iain Harris is the founder and director of Coffeebeans Routes, an award-winning tour operator focused on providing more immersive experiences.

He highlights that on maps of Greater Cape Town, Langa – the city’s oldest township – is actually located right at the center, not on the outskirts.

'People need to rethink how they view space,' he says. 'There’s this perception that danger lies on the periphery. Once people start seeing Langa or Khayelitsha as central instead of peripheral, there’s a natural shift in perspective.'

The ongoing development of the Langa Quarter is poised to play a significant role in shifting that mindset.

This innovative social enterprise precinct, which is also a hub for contemporary arts, culture, and design, was envisioned by London-born Tony Elvin.

Elvin envisions the Langa Quarter becoming as iconic to Cape Town as the French Quarter is to New Orleans.

'The goal is to create an aspirational, vibrant space, not only for tourists, but also for locals – a place where Capetonians can come to experience more than just history, but to enjoy great jazz, unwind, and have a good time.'

Langa Quarter; Ndabeni Street, Langa, Cape Town; +27 (0) 21 694 3717

Traditional township recipes with a twist

Further out, in the lush hills of the Cape Winelands, professional chef Yondela Tyawa’s Shack Fusion Kitchen in Enkanini is defying expectations about what the townships can offer to visitors.

Tyawa serves up traditional township dishes reimagined with a fine dining twist, combining hearty flavors with sophisticated presentation.

Her brother Anathi’s striking artworks decorate the walls of the shack, blending romantic and modern elements in a powerful and unexpected way.

This experience is part of a Coffeebeans Routes tour called Creative Cape Town, which also takes visitors through Khayelitsha and Langa, showcasing places like the Department of Coffee, Espinaca Innovations, and the Langa Quarter.

According to Harris from Coffeebeans Routes, the Creative Cape Town tour highlights a growing sentiment that while townships are often seen as 'museums of South Africa’s apartheid past,' they are also at the heart of Cape Town’s urban creativity and contemporary culture.

Harris says that townships are 'slowly shedding their museum identity as they begin to shape the city’s future and create a new story.'

It’s an exciting transformation to witness.

Shack Fusion Kitchen; Enkanini, Stellenbosch; +27 (0) 78 648 8599