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MOLO december 2016
EDITORIAL
Molo. Hello. Goeiedag. Molo is a free community paper, focused on the people of Cape Town, and published by the Cape Town Partnership. Created by: Ambre Nicolson, Kaylon Koeries, Dave Buchanan, Nadia Krige, Maxine Case, Quasiem Gamiet, Alex O’Donoghue. Published by: Cape Town Partnership 34 Bree Street T: 021 419 1881
SEND US YOUR STORIES If you or someone you know has an interesting story to tell, mail us at molo@capetownpartnership.co.za (no press releases, please).
WHERE TO FIND MOLO If you or your organisation would like to receive or distribute the print publication, please mail us at molo@capetownpartnership.co.za. Include your postal address and the number of copies you’d like to receive. Every month, we’ll continue the conversations we start in the print edition of Molo online at www.capetownpartnership.co.za.
Contact the creators of Molo:
@CTPartnership #Molo
Email: molo@capetownpartnership.co.za Tel: 021 419 1881 www.facebook.com/molocapetown Molo, Cape Town Partnership, 10th Floor, The Terraces, 34 Bree Street, 8001
a sense of connection
W
hen I first moved to Cape Town in 1999, I encountered Church Square as a rundown parking lot. Thankfully, the City of Cape Town was already in the process of recognising the importance of placemaking in public spaces, and acknowledging the heritage value of the square’s troubled history. In 2005, the Cape Town Partnership officially began discussions with various City departments on ways to regenerate and reclaim the space. With the intent to create a multi-functional greenspace for public gathering and socialising, preparations for physical improvements began. The Partnership played a role in communicating with local stakeholders. Forums and individual meetings were arranged, and Old Mutual came on board as a key private-sector sponsor. On 24 September 2008 – Heritage Day – Cape Town’s then-Executive Mayor, Helen Zille, unveiled a memorial on Church Square, commissioned by the City to honour the contribution made by slaves to the culture of our city, and to remember their suffering. The memorial comprises 11 polished black granite blocks, engraved with names of several hundred slaves who were brought to the Cape from 1658 onwards. Looking at these pieces by Gavin Younge and Wilma Cruise, I am at once reminded that this square was said to have originally served as the graveyard of the church that gave it its name. I don’t know what the future holds for Church Square. What I do know is that future iterations and enhancements will come about through collaboration. I suggest that as in the
Where the city’s tangled history and its unknown future can exist side by side.
past, these changes will be the fruits of publicprivate partnerships, made in consultation with the people who use the square daily: the Congolese nationals who meet there to share news of home; locals who trace their roots back to the very slaves sold there; those whose ancestors toiled in the silk factory that gave neighbouring Spin Street its name; the residents and workers nearby; and of course, the officials and congregation of the Groote Kerk – the oldest church and congregation in the country. When I think of my hopes for this space in our city, I think about Abdullah Ibrahim’s transcendent performance on Church Square in January this year. While Abdullah’s agents only allowed us to let the cat out of the bag the day before, I was humbled by the nearly three hundred Capetonians and visitors who gathered there early to hear him play. For 45 minutes, office workers, pedestrians, car guards, tourists and music lovers were united in an almost silent appreciation of the maestro’s talent. For me, the true diversity was in the range of ages represented on the square that day – from babies in prams and toddlers, to the octogenarians who shared with strangers their memories of the first time they saw him play. This, then, is my true vision for the square: as a meeting place, a connecting place; where the city’s tangled history and its unknown future can exist side by side, in accord and appreciation. Finally, thank you to Urban Lime for their support in producing this issue of Molo Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana
shorts
10 things to get done on Church Square Here are nine errands – and one mini-adventure – that you can tick off your to-do list; all within sight of the Onze Jan statue.
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Post a letter
Courier services, stationery supplies, internet access, printing and copying can all be found here. This can be a lifesaver when hardware fails, or when you run out of copies of your CV while job-hunting; or when you just need to access your email in a hurry. PostNet Shop 1, Mostert Street 021 426 0136
Get your eyes checked
Mullers Optometrist is one of the oldest family businesses in the city. They have been going for 125 years, and the company is still run by the descendants of Joseph Muller, who arrived in Cape Town from Germany in 1890. Mullers Optometrist 104 Longmarket Street 021 461 6254
Take care of your dirty laundry
Nannucci Dry Cleaners was founded by Oreste Nannucci from Florence in Italy, who opened the first branch in Long Street in 1879. These days Nannucci offers laundry, dry cleaning, shoe repair, garment repair and alteration, and dyeing. Nannucci Dry Cleaners Shop 2, Parliament Towers, Plein Street 021 465 5127
Discover a vintage gem
Read for a worthy cause
This little store is full of interesting vintage finds like clothing and other second-hand odds and ends. What’s more, all the profits earned go towards supporting youth centres in rural areas. Help The Rural Child 39 Adderley Street
The Bookery is a non-profit that not only sells books but also accepts book donations, which they use to pursue their goal of putting a library in every school in South Africa. Let go of those dusty novels you haven’t touched in years, or find new worlds to escape to on a lazy afternoon in the square. The Bookery 69 Plein Street, Cape Town, 8001 021 461 4189