1966
Apartheid
District Six and forced removal
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District Six was declared a white area on 11 February 1966. More than 60,000 people were removed, and demolition continued through the years that followed. The District Six Museum is a place to begin learning that history.
Apartheid redraws the city
Bo-Kaap had already been declared a Malay group area in 1957. District Six followed in 1966, with removals to the Cape Flats and demolition by 1982.
Visiting the museum
The District Six Museum keeps the testimony of the people who were removed. Check its opening times and access before you go, and allow more time than a single gallery needs.
A neighbourhood beyond its buildings
Forced removal broke the connection between people and the everyday places that organised their lives. The museum preserves testimony rather than letting a cleared landscape tell the whole story.
From the page to the place
Plan a visit
District Six Museum
25A Buitenkant Street
The District Six Museum tells the story of a neighbourhood and the people forced from it under apartheid. Personal memories and accounts of everyday life help you understand what was lost beyond the buildings themselves. This is a place to give your attention to people’s testimony and to think about how forced removal still shapes the geography of Cape Town.
Visiting detailsConfirm access and opening times before setting out.