Sustainable South Africa

CITY FUTURES IS A JOURNEY INTO THE FUTURE OF THE CITY, THROUGH THE TOWNSHIPS (half day)OPTIONAL TOUR - 

Consider the facts:

Of Cape Town’s population, the majority of us live in townships. Which means that the largest distribution of the city’s spend comes from the townships.

Of families living in houses, the majority are owned by the residents. Which means that there is very, very little home loan debt, if any. Compare that with suburban areas, where the majority of residents are NOT homeowners, and where the majority of people have major debt.

Consider that Khayelitsha is the fastest growing suburb in the country, with a large middle class.

And finally – at least for the purposes of this write-up – consider that the future of Cape Town lies in the townships. That as the city grows and expands, it is expanding into the townships. That the South African Treasury has earmarked some 300 billion rands to invest in developing economic nodes in townships across South Africa. National government, even if it doesn’t shout it out loud, believes that the economic future of the country is in its townships.

So what does the future hold?

On this four hour excursion we take the visitor into the new central business districts of the city, including Langa and Khayelitsha, two of the most crucial parts of the townships, and therefore of the city. We visit some sites and projects of transformation, and meeting some of the people that are making this change. We look at how the city and its townships were formed, and how the townships are being shaped into the future. It looks at models for economic and social integration. It looks at ways that townships might connect to each other and to the city as a whole. In between these lines, it touches on food and stories and life.

Guests have the opportunity to walk. To meet people. To sample township snacks. And to see examples of the future.

Marine Big 5 Tour length is between 2 and 2.5 hours, depending on sightings and weather conditions. All cruises depart from Kleinbaai harbour near Gansbaai. Dyer Island is located 8 km from shore and is an access controlled Important Bird Area (IBA) for the conservation of its many resident bird species, including the endangered African penguin. Adjacent to Dyer Island is Geyser Rock, home to a 60,000 strong Cape fur seal colony. These seals are present all year round. We will take you into the channel of water between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock known as the world-famous ‘Shark Alley’. We will then take you to the whale hot-spots in the bay. With over a decade of experience, we know where to expect the best whale sightings. Southern right whale season is between mid-June to mid-November. Around this time our focus will be on spending some time with these incredible whales who are visiting our shores to mate and calve. We can encounter the more reserved resident Bryde’s whale throughout the year. From mid-December to mid-June we actively search for this species during our tours. We may also sight magnificent Humpback whales at the start and end of their migration season. We also have three dolphin species that move through the area – common, bottlenose, and endangered humpback – so if we are lucky, we may see one of those. We also hope to show you a bronze whaler shark or a great white shark.