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Greenmarket Square: an African Market in Flux
by jordan | December 12, 2007 at 11:21 am | 478 views | 10 comments
The World Cup preparations are already underway as Cape Town's CBD (Central Business District) gets the obligatory makeover. Is this a genuine renewal effort, though, or a cash grab under the guise of progress? Depends on who you ask.
The City of Cape Town on Wednesday released details of its plans for a multimillion-rand "facelift" for the historic Greenmarket Square -- South Africa's second-oldest public square.The square, in the heart of Cape Town's central business district, turns 300 on March 10 2010.
The rejuvenation drive has attracted millions of rands of private investments into the precinct, the city said in a statement.
"The square has played a significant role in the city's history since the first trading ships berthed in Table Bay in the late seventeenth century and used it as a trading area," mayoral committee member Simon Grindrod said.
The article mentions:
"The city now plans to resuscitate Greenmarket Square into the cultural, social and business hub of Cape Town, which will also act as catalyst for inner-city revival," he said.Plans included the "pedestrianisation" of the square, widening the Shortmarket Street sidewalk, upgrading the ablution block, construction of a concert stage, reconfiguration of the informal trading areas and moves to link it to the 2010 Soccer World Cup "fan mile".
Heritage features, such as a slave memorial and original water pump, were also being considered.
The square seems pretty well pedestrianized as it is, with locals and toursits swarming the area on weekends and lunch breaks, narby cafés buzzing with activity. The article mentions "reconfiguration of the informal trading areas"...
Councillor and former lessor Badih Chaaban on Monday renewed his bid to regain control of Greenmarket Square, just 10 days after the City of Cape Town took over management of the area.
And in defiance of instructions that only city council officials could collect rent, Chaaban's staff collected at least R8 000 in daily fees from traders by 3pm on Monday.
(I have a pair of carved figurines from a very-much-unlicensed trader from my last visit to Greenmarket Square)
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December 12, 2007 at 11:21 am by jordan, 478 views, 10 comments
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Comments (10)
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pierrej7at 13:09 on December 12th, 2007
Greenmarket Square is just one of the many tourist attractions which are receiving a facelift in Cape Town in preparation for 2010. Whether all of the dynamic plans would come to fruition timeously, however, remains to be seen...
at 15:09 on December 12th, 2007
Yes, like that unfinished flyover between the CBD proper and the V&A Waterfront!
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slack12at 14:54 on December 12th, 2007
Always worth a visit.
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dissolat 17:36 on December 12th, 2007
As an access consultant, I am constantly reminded of the inaccessibility of many of our main attractions in South Africa. If this is still the same by 2010 then prepare to be deafened by the roar of unhappy fans...
at 18:37 on December 12th, 2007
I remember when attending Sithengi/Cape Town INt'l Cinema Fest, having to bark in this vacant lot and walking back towards the CBD through a field of broken glass... they had only organized parking for something like 100 vehicles. (The festival itself was absolutely stellar, though!)
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our online photosat 04:33 on December 13th, 2007
Great place to haggle for a bargain.
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Dave the Fat 14:08 on December 13th, 2007
I work in Newspaper House, St George's Mall, where the gents' toilet on the fourth floor has a magnificent view of the Square and its surrounds. I fear the rejuvenation is going to rip the soul out of one of Cape Town's most historic sites. Pedestrianisation can only mean tearing up the old cobblestones and putting in bricks, tiles, whatever. Given the grandiosity of the plans -- and we've heard all this about the heart of the city before -- it's probable that the market will be sanitised into a quaint Disney-style adjunct to all the faqtcat facilities surrounding it . Many traders are likely to be forced out because they can't afford to pay for "quaint" shiny clean new stalls. Once the authentic charm is gone, it will become just another heartless construct in a city that is slowly being denuded of its ancient finery. Long Street, with its cafes, tiny quixotic boutique shops, booksellers, clubs and bohemian vibe, is being torn down to make way for towering concrete. It's all greed-driven and it's a shame. Once the city's unique style, preserved past and exotic atmosphere goes, the tourists won't be coming any more. You can get a holiday "experience" anywhere, a lot closer to Europe and the US than here. Thank god I live in Fish Hoek, way out of town, right on the seaside and nestling in a vallet between the two oceans -- the Atlantic and the Indian.
at 15:36 on December 13th, 2007
"Sanitized"-- E X A C T L Y !!! It's Africa, not Anaheim, and it annoys me (as a visitor) to see changes made solely with tourists in mind. As a local, it bust drive you all kinds of nuts.
(Fish Hoek, by the way, is beautiful)
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Dave the Fat 14:33 on December 14th, 2007
YoU've obviously been here quite a few times. Hope you keep coming despite the cultural vandalism!
at 13:33 on December 18th, 2007
...a mellow light masking the dark uncertainty the future holds for Greenmarket square and those who depend upon it and make it what it is...
ohjaygee has contributed a photo to this story.