Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Cape Town, South Africa: The Grand Parade

There's little doubt what the middle of Cape Town is. It is the Grand Parade, a town square across the street from City Hall. 

Feel like gathering for one reason or another in that city? This is the place to go. Care to pick up some local products? The space is used for markets on weekends. How about needing to go somewhere? Chances are good you'll pass through the Grand Parade and its transportation hub. 

More importantly, many thousands of people gathered there on February 11, 1990. (Estimates seem to vary.) Nelson Mandela had just been released from prison, and he gave his first public speech since that action from a City Hall balcony. It was the first step toward South Africa moving to a multi-racial society. Mandela's statue is on that very balcony; it's too bad our tour didn't take a look at it. 

No comments:

Post a Comment