Constantia | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Constantia | |
| Coordinates:34°01′53″S18°25′06″E / 34.03139°S 18.41833°E /-34.03139; 18.41833 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Western Cape |
| Municipality | City of Cape Town |
| Main Place | Cape Town |
| Government | |
| • Councillor | Liz Brunette (Ward 62) (DA) Denis Joseph (Ward 71) (DA) Carol Bew (Ward 73) (DA) |
| Area | |
• Total | 23.9 km2 (9.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 91 m (299 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 12,564 |
| • Density | 526/km2 (1,360/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 9.4% |
| • Coloured | 8.1% |
| • Indian/Asian | 2.0% |
| • White | 78.5% |
| • Other | 1.9% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • English | 83.3% |
| • Afrikaans | 9.4% |
| • IsiXhosa | 2.0% |
| • Other | 5.2% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 7806[2] |
| PO box | 7848 |
| Area code | 021 |
Constantia is an affluentresidentialsuburb in theSouthern Suburbs ofCape Town,South Africa, situated about 20 kilometres south of theCape Town CBD. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious suburbs in South Africa, with large, expensive properties attracting affluent residents.[3]
Constantia is also one of the largest neighborhoods in Cape Town by area.[4] The Constantia Valley lies to the east of and at the foot of theConstantiaberg mountain.Constantia Nek is a low pass linking toHout Bay in the west.
Constantia is one of the oldest districts of Cape Town and is famed for itswine.[5][6] The estate ofGroot Constantia (Dutch for Great Constantia) was established in 1685 by the Dutch Colonial Governor of Cape Town,[7]Simon van der Stel.
Other notable wine farms in the area include the oldest estate, Steenberg (Dutch for Mountain of Stone), established in 1682,[8] Buitenverwachting (Beyond Expectations),Klein Constantia (Small Constantia) andConstantia Uitsig (View of Constantia). Before the twentieth century, the region was noted for its exports ofVin de Constance; a sweet dessert wine. Many years ago the trade was crippled by the arrival in the Cape of a parasite that attacked the vines.[citation needed]
In 1661, during the Dutch conquest ofSumatra, Sheik Abdurachman Matebe Shah and his companion Sheikh Mahmoud were exiled to Constantia by the Dutch. Sheik Abdurachman is regarded as one of the three people that first brought Islam to South Africa.[9] Thekramat at Klein Constantia is built on the site that Sheik Abdurachman is thought to have died in 1681 or 1682.[9]
About 220slaves worked over a period of 150 years on the land planted with vineyards, fruit, and olive trees at the time of Van der Stel.[10] A labour shortage after emancipation indicates that slaves moved away from the farms where they worked, but possibly stayed in the area.[11]
From the mid-1800s to the 1960s, Constantia remained a rural area of wine estates in which Hottentot, Cape Malay, San and coloured residents constituted the majority. They were farmers, farm workers, domestics and fruit and flower sellers and lived in the areas of Strawberry Lane, Sillery Road, Spaanschemat River Road and Ladies Mile Road.[10]
In 1961 Constantia was zoned as a "White Group Area" under the then-apartheidgovernment'sGroup Areas Act.[12] In the late 1960s, Constantia inhabitants classified ascoloured orblack were forcibly removed to areas in theCape Flats likeMitchell's Plain,Manenberg, and Lotus River.
On Heritage Day 2009, a plaque remembering the Strawberry Lane community was unveiled by Cape Town's mayorDan Plato.[13]
In 2010, after around 50 years of petitioning, the Solomon family won one of the most successful land claim cases in South Africa's history, and received their Constantia property back with a title deed in 2012. The land was taken from them under the Group Areas Act, and at the time, had 30 houses on it, and the family used it as a thriving agricultural plot.[14][15]
It comprised Lots 10 and 11 of a farm once known as Sillery, which sit in a prime location along Ladies Mile Road, close to theM3, and at the time they won the case with the Land Claims Commission, was estimated to be worth tens of millions of rands.[14][15]
In 2018, the Constantia Ratepayers' and Residents' Association (CRRA), ahomeowners' association, took the Solomon Family Trust to court, stating that the shopping center did not match the look and feel of Constantia as it was unattractive, and too large. The family decided to go ahead with their plans anyway, and the City of Cape Town Municipal Planning Tribunal (MPT) approved the planning application.[16][17]
The CRRA then appealed, but this was rejected by then-MayorPatricia de Lille, and to the satisfaction of the Solomons, construction went ahead as planned, turning the site into a building that has won multiple architectural awards[18] - what is now the upmarket shopping center,Constantia Emporium.[16][17]
Mark Thatcher, the son ofMargaret Thatcher,[19] andCharles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, the brother ofPrincess Diana, both lived in Constantia. Mark's house is now owned by the Sahara Group. The historic Tarrystone House, once owned byCharles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer[20] was listed for sale at R80 million.[21]
The area is a majortourist hub. Constantia is a well-known wine-producing area and one of the oldest in the southern hemisphere.[22] It is home to at least ten wine farms, eight of which are included in an official wine route.[23] Numerous operators offer tours of the Constantia wine route where visitors can take part in wine tastings at the farms.
In addition to wine, many Constantia estates also include fine dining restaurants offering both local and international fare.Many of the homesteads along the wine route display Baroque and Cape Dutch architectural styles.
Schools
The Constantia Valley Local Council, which existed from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, registered a coat of arms at theBureau of Heraldry in October 1992.[25]
The arms were :Argent, an eagle displayed Sable, charged on the breast with an hour glass in fess Or; a chief nowy gabled Gules. The crest was a silver demi-stag with golden antlers and black wings emerging from a red mural crown. The motto wasTerra hereditas nostra.
Communities ofCity of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality,Western Cape | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seat:Cape Town | |||||
| Atlantic Seaboard | .svg) | ||||
| Blaauwberg | |||||
| Cape Flats |
| ||||
| City Bowl | |||||
| Helderberg | |||||
| Islands | |||||
| Northern Suburbs | |||||
| Southern Suburbs | |||||
| South Peninsula | |||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
.jpg)
