Origins of Cape Malay
Cape Malay people came from Indonesia (at that time known as the Dutch East Indies), among other South East Asian countries, and they were transported here as slaves by the Dutch East India Company. These slaves were the first people in South Africa to introduce Islam as a religion.
Auwal Mosque (1794): The Auwal Mosque is the first and oldest mosque built in South Africa. This is evident according to very strong oral tradition which also confirms that Imam Abdullah Kadi Abdus Salaam also known as Tuan Guru, who was the first Imam at this Mosque.
Why is it called Bo-Kaap?
The history of the Bo-Kaap reflects the political processes in South Africa during the Apartheid years. The area was declared an exclusively residential area for Cape Muslims under the Group Areas Act of 1950 and people of other religions and ethnicity were forced to leave.
The earliest development in the Bo Kaap area was undertaken in the 1760s by a chap called Jan de Waal. Subsequently, the area became known as Waalendorp. It has also been known as the Malay Quarter, the Slamse Buurt, and Scotcheskloof. Translated from Afrikaans, Bo Kaap means ‘Above the Cape’.