District Six Museum

The District Six Museum on Buitenkant Street tells the story of a mixed inner-city neighbourhood that apartheid erased. In the 1970s around 60,000 residents were forcibly removed and their homes demolished. The museum opened in 1994 in a former Methodist church and is built from the memories of the people who lived there. For anyone trying to understand Cape Town beyond the mountain and the beaches, this is the place to start.

What to expect

The best-known exhibit is a large map of the district laid across the floor, on which former residents have written where their homes stood. Around it are original street signs, family histories and records of the demolitions. Musician Abdullah Ibrahim, once known as Dollar Brand, is among the former residents featured.

The museum is more than an exhibition. It runs education programmes and public events and works with today’s residents and claimants. Its Homecoming Centre, a restored nineteenth-century warehouse a few doors down, hosts many of these.

Practical details

The museum is at 25A Buitenkant Street, Cape Town, with the Homecoming Centre at 15 Buitenkant Street. It opens Monday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm. Book ahead through Quicket or buy at the front desk, and avoid other ticket sellers, which the museum warns against. Telephone +27 21 466 7200 or email reception@districtsix.co.za. Groups and school visits can be arranged.

Good to know

Ask whether a talk by a former resident is available when you book, as it changes the visit from viewing objects to hearing the story first-hand. The Castle of Good Hope is close by, which makes for a pointed pairing: the colonial fort and the neighbourhood that was wiped out within sight of it. The museum received a Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands in 2003.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: District Six Museum, Wikipedia.