Sea Point

On Cape Town, Privilege, Leisure, and the Buildup to the Boks

I successfully made my way across the Karoo into the Western Cape and finally to Cape Town. The Huguenot Tunnel, the longest in the country, passes through the Du Toitskloof Mountains that separate Worcester from Paarl. Crossing there, at least on Sunday, was like crossing into two separate climate zones. It was exceptionally dry going in and raining on the other side when I came out. Cape Town certainly enjoys a considerably wetter winter than points inland and crossing over highlighted those climatic differences.

I’m staying at a flat in Sea Point, the demographics of which pretty much shatter the absurd white genocide illusions that some white supremacists have perpetrated. Sea Point is very affluent, very upscale, very, very bougie. Basically there is a series of communities along the peninsula that curl away from the City Bowl and on the Lions Head side across from Table Mountain. Green Point is the first of these peninsular suburbs (that is where DHL Stadium where the Boks play the Barbarians on Saturday, is located). Then comes sea Point, and then Camps Bay.

Down from my flat is Regent’s Road, which is basically one level up from the road that fronts the sea, and it has all the upscale amenities I could possibly desire. The road I am staying on is perpendicular to and runs directly into Regent’s Road, and at the bottom of that inverted T is a shopping Center that includes a Checkers supermarket where I seem to find myself twice a day.

It’s a pretty swank setup all in all and serves as a reminder of the incredible privilege that is part of the country’s post-apartheid legacy for vast numbers of white South Africans and which I share when I am here. It also is what makes that white genocide narrative so very absurd. I also find myself a bit antsy because I have kind of a slow rollout of work-related obligations (and some of those are more social than work in any case) culminating in Saturday’s Springbok match.

I’ve been here since Sunday and will be here for more than a week more before I meander along the Garden Route on my way to the Eastern Cape, where I’ll spend the bulk of the rest of my trip.

The buildup to the Bok match is underway — credential pickup starts tomorrow, Rassie Erasmus named his Springbok squad for Saturday, the buildup to a new Bok season is well underway, and the stadium should be packed when Siya Kolisi leads his men out to take on the Baa Baas.