News that Cape Town will bestow Civic Honours on several iconic residents of the Mother City, both present and past, has been very well received.
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Civic Honours are awarded for a significant contribution to society in Cape Town and throughout the world.
An official ceremony will be held in Cape Town in December to honour these individuals and associations.
The list of recipients includes lawyer, activist and former Constitutional Court Justice, Albie Sachs, along with cricket legend Basil D’Oliveira and pop icon, Brenda Fassie.
Humanitarian and founder of Gift of the Givers, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, will also be acknowledged, along with renowned playwright, Athol Fugard.
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However, it is the inclusion of Krotoa among the recipients that has the Khoi community most excited.
Otherwise known by her Christian name, Eva, Krotoa was born in 1643 and was a !Uriǁ’aeǀona translator who worked for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) during the founding of the Cape Colony.
She is one of the most well-written about women in South African history, with her name appearing in the journals of the United East India Company (VOC) from as early as 1652 She was the first woman mentioned by her Khoi name in early European records of the settlement at ǁHuiǃgaeb (Cape Town).
She was born a member of the !Uriǁ’aeǀona (Strandlopers) people and was the niece of Autshumao, a Khoi chieftain and trader.
At the age of twelve, she was taken to work in the household of Jan van Riebeeck.
As a teenager, she learned to speak Dutch and Portuguese and began working as an interpreter for the Dutch who wanted to trade goods for cattle.
As a result of her immense contribution as a translator, trader and mediator between the various groups she gained the universal respect of all parties, only to pass away, struggling with alcohol and banished to Robben Island for the rest of her life.
As a teenager, Krotoa was baptised into the Dutch Reformed Church. She was given a Christian burial on the island.
‘It was heart-warming to me to witness the Civic Honours bestowed on Krotoa in Woman’s Month,’ said Ward Councilor, Elton Jansen.
‘In February 2023, I submitted a motion (not formerly tabled) to Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to urge him to assist in promoting the Khoi heritage in Cape Town.’
‘I urged him to honour our Khoi forefathers along with former President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the Civic Centre building.,
‘Much more awareness around the First Nation must be created and I believe the City is moving in the right direction to do so.’
Other proposals suggest a statue of Dawid Stuurman, a Khoi chief and political activist, be erected in either Green Point or the City Centre.
In his motion, Jansen explains that when the British and Dutch landed in Cape Town, the Khoi people were here to greet them warm-heartedly .
‘As the City of Cape Town, we should be at the forefront of keeping the history of the Khoi people alive.’
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CoCT to acknowledge exceptional Capetonians with Civic Honours
Picture: Supplied
