Quotable quotes about Cape Town

 

“Perhaps it was history that ordained that it be here, at the Cape of Good Hope that we should lay the foundation stone of our new nation. For it was here at this Cape, over three centuries ago, that there began the fateful convergence of the peoples of Africa, Europe and Asia on these shores.”
– Former President Nelson Mandela, during his inauguration speech on May 9, 1994.

“This is a city whose people tasted non-racialism long before the rest of South Africa. As early as the 19th century, black and coloured people had the vote in the Cape.”
– Former Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille.

“Cape Town is ready to welcome the world! Never has there been such a focused marketing opportunity for Cape Town. On the 4 December 2009 an estimated 150 million television viewers across the globe will watch Cape Town host the draw. Cutaway shots of the city by day and night – including exuberant images of its colourful citizens at play – will surely entice a large portion of those viewers (soccer fans or not) to dream, plan and get to Cape Town in their lifetime.”
– Lianne Burton, spokesperson for Cape Town Tourism, on the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw.

“During the many years of incarceration on Robben Island, we often looked across Table Mountain at its magnificent silhouette … To us on Robben Island, Table Mountain was a beacon of hope. It represented the mainland to which we knew we would one day return.”
– Former President Nelson Mandela

“I am an African. I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land.”
– Former President Thabo Mbeki, 1996

“My most optimistic expectation of the World Cup is that it will give ourselves, and the world, a new perception of who we are and what we can achieve. We have dealt with the preparations as well, often better than other host countries. We still face negative international perceptions particularly regarding crime. With the world’s attention focused on this [World Cup], we can either mitigate these perceptions, or confirm them. It depends on us.”
– Western Cape premier, Helen Zille, 2010

“This cape is the most stately thing and the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.”
– From the journal of Sir Francis Drake, on seeing the Cape for the first time, 1580

“Done with a nice 3 hour ride. I’ve heard many times before that Cape Town is stunning. That was no lie. What a place.”
– Cycling legend Lance Armstrong, writing on social network Twitter, after his first cycle in Cape Town on March 9, 2010

“This is a pretty and singular town; it lies at the foot of an enormous wall (the Table Mountain), which reaches into the clouds, and makes a most imposing barrier. Cape Town is a great inn, on the great highway to the east.”
– Charles Darwin in a letter to his sister, Catherine, 1836

“It’s a magnificent stadium. I would put it among the top five in the world, and I have seen many top stadiums.”
– South African soccer coach, Carlos Parreira, 2010

“It’s just an amazing stadium, and all the teams who play in Cape Town, they will play [in] the perfect place.”
– FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke on Cape Town Stadium, 2010

“We promised the country a spectacular and world-class event and we delivered on that promise. It was a great celebration of Africa which triggered a wave of passion and support on the streets of Cape Town, across South Africa and around the world.”
– CEO of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Organising Committee South Africa, Dr Danny Jordaan, on the Final Draw in Cape Town, 2009

“… this child who just wanted to play in the sun at Nyanga is everywhere, the child grown to a man treks through all Africa, the child grown into a giant journeys through the whole world, without a pass.”
– Excerpt from The Child, written by Ingrid Jonker and read by former President Nelson Mandela at the opening of the first democratic parliament on May 24, 1994

“Ek het ’n vriendin, ver by die blou see, teen die hang van Tafelberg as die son sak, speel sy die mooiste melodieë”
– lyrics from Lisa se Klavier by Koos Kombuis