Bo-Kaap battles with tour buses

The Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers’ Association (BKCRA) says tour buses are causing traffic chaos in the well-known tourist destination.

The association organised a protest last Wednesday to oppose the tour buses coming in and out of the area.

According to tour guide Abdullah Fakier from Dawn to Dusk transfers and tours, who joined around 30 other protesters in front of the Bo-Kaap Museum, Wale Street, which leads up to Yusuf Drive, is a frequently used artery for cars, pedestrians, and buses, and traffic is terrible.

“They create major congestion in the roads, for pedestrians and cars, and they stand here for hours, so they have no consideration. The major tour companies have no respect for this area,” Mr Fakier said.

“We’ve been fighting this for the past 20 years and nothing is changing. There should be demarcated parking spaces they can use and the City should sort that out; we can't solve this problem for them,” he added.

Buses should drop off tourists and wait outside the neighbourhood, according to Soraya De Bruyns, a cultural tour guide for Bo-Kaap My Story since 2020.

“They cause traffic and what if there is an emergency, there will be a problem. These tours are not of benefit to us, the big tour companies make the money but the people here are not benefitting,” said Ms De Bruyn.

According to Rafiq Jacobs, who has been with Bo-Kaap Roots, a tour company for 20 years, Bo-Kaap is only promoted as colourful homes.

“The tourists come here, take pictures in front of the colourful houses and that’s it. So we have people from Bo-Kaap working for us. We go to people’s homes and the older residents tell the visitors stories of Bo-Kaap; we cover the history of this area. We have a cooking class too and other activities because there is more to Bo-Kaap than the colourful houses,” said Mr Jacobs.

Rob Quintas, the City's mayoral committee member for urban mobility, said the community's concerns were valid.

“I can confirm that the City’s Transport Network Management and Planning Department is currently preparing a proposal to manage the risk while also fostering local tourism,” said Mr Quintas.

“The local ward councillor is convening a meeting with the relevant Bo-Kaap community organisations, together with representatives from Cape Town Tourism and the relevant tourism associations to engage about the proposal. The engagement will take place in about two weeks’ time,” he said.

Ward councillor Francine Higham confirmed that the BKCRA were invited to a meeting on Tuesday December 3 to discuss traffic plans.

“It is a concern for the residents and for us, the City is working on a traffic management plan for this area. There are benefits for the community when it comes to tourism, some residents are tour guides and others offer cooking classes. So tourism is important but it has to be done in a respectful way and it has to be sustainable as this is a residential area,” Ms Higham said.

“We have also engaged with tour guide associations regarding the behaviour of tour guides and tour groups and it’s an ongoing discussion, they all have indicated their support,” she said.

Osman Shaboodien, chairman of the BKCRA, says they gave he City traffic plans in 2017 and also noted the lack of public transport in the area.

“In 2021 we gave them a revised plan and that was not implemented. Our challenge is simple, get the traffic department in to regulate the flow of traffic, that is not being done. We are invited to another meeting but the plan is there, implement it,” Mr Shaboodien said.

“Every year it’s the same problem but nothing is implemented and it’s a year-round problem, not just a festive season problem. If Green Point had this problem they (City) would have addressed it long ago. When there are big games at the stadium they do the planning with traffic and security, why don’t they do the same for Bo-Kaap - people flock to this place more than any other destination in Cape Town,” he said.

As part of their festive season policing strategy, more officers will be deployed to the area, according to JP Smith, the City's mayoral committee member for safety and security.

“The normal security deployments will cover any complaints coming in. Metro Police services Bo-Kaap frequently as the base is nearby and is normally the starting point of patrols,” Mr Smith said.

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