Keeping the green’s history alive

By: Jermaine Johnson

Observatory's Village Green has a history that is worth remembering. It was once a thriving community, but was torn down during apartheid.

The Village Green was previously known as Woodstock Municipality and was the second richest municipality in South Africa during the early 1900s.

It was one of the oldest cities with the most infrastructure and labour.

Consequently, close to 40% of the country's wealth was produced here and it was most famous for its textiles.

During the early 1960s, the homes and businesses that were known as Woodstock Municipality, were demolished.

The story that is told to residents is that the land was to be used to create a playground for the nearby schools.

But according to local ward councillor Paddy Chappel, the real reason was apartheid.

The Village Green was formerly three blocks of property all owned by Coloured and Chinese families.

During apartheid, it was not uncommon for non-whites to be forced out of their homes.

※When [people in Observatory] talk about the Village Green it annoys me. They are [deliberately] neglecting an important part of our history§ said Chappel.

Throughout the field, the outlines of the demolished homes are still visible.

The Osmans Family were the predominant owners of property, but they have yet to receive land restitution. Also within the Village Green, sits a tall brown copy of the war monument.

The original is kept in the library, as it is prone to vandalism.

The monument remembers fallen soldiers of the two regiments formed in Observatory, South African Artillery and Cape Town Highlanders. Today, the Village Green is the focal point for local festivals like Streetopia.

However, for most of the year the field is vacant and is used by residents, the homeless, workers and visitors to Observatory.