One of Cape Town’s southern suburbs, Grassy Park is located on the Cape Flats, near Ottery and Lotus Rivers and immediately east of the M5 and the Princess Vlei. The suburb has a lengthy history; it first appeared in the early 1900s on a portion of the estate Montagu’s Gift, north of Zeekoevlei. This area was all rural farmland at the time, but by 1920, there were already 2000 residents. Grassy Park, a coloured township formerly known as Koek se bos (Cook’s bush), was born in the 1960s. Under Apartheid, coloured people were forcibly relocated from Cape Town’s “white areas” and given homes in “coloured” neighbourhoods like Grassy Park.
Today, it is a lively, colourful neighbourhood where Christians and Muslims coexist. Victoria Road’s “busy corner,” which is dotted with small stores, a minibus taxi station, a high school, and the Grassy Park library, serves as the suburb’s hub.
The Stables Craft and Culture Center, a worthwhile tourist attraction on Prince George Drive, is located in Grassy Park. It is a large branch of the SPCA that is tucked away just behind the cemetery on the corner of 1st Avenue and First Road, where you can adopt an animal or take the odd tortoise that wanders into your garden.
The Rondevlei Nature Reserve, a bird refuge, is located in the area as well. This 2 km2 is home to over 230 bird species, several animals, and reptiles. A path that leads along the water’s edge leads to six bird hides. A great place to visit first thing in the morning if you want to possibly see a few hippos.