34-538: The Heidelberg Tavern massacre occurred in Observatory, Cape Town on 30 December 1993. Three Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA) terrorists entered the Heidelberg Tavern and opened fire on the crowd, killing four students and the owner of an adjacent restaurant who went outside to investigate the sounds of gunfire. An unexploded bomb (with nails strapped to it) was found in the restaurant, close to
68-517: A coup against then commander, Potlako Leballo in Dar es Salaam . This was prevented by LLA soldiers, a move which exacerbated tensions within two PAC factions, the "Diplomat-Reformist" (DR) and "Maoist-Revolutionary" (MR) factions. Vusumzi Make 's appointment as Leballo's successor sparked a mutiny at Chunya , an APLA camp in Tanzania, on 11 March 1980, during which several APLA forces were killed and
102-457: A 95-year-old bottle store, Observatory Liquors, situated in the middle. There is also a shopping complex in St. Peter's square, which is located opposite Groote Schuur graveyard. Observatory is home to many churches. The Anglican parish church of St Michael and All Angels, designed by Sir Herbert Baker and the only one of his churches completed to his design, is a bastion of Anglo-Catholicism within
136-464: A massive revolt for 8 April 1963, but Basotholand police managed to track down and raid the PAC's headquarters, seizing a complete list of Poqo members. In the following government crackdown, nearly 2000 Poqo members were sent to prison, almost wiping out the entire organization. Consequently Poqo ceased to be an important participant in the anti-Apartheid struggle during the remainder of the 1960s. In 1968,
170-591: A site they consider sacred. Construction is currently halted due to fears of displacement, as well as concerns over Amazon's business practices. Azanian People%27s Liberation Army The Azanian People's Liberation Army ( APLA ), formerly known as Poqo , was the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress , an African nationalist movement in South Africa . In the Xhosa language ,
204-745: Is being turned into an expansive complex with residences, shops, a hotel, conference centre and a business park . It is expected to become the African headquarters for Amazon , which hopes to base its expanding operations in Africa. However, in May 2022, a court in Cape Town upheld a judgment in March which stopped work on the sprawling complex until further consultations had taken place with groups representing Indigenous Khoisan communities, who object to building on
238-805: Is housed at the River Club. There are several civic organisations in the suburb. The longest serving is the Observatory Civics Association (OCA) that liaises between the local residents, NGOs, businesses and the City of Cape Town . The Observatory Civics Association is a member of the Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance . The OCA worked with the City of Cape Town to upgrade the Village Green and relocate
272-582: Is the location for much of the short-term accommodation used by increasing numbers of international students attending UCT . The suburb's proximity to the University of Cape Town (UCT) and its medical school in particular, has always made it popular with both students and faculty. Observatory has long been a vibrant area, as a result of its high proportion of students. There are numerous restaurants and bars, and many neighbourhood staples. Most restaurants and retail shops are located along Lower Main road with
306-758: The Dutch East India Company along the Liesbeeck River valley. The then governor of the Cape, Jan van Riebeek , decreed that a fortified building called "Fort Coornhoop" be built as one of several small forts to protect against the Khoikhoi . Part of what was developed as Koornhoop became Uitwyk, which is now known as Malta Farm. The name is derived from the location and construction of the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope in
340-655: The South African Astronomical Observatory headquarters, built in 1829 by the Royal Observatory. Observatory is situated on the north-facing lower slopes of Devil's Peak. The slope runs into the Liesbeeck River and, as such, much of present-day lower Observatory was a marshy estuary formed by the rivers, where buffalo, hippo, elephant, zebra, jackals, antelope, lions and leopards were once prevalent. The Raapenberg Bird Sanctuary protects 10 hectares (25 acres) of land along
374-616: The South African Communist Party to have been. The result was the formation of a small Maoist faction within the APLA that contrasted the strong anti-communist currents within the PAC as a whole. However, the organization's ties with China were short-lived and the pro-Chinese members were soon after purged from the group. After the Soweto uprising in 1976, a number of students went into exile in APLA camps elsewhere on
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#1732787304208408-748: The Western Cape on 22 November 1962, when a crowd of over 200 people armed with axes, pangas and other home-made weapons marched from the Mbekweni township into Paarl and attacked the police station, homes and shops. Two white residents, Frans Richard and Rencia Vermeulen were killed. This attack was followed by the murder of a family camping at Bashee River in the Transkei on 4 February 1963. Norman and Elizabeth Grobbelaar, their teenage daughters Edna and Dawn, together with Mr Derek Thompson, were hacked to death in their caravans. Leballo had planned
442-463: The African continent. In 1976, APLA received 500 recruits, including 178 Basotho , for a new Lesotho Liberation Army (LLA), to be formed as an offshoot of the exiled- Basutoland Congress Party under the leadership of Matooane Mapefane , who was a senior instructor of APLA in Libya. Ntantala's original group of 70 APLA soldiers felt threatened by the influx of new recruits, leading Ntantala to attempt
476-489: The Anglican community of South Africa and has a strong choral tradition. Observatory has a soccer and hockey stadium below the station, Hartleyvale Stadium which is flanked on one side by Liesbeeck Parkway and on the other by Willow Road. In this section of land, there is also an outdoor swimming pool that is popular on summer afternoons – between the two there's a circus school. A driving range and nine-hole golf course
510-755: The Free State and Eastern Cape provinces resulting in a number of farm deaths. Attacks would later expand to urban civilian targets such as churches, hotels and drinking establishments. The APLA’s chief commander, Sabelo Phama , declared that he "would aim his guns at children - to hurt whites where it hurts most." Phama proclaimed 1993 as "The Year of the Great Storm" and sanctioned the following attacks on civilians: In total thirty-two applications were received for attacks on civilians. In these incidents, 24 people were killed and 122 seriously injured. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded that
544-708: The Heidelberg Massacre. On 16 July 1998, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission granted the three amnesty. It continues to be a somewhat alternative part of town, with 'New Age' stores including an anarchist store, and several programmes at the Observatory Community Centre. It is served by Observatory railway station on the Southern Line , with regular trains every 40 minutes or so, and every hour on Sunday. Observatory
578-538: The Heidelberg Massacre. On 16 July 1998, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission granted the three amnesty. Killed: Injured: Observatory, Cape Town Observatory is a suburb in Cape Town , South Africa , colloquially known as Obs . Bordered by Mowbray to the south and Salt River to the northwest, the area is best known as a student neighbourhood associated with the nearby University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital . It takes its name from
612-703: The Liesbeek River. In 1510, the area was the scene of a raid by the Portuguese, led by Francisco de Almeida , on a Goringhaiqua Khoikhoi village, which ultimately led to the death of de Almeida and approximately sixty of his compatriots during the Battle of Salt River . Modern-day Observatory traces its origins to the Koornhoop Colony land grant issued in 1657. Between February 1657 and February 1658, fourteen free burghers were granted land by
646-666: The MR faction's concept of the guerrilla as a social reformer and instead adopted an ultimately disastrous rallying cry of " One Settler, One Bullet ". In the 1990–94 period, the organisation became known for its attacks on civilians despite the progress in negotiations at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa . In 1991 APLA launched Operation Great Storm, a violent paramilitary campaign aimed at displacing white farmers to reclaim land for black Africans and obtaining arms and funding. Initially APLA attacked and robbed farmsteads in
680-463: The PAC-sanctioned action directed towards white South Africans were "gross violations of human rights for which the PAC and APLA leadership are held to be morally and politically responsible and accountable" . In April 1992, PAC President Clarence Makwetu declared during the PAC's Annual Congress that his party would now not oppose participation in the multi-racial negotiations to end
714-582: The Poqo was renamed APLA and unsuccessfully attempted to form diplomatic and political ties to foreign states and movements. It received some support from China, which attempted to shift the group toward Maoism . PAC leaders, who had been vehemently anti-communist , nevertheless accepted the aid by attempting to rationalize it as being due to the fact that the Chinese were "non-white" and that their value system had not been "tainted by European thought" as they deemed
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#1732787304208748-657: The World War II memorial from the N2 . In November 2009, the Observatory Improvement District was launched to enhance the suburb with better security and maintenance. The Observatory Improvement District covers almost all of Observatory below Main Road. In 2010, walking and cycle paths were established on the western side of the Liesbeek River. There are two birdwatching hides on the river, one in
782-626: The apartheid . In spite of their failure to achieve their goals at the negotiations, the PAC decided to participate in the 1994 elections , and PAC leader Clarence Makwetu ordered APLA to end its armed struggle. In 1994, APLA was disbanded and absorbed into the new South African National Defence Force , although members of the MR-faction refused to accept this agreement. Attempts by MR officers to regroup in Vietnam , North Korea , and China were unsuccessful, although links were maintained with
816-640: The area at 33°56′7.13″S 18°28′38.47″E / 33.9353139°S 18.4773528°E / -33.9353139; 18.4773528 ( SAAO ) in 1820. The Royal Observatory in Observatory, Cape Town, houses the McClean Telescope. The building was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and was completed in 1897. The original buildings now serve as the headquarters of the South African Astronomical Observatory , with an on-site museum exhibiting various historic instruments and telescopes. During
850-636: The defunct name "Poqo", which means pure in Xhosa, a local South African language, as the armed wing of the PAC. Its new name was derived from Azania , the ancient Greek name for Southern Africa. The name Azania has been applied to various parts of southeastern tropical Africa . In the Roman period and perhaps earlier, the toponym referred to a portion of the Southeast African coast extending from Kenya , to perhaps as far south as Tanzania . Poqo
884-588: The grounds of the South African Observatory, and one in the grounds of the River Club. Beyond the astronomical observatory is Valkenberg psychiatric hospital , a Victorian heritage building that has recently undergone extensive renovations. Valkenberg houses the mentally ill in secure accommodation, as well as providing out patient care. Beyond Valkenberg is a small hotel, and the Wild Fig restaurant. The Groote Schuur Hospital looms over
918-547: The main entrance. During the years of apartheid , Observatory was one of the few de facto "grey" suburbs where all races lived together. On the evening of 30 December 1993, three men entered a popular student venue on Station Road, called the Heidelberg Tavern and opened fire, killing four people and injuring five. The three APLA operatives – Humphrey Luyanda Gqomfa, Vuyisile Brian Madasi and Zola Prince Mabala – were convicted in November 1994 for what became known as
952-453: The rest further factionalised and confined to different camps; many escaped to Kenya. Leballo himself relocated to Zimbabwe in late 1980 along with senior intelligence and air force personnel from the MR faction. Pressure from Tanzania, however, resulted in his deportation in May–June 1981, as well as the deportation or imprisonment of the others. Make was replaced by John Nyathi Pokela (who
986-602: The suburb, and is the hospital where Professor Chris Barnard performed the world's first heart transplant , on 3 December 1967. This event is the theme of the Heart of Cape Town Museum , located at the hospital. As with most of South African urban spaces, crime is a problem, with burglary and muggings. In the past decade there were several murders, however security has now improved with active local civic participation. A pioneering community security organisation, Obs Watch, ran bicycle patrols for years, but became defunct. In 2006 this
1020-691: The word 'Poqo' means 'pure'. After attacks on and the murder of several white families the APLA was subsequently classified as a terrorist organisation by the South African National government and the United States, and banned. APLA was disbanded and integrated into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in June 1994. In 1968 the "Azanian People's Liberation Army" (or APLA) replaced
1054-452: The years of apartheid , Observatory was one of the few de facto 'grey' suburbs where all races lived together. On the evening of 30 December 1993, three men entered a popular student venue on Station Road, called the Heidelberg Tavern and opened fire, killing four people and injuring five. The three APLA operatives – Humphrey Luyanda Gqomfa, Vuyisile Brian Madasi and Zola Prince Mabala – were convicted in November 1994 for what became known as
Heidelberg Tavern massacre - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-547: Was formally replaced by the Observatory Neighbourhood Watch , and this intervention has made a significant impact on cleansing and safety in the suburb. Large CCTV cameras have been erected at most of the exits and entrances to Obs. In 2021, Amazon announced that it would be the main tenant and investor in a 15 hectares (37 acres) site in Cape Town along the Salt , Black and Liesbeek Rivers that
1122-527: Was founded in 1961 following the massacre of PAC-led protestors at the hands of police outside the Sharpeville police station the previous year. Potlako Leballo , the chairman of the PAC at the time of the formation of its military wing in the 1960s, modelled APLA on the Chinese People's Liberation Army , with Templeton Ntantala as his deputy. Members of Poqo targeted the town of Paarl in
1156-595: Was released from Robben Island in 1980), but his ineffectual term of office was marred by further mutinies, executions and assassinations. Following Pokela’s death, Leballo made a comeback through support from Libya, North Korea and Ghana. After his sudden death in January 1986, the DR faction, outmaneuvered by the ANC, fell into disarray leaving behind the legacy of a semi-national socialist political front. After 1986, APLA rejected
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