Cape Town, South Africa: The Mother City
Cape Town's Victoria-Albert Harbor. Sue Frause photo.
With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, I wondered if there was a town called Mother. Or even Mom.
Well, there’s not, but it turns out that Cape Town, South Africa is often affectionately referred to as the Mother City.
When I visited the second largest city in South Africa on a trip to Africa in 2006, I never once heard that expression. The funny explanation is that it takes nine months to get anything done in Cape Town. Sort of like island time. Others say it’s because Table Mountain, the stunning backdrop to the city, looks like a mother lying down.
An article in The Washington Post gives the explanation that “it’s where Dutch explorers founded the first European colony on Africa’s southern tip.” And a Cape Town helicopter touring company gives this explanation.
The big news in this part of the world is the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, held in nine host cities across South Africa from June 11-July 11, 2010. Better known as the mother of all soccer tournaments.
The perfect event for soccer moms.
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Cape Town is called the Mother City because this is where the Dutch first landed and it is the oldest City in the country.
Capetonians rarely refer to their city as “the Mother City” in speech but often do so in writing. I don’t know why that is. When we talk about the city it’s almost always referred to as “Cape Town”. The exception being if we talk about going to the city from e.g. the suburbs. Then we’d say, “I’m going to Town”. No matter where you’re leaving from, everyone will know you mean Cape Town and not another neighbouring town.