Heritage Project to Retrace Steps of First Filipinos in Cape Town, South Africa

Ambassador to South Africa Joseph Gerard B. Angeles, Honorary Consul General Steven Chaimowitz, and leaders of the Kalk Bay Historical Society discuss the “Manila Steps” Project in Cape Town. (Pretoria PE photo)

PRETORIA 07 June 2018 – Ambassador to South Africa Joseph Gerard B. Angeles, Honorary Consul in Cape Town Steven Chaimowitz, and leaders of the Kalk Bay Historical Society met on 03 June 2018 in Cape Town to discuss the progress of the “Manila Steps Project.”

The “Manila Steps” is a project of the Kalk Bay Historical Society, with the support of the Philippine Embassy in Pretoria, to recognize the arrival of the first Filipinos in the Cape in the mid-1800s.  Their descendants stayed in and around Kalk Bay, a small fishing village along the shores of False Bay in the Western Cape.  It is considered part of greater Cape Town.

The Steps border an old cemetery still owned by the town of Kalk Bay.  It is believed to be the burial grounds for members of the original Filipinos in Kalk Bay who were Roman Catholics.  The Filipinos then were known to the community as “Manilas,” thus the project name “Manila Steps.”

The Kalk Bay Historical Society, with the Embassy’s support, is seeking the recognition of the “Manila Steps” and the adjacent grounds as a heritage site to prevent it from falling into the hands of private developers. 

The Kalk Bay Historical Society is planning a formal ceremony in October 2018, during which a marker for the “Manila Steps” will be unveiled. The descendants and friends of the original Filipino community in Kalk Bay are expected to attend, together with government officials and members of the Kalk Bay community. END

The Manila Steps Project Site. (Pretoria PE photo)

The proposed Manila Steps Heritage Site. (Pretoria PE photo)

For more information, visit www.pretoriape.dfa.gov.ph.