Editing Rondebosch

{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Rondebosch
| image_skyline           = {{multiple image
  | total_width            = 280
  | border                 = infobox
  | perrow                 = 2/2/1
  | caption_align          = center
  | image1                 = Restored_Rondebosch_Fountain.jpg
  | alt1                   = Rondebosch Fountain
  | caption1               = [[Rondebosch Fountain]]
  | image2                 = Cecil_Rhodes_Memorial_Elevated_View_2B_(cropped,_edited).jpg
  | alt2                   = Rhodes Memorial
  | caption2               = [[Rhodes Memorial]]
  | image3                 = UCT Upper Campus landscape view.jpg
  | alt3                   = University of Cape Town
  | caption3               = [[University of Cape Town]]
  | image4                 = Keurboom Park 2022 2.jpg
  | alt4                   = Keurboom Park
  | caption4               = [[Keurboom Park]]
  | image5                 = Devils Peak with University of Cape Town seen across Rondebosch Common.jpg
  | alt5                   = Rondebosch Common
  | caption5               = [[Rondebosch Common]]
  }}
| image_caption           = 
| pushpin_map             = 
| image_map               = {{Infobox mapframe }}
| coordinates             = {{coord|33|57|48|S|18|28|35|E|region:ZA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type        = [[Country]]
| subdivision_name        = [[South Africa]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Provinces of South Africa|Province]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Western Cape]]
| subdivision_type2       = District
| subdivision_type3       = [[List of municipalities of South Africa|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name3       = [[City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality|City of Cape Town]]
| subdivision_type4       = Main Place
| subdivision_name4       = [[Cape Town]]
| established_title       = Established
| leader_title            = Councillor
| area_footnotes          = <ref name="census2011">{{cite web |url=http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/199041030 |title = Sub Place Rondebosch |work=Census 2011}}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = 6.42
| population_footnotes    = <ref name="census2011" />
| population_total        = 14591
| population_as_of        = 2011
| population_density_km2  = auto
<!-- demographics (section 1) -->
| demographics_type1      = Racial makeup (2011)
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" />
| demographics1_title1    = [[Bantu peoples of South Africa|Black African]]
| demographics1_info1     = 16.5%
| demographics1_title2    = [[Coloureds|Coloured]]
| demographics1_info2     = 9.6%
| demographics1_title3    = [[Indian South African|Indian]]/[[Asian South African|Asian]]
| demographics1_info3     = 6.1%
| demographics1_title4    = [[White South African|White]]
| demographics1_info4     = 62.7%
| demographics1_title5    = Other
| demographics1_info5     = 5.0%
<!-- demographics (section 2) -->
| demographics_type2      = [[First language]]s (2011)
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" />
| demographics2_title1    = [[English language|English]]
| demographics2_info1     = 84.3%
| demographics2_title2    = [[Afrikaans]]
| demographics2_info2     = 7.6%
| demographics2_title3    = [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]]
| demographics2_info3     = 1.8%
| demographics2_title4    = 
| demographics2_info4     = 
| demographics2_title5    = Other
| demographics2_info5     = 6.3%
<!-- blank fields (section 2) -->
<!-- Other information -->
| timezone1               = [[South African Standard Time|SAST]]
| utc_offset1             = +2
| postal_code_type        = [[List of postal codes in South Africa|Postal code]] (street)
| postal_code             = 7700
| postal2_code_type       = [[Post-office box|PO box]]
| postal2_code            = 7701
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in South Africa|Area code]]
| area_code               = (021) 685/686
}}
'''Rondebosch''' is one of the [[Southern Suburbs, Cape Town|Southern Suburbs]] of [[Cape Town]], [[South Africa]]. It is primarily a residential suburb, with shopping and business districts as well as the main campus of the [[University of Cape Town]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Rondebosch {{!}} South African History Online |url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/place/rondebosch |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=www.sahistory.org.za}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Charles Michell04.jpg|thumb|Rondebosch Church, 1830s.]]
[[File:The Free Burghers Settlement.jpg|thumb|A map of the first farms granted to free burghers by the VOC in 1650s mentioning the farm of "Ronde Bosje" from which Rondebosch got its name.]]
Four years after the first Dutch settlement at the Cape in 1652, the first experimental crops were grown along the banks of the [[Liesbeek River]] (at that stage called the Amstel or Versse Rivier).{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} In October 1656, [[Jan van Riebeeck]] visited Rondeboschyn, whose name derived from a contraction of "''Ronde Doorn Bossien''," referring to a circular grove of thorn trees growing on the banks of the Liesbeek River.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite web | title=Rustenburg Schools' Birthday Party | via =Issuu | date=2014 |work =RGHS Magazine | url=https://issuu.com/rghs/docs/rghs_2014_complete_reduced/s/10518645 | access-date=10 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Brodie | first=N. | title=The Cape Town Book: A Guide to the City's History, People and Places | publisher=Penguin Random House South Africa | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-920545-99-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hQ9bDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT260 | access-date=10 April 2022 | page=260}}</ref> By 1670 the area's name had been shortened to "''Rondeboschje''" in the [[Dutch East India Company]]'s (VOC) records.

In 1657, the first group of VOC employees gained [[Free Burghers in the Dutch Cape Colony|free burgher]] status, four of whom were granted land along the river and founded "[[Free Burghers in the Dutch Cape Colony#Stephen’s Colony|Stephen's Colony]]" in the area now known as Rondebosch.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Free Burghers in the Cape, South Africa |url=https://southafrica.co.za/free-burghers-cape.html |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=southafrica.co.za}}</ref> The first permanent title of land in southern Africa was issued, by Van Riebeeck, to the four free burghers of Rondebosch.<ref name=":1" />

The area only obtained recognition as a separate village or area of Cape Town after the 1830s.<ref name=":1" /> In 1864 the area was [[Rondebosch railway station|connected by railway]] upon the competition of the Cape Town to Wynberg line.<ref name="hrasa">{{cite web |date=October 2009 |title=South Africa commemorates 150 years of rail |url=http://hrasa.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=42 |access-date=25 July 2010 |publisher=Heritage Railway Association of Southern Africa}}</ref> By the time of the [[1875 Cape census|1875 census]] Rondebosch had a recorded population of 1,902 residents. The [[1891 Cape census|1891 census]] recorded a population of 3,378, and by the time of the [[1904 Cape census]] the area had a total population of 6,035, of whom 4,312 were recorded as being literate.<ref name=":1" />

One of Cape Town's first municipal electricity stations was built in 1892 to supply power to the Rondebosch area, replacing the old [[Gas lighting|oil street lamps]] with electric ones.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-24 |title=The early years - Heritage |url=https://www.eskom.co.za/heritage/the-early-years/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=www.eskom.co.za |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 4 May 1990 the '[[Groote Schuur Minute]]’ was co-signed in Rondebosch by the then leader of the [[African National Congress]], Nelson Mandela, and then [[State President of South Africa]], FW de Klerk, as a commitment to a peaceful negotiation process to end Apartheid. Thereby starting the process to peacefully transition to South Africa's modern democracy.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Groote Schuur Minute 4 May 1990 - The O'Malley Archives |url=https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/site/q/03lv02039/04lv02103/05lv02104/06lv02106.htm |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=omalley.nelsonmandela.org}}</ref>

==Geography==
Rondebosch lies between the slopes of [[Devil's Peak (Cape Town)|Devil's Peak]] in the west and the [[M5 (Cape Town)|M5]] freeway in the east; it is one of the [[Southern Suburbs, Cape Town|Southern Suburbs]] of Cape Town, which lie along the eastern slope of the [[Table Mountain]] massif. The suburb's western border with the [[Table Mountain National Park]] is defined by the [[M3 (Cape Town)|M3]] freeway. To the north are the suburbs of [[Rosebank, Cape Town|Rosebank]] and [[Mowbray, Cape Town|Mowbray]], while to the south are [[Newlands, Cape Town|Newlands]] and [[Claremont, Cape Town|Claremont]]. The eastern border of Rondebosch is the M5 freeway; beyond the freeway are Sybrand Park, [[Athlone, Cape Town|Athlone]] and [[Rondebosch East]].

The [[Southern Line (Cape Town)|Southern Line]] railway divides Rondebosch in two; the only road within Rondebosch that crosses the railway is the Belmont Road bridge. Main Road (the M4) runs north-south through the area west of the railway, while Campground Road runs in the same direction east of the railway. The third north-south through route is Milner Road, further east close to the M5.

The area around the intersection of Main Road and Belmont Road is Rondebosch's main commercial area, with several small shopping malls and two supermarkets. Also located in this area is [[Rondebosch railway station]], which is the main public transport facility in the suburb. A smaller commercial area lies just to the east on the corner of Belmont and Campground Roads; there is also a row of shops along Belvedere Road in the southeastern part of the suburb. The rest of the suburb is used for educational and residential purposes, with the residential areas being generally denser further to the west where the influence of the [[University of Cape Town]] is felt.

Two canalised streams run from the slopes of Table Mountain through Rondebosch; the [[Liesbeeck River]] runs northwards between Main Road and the railway, while the [[Black River (Cape Town)|Black River]] runs in a northeasterly direction through the eastern part of the suburb. The terrain is generally flat east of the railway line, while to the west it slopes upwards towards Devil's Peak.

The flower ''[[Erica turgida]],'' was endemic in area between Rondebosch, [[Kenilworth, Cape Town|Kenilworth]] and [[Wynberg, Cape Town|Wynberg]] before becoming extinct in the wild.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Erica turgida |url=https://pza.sanbi.org/erica-turgida |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=pza.sanbi.org |publisher=PlantZAfrica}}</ref>

===Landmarks===
On the slopes of Devil's Peak above Rondebosch is the main campus of the [[University of Cape Town]].
[[File:9 2 111 0110-The Woolsack-Rondebosch-Wynberg-s.jpg|thumb|"The Woolsack," a house now owned by the University of Cape Town where [[Rudyard Kipling]] used to stay when visiting Cape Town in the 1890s and 1900s. ]]
The historic [[Groote Schuur]] estate in Rondebosch includes presidential and ministerial residences with Cape Dutch origins. The [[Groote Schuur]] building is the biggest, rebuilt by [[Cecil Rhodes]] according to a design by [[Herbert Baker]] after a fire in 1896.  The presidential residence, [[Genadendal Residence|Genadendal]] (formerly Westbrooke), also dates back to Cape Dutch times. "The Woolsack" is a historic house within the grounds of the University of Cape Town that is now used as student housing. Previously part of Cecil Rhodes's estate at Groote Schuur, it was frequently used by the famous British poet and author [[Rudyard Kipling|Ruyard Kipling]] when he used to visit Cape Town for his winter holidays between 1898 and 1908.<ref name="autobio">{{cite web |last=Kipling |first=Rudyard |year=1935 |title=''Something of Myself'' |url=http://ghostwolf.dyndns.org/words/authors/K/KiplingRudyard/prose/SomethingOfMyself/index.html |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223004314/http://ghostwolf.dyndns.org/words/authors/K/KiplingRudyard/prose/SomethingOfMyself/index.html |archive-date=23 February 2014 |access-date=6 September 2008}}</ref>

The home of [[Simon van der Stel]] (first governor of the [[Cape Colony]]) is now part of [[Rustenburg Junior School]]. This building dates back to the 17th century, although it has undergone many alterations over the years. Its summer house, dating from 1760, remains as a monument just below the university.  Other historic buildings in the area include the Rondebosch Town Hall, now occupied by the [[Rondebosch Library]], and St. Paul's Church, which was designed by [[Charles Collier Michell]].

[[Rondebosch Common]], once a military campground, is a national monument and an important [[fynbos]] conservation area.

The [[Baxter Theatre]] in Rondebosch is Cape Town's second biggest theatre complex, after the [[Artscape Theatre Centre]] in the city centre.

==== Rondebosch Fountain ====
[[File:The_Fountain_Rondebosch_by_TD_Ravenscroft.png|thumb|A street scene of Main Road Rondebosch in 1900.  The recently installed Rondebosch Fountain can be seen to the left in the foreground.]]
{{Main|Rondebosch Fountain}}
The historic centre of Rondebosch is the Main Road, with the Victorian cast iron [[Rondebosch Fountain]] being a historic landmark. Originally known as the Moodie Fountain, it was one of South Africa's first electric streetlights.  It was built by the [[Saracen Foundry]] in Glasgow and presented to the community by George Moodie as a gift in 1891.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sahra.org.za/sahris/sites/921110036|title=9/2/111/0036 {{!}} SAHRA|website=www.sahra.org.za|access-date=2018-12-22|archive-date=2018-12-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181222174553/https://www.sahra.org.za/sahris/sites/921110036|url-status=dead}}</ref> The lamp was first turned on, on 25 April 1892 and was initially powered by Moodie's private power plant until a municipal power plant on the Liesbeeck River was completed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://heritage.eskom.co.za/electricity_in_south_africa.htm|title=Eskom Heritage: FIRST CENTRAL POWER STATION - 1891|website=Eskom|access-date=21 December 2018|archive-date=31 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231134905/http://heritage.eskom.co.za/electricity_in_south_africa.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The fountain was destroyed in a road accident in 2015<ref>{{cite web |date=24 August 2018 |title=Project to reproduce landmark Rondebosch fountain almost complete |url=http://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/316692/in-pics-project-to-reproduce-landmark-rondebosch-fountain-almost-complete |publisher=CapeTalk}}</ref> and rebuilt in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=FORD |first=WESLEY |date=2020-10-01 |title=Rondebosch fountain restored |url=https://www.southernsuburbstatler.co.za/news/rondebosch-fountain-restored |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Southern Suburbs Tatler |language=en-ZA}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
Rondebosch is in the [[City of Cape Town]] municipality, within the Protea Sub-Council (Sub-Council 20). The eastern part of the suburb is within [[electoral ward|ward]] 58 and the ward councillor is Dr Richard Hill,<ref>https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20Home/meet-the-city/city-council/find-your-councillor-ward-or-subcouncil/view-councillor?CouncillorId=8782</ref> and the western part is in ward 59 with councillor Mikhail Manuel, both members of the [[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|Democratic Alliance]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 May 2024 |title=Find your councillor, ward or subcouncil: Rondebosch |url=https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/meet-the-city/city-council/find-your-councillor-ward-or-subcouncil/lookup-search-results?SearchExecuted=1&WardSubDivisionName=Rondebosch |access-date=12 May 2024 |website=City of Cape Town}}</ref>

Rondebosch was the parliamentary seat of Sir [[De Villiers Graaff]], the leader of the opposition [[United Party (South Africa)|United Party]], and later that of [[Frederik van Zyl Slabbert]], leader of the opposition [[Progressive Federal Party]].

==Education==
{{citations needed section|date=May 2025}}
The western part of Rondebosch is dominated by the main campus of the [[University of Cape Town]]. Rondebosch is also notable for a high density of schools.  Originally the Rondebosch Town Hall the [[Rondebosch Library|Rondebosch Public Library]] is a notable landmark in the neighbourhood.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" |Schools in Rondebosch
|-
|'''Secondary or high schools'''
| [[Groote Schuur High School]] • [[Rondebosch Boys' High School]] • [[Rustenburg Girls' High School]] • [[Westerford High School]] • [[South African College Schools|South African College School (SACS)]]
|-
|'''Primary or elementary schools'''
| [[Golden Grove Primary School]] •  [[Groote Schuur Primary School]] •  Rondebosch Boys' Preparatory School •  [[Oakhurst Girls' Primary School]] •  [[Rustenburg Girls' Junior School]] •  [[Rosebank Junior School]]
|-
|'''Private schools'''
| [[Diocesan College (Bishops)]] • [[Micklefield School]] • [[Forres Preparatory School]] • [[Progress College]] • [[St. Joseph's Marist College]]
|-
|'''Other schools'''
| [[Pro-Ed House]]
|}

==Sports and recreation==
{{citations needed section|date=May 2025}}
Western Province Cricket Club is the largest sports facility in Rondebosch, catering for many different sports, including tennis and hockey. The University itself has facilities for most sports. Other facilities include Rondebosch Golf Club and Rygersdal Football Club. Next door to Rondebosch is Newlands, home to the [[Newlands Stadium]] for rugby and soccer, and [[Newlands Cricket Ground]].

Parks in Rondebosch include [[Keurboom Park]] and [[Rondebosch Park]]. [[Rondebosch Common]] is also a popular recreational park.

==Demographics==
According to the [[South African National Census of 2011|2011 census]], 14,591 people live in Rondebosch. 62.7% described themselves as "[[White South African|White]]", 16.5% as "[[Black people|Black African]]", 9.6% as "[[Coloured]]" and 6.1% as "[[Indian South Africans|Indian or Asian]]". The predominant language is English, which is the [[first language]] of 84.3% of the population. 7.6% speak [[Afrikaans]] and 1.8% speak [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]].<ref name=census2011 />

In the second half of the 20th century (1950-1991), Rondebosch was a whites-only area in terms of the [[Group Areas Act]], an [[Apartheid]] law that enforced segregation.

==Notable residents==
* [[John Bardwell Ebden]] (1787 - 1873), Cape businessman and political leader.
* [[Louise Juta]] (1821-1893), book seller and sister of [[Karl Marx]].
* [[Charles William Hutton]] (1826-1905), Cape politician.
* [[William Thorne (mayor of Cape Town)|William Thorne]] (1839-1917), businessman and Cape politician.
* [[Richard Brooke (priest)|Richard Brooke]] (1840–1926), clergyman.
* [[Thomas Muir (mathematician)|Thomas Muir]] (1844-1934), mathematician.
* [[Harriet Mason]] (1845-1932), song collector, botanical illustrator, plant collector, advocate, and author.
* [[Walter Aubrey Kidd]] (1852–1929), physician and medical and zoological author.
* [[Johannes Hendricus Meiring Beck]] (1855-1919), physician and politician.
* [[Harry Scobell]] (1859-1912), soldier.
* [[Ernest Glanville]] (1855-1925), short story writer and author.
* [[William H. Andrews (unionist)|William H. Andrews]] (1870-1950), union leader and politician.
* [[Arthur Howe-Browne]] (1881-1961), clergyman.
* [[May Edginton]] (1883-1957), novelist and play-write.
* [[Walter Michael Dickson]] (1884-1915), South African-Scottish rugby union footballer.
* [[Patric Curwen]] (1884 – 1949), actor.
* [[Harold Arthur Morris]] (1884–1977), soldier and electrical engineer.
* [[Mary Agard Pocock]] (1886-1977),South African phycologist. 
* [[Tuppy Owen-Smith]] (1909-1990), English rugby union footballer and cricketer.
* [[Gabriel de Jongh]] (1913-2004), painter.
* [[Hector Macdonald (judge)|Hector Macdonald]] (1915-2011), judge.
* [[Hazlitt Beatty]] (d.1916), railway engineer and manager at the [[Cape Government Railways]].
* [[Brian Bunting]] (1920-2008), journalist, politician and anti-apartheid activist.
* [[Hannes Fagan]] (1927-2014), South African judge.
* [[Margaret Elsworth]] (1929-2023), philanthropist.
* [[David Millard]]	(1931-1978), South African cricketer.
* [[Just Nuisance]] (1937-1944), only enlisted dog in the Royal Navy.
* [[Edward George Hudson Oliver]] (b.1938), botanist and author.
* [[J. M. Coetzee|J.M. Coetzee]] (b. 1940),<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-02-27 |title=Rondebosch and Mowbray: A Tale of Two Suburbs Shaping Cape Town's History and Culture |url=https://www.gscid.co.za/news/rondebosch-and-mowbray-a-tale-of-two-suburbs-shaping-cape-towns-history-and-culture/ |access-date=2025-04-28 |website=Groote Schuur Community Improvement District |language=en-US}}</ref> Nobel laureate, author and scholar. 
* [[Vintcent van der Bijl]] (b.1948), South African cricketer.
* [[Cameron Dugmore]] (b.1963), ANC politician.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.rondebosch-golf-club.co.za Rondebosch Golf Club]
* [http://www.wpcc.co.za Western Province Cricket Club]

{{Cape Town suburbs}}

[[Category:Rondebosch| ]]
[[Category:Suburbs of Cape Town]]