District Six Guesthouse

Like everyone else, Faizah remembers exactly where she was that day. “I was going to one of my jobs, in Oxford Street, when it happened. I used to go to London for a year at a time to earn enough money for my children’s university fees. I believe that was the day tourism to South Africa really took off. People were too scared to travel to the United States; they started coming to South Africa.”

Soon after September 2001 Faizah returned to Cape Town to realise a dream she had held for decades; owning the rundown building in District Six that had housed a well-known social NGO. Says Faizah, who went to school, shopped and spent much of her early years in District Six: “I used to walk past the house and tell my husband that one day I wanted to own that house. He, and other people, just told me I should stop dreaming.”

Sole survivor of the bulldozers

The house, 2 Chester Road, District Six on the upper edge of the famous district, is the only building spared by the apartheid bulldozers of the 1960s and 1970s, that is not a religious or school building. Early in its 270-year-old history, the building used to house slaves. Today it is the only place for tourists to stay in District Six.

With the help of two partners, including her brother, Faizah Hendricks restored the building to a glory it had never known in former times. It is now one of Cape Town’s most popular guesthouses, with 12 en-suite rooms, spacious communal areas and 270-degree views that take in the Table Bay, Lion’s Head and Signal Hill. Across the road is a large municipal swimming pool.

The city centre, university, schools and churches are just a few minutes’ away from this perfectly situated home from home. But what many guests remember most about 2 Chester Road is Faizah herself. “I love people and am passionate about what I do. I want our guests to enjoy the Cape Malay hospitality, and for them to relive the history of District Six, and experience the diversity of culture, nationalities and religions. ” says Faizah.

Given its size, location and reasonable rates – about R550 per room including breakfast – District Six Guesthouse is popular with groups of foreign tourists, sportsmen and government officials (the guesthouse can host conferences of up to 35). Faizah says that each group has its own requirements so she goes out of her way to accommodate them. “Even if you’re leaving at 5 o’clock there will be tea and muffins for you before you go,” says Faizah. “It’s the little things that count.”

Wonderful support

Faizah left school after Std 8 and says she’s too stuck in her ways to learn about computers. She was also a newcomer to hospitality and admits that she had a lot to learn. “Thanks to TEP I’ve been able to go on courses teaching me just about everything I need to know about tourism; HR, communications, marketing, you name it. TEP; they’ve been just wonderful. They’ve also made it possible for me to market my business in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Dubai. And they’ve arranged a mentor for me who is fantastic, who really takes an interest and who helps me with all sorts of issues.”