Grassy Park is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town set on the Cape flats, just east of the M5 and the Princess Vlei, and closest to the suburbs of Ottery and Lotus River. Grassy Park derived its name from its original landscape, which was characterized by sandy dunes, wetlands, and extensive grassy areas before it was developed in the early 1900's. Today it's a thriving, colourful community, where Christian and Muslim live alongside one another, and 'busy corner', on Victoria Road, functions as the heart of the suburb, lined with little shops, a minibus taxi station, a high school and the Grassy Park library.
Not only will you find a large branch of the SPCA here (LINK SUPPLIED IN FURTHER READING). This animal shelter is tucked just behind the graveyard on the corner of 1st Avenue and First Road, where you can adopt an animal or take the odd tortoise who happens to wander into your garden, but Grassy Park is also home to the Stables Craft and Culture Centre, an income-generating project worth a visit on Prince George Drive.
Also in Grassy Park is the bird sanctuary, Rondevlei Nature Reserve. Over 230 bird species as well as a series of mammals and reptiles make this 2km² their home. Six bird hides lead off a pathway that takes one along the water's edge. "A great spot to which to head first thing in the morning, if you want to perhaps sight a hippo or two."
Grassy Park is one of the southern suburbs of Cape Town set on the Cape Flats, just east of the M5 and the Princess Vlei, and closest to the suburbs of Ottery and Lotus River. Historically the suburb has been around a long time, emerging initially on part of the farm Montagu's Gift, north of Zeekoevlei, in the early 1900s. In those days this was all rural farm land but by 1920 there were already 2000 people living here.
During the 1960's the suburb emerged as Grassy Park, a coloured township originally known as: 'Koek se bos' which is Afrikaans for-Cook's bush. Coloured people, under Apartheid, were forcibly removed from 'white areas' of Cape Town and given homes in 'coloured' communities like Grassy Park.
A few years ago the Masjid Ahmediyah Mosque (as seen in photo) received a major revamp and a much used hall was added including, some extension to the floor space. The hall section has a commercial section which generates income for the masjid. The mosque offers madressa classes, Urdu and has several talks on current issues. All prayers are conducted, including Friday congregational prayers.
Grassy Park unfortunately bears a disproportionate burden of gang-related violent crime. The concentration of gang violence has eroded the ability of local government – including education, social services, housing and healthcare, as well as policing and the criminal justice system – to function effectively. A concentration of effort in response to gang violence, coordinated among different branches of government, is needed in Grassy Park and similar areas – other 'concentrations of violence' – to break this vicious cycle.
History of Grassy Park Parish
The history of Grassy Park Parish goes back to August 1925 when the Redemptorist priest, Fr John Charlton realized a need and asked the Holy Family Sisters in Sea Point for nurses to care for the poor and sick of the area. Three months later their weekly visits started and operated from a shed in Victoria Road opposite where the mosque now stands. A year later they bought a property, including a cottage, between 7th and 8th Avenues in Victoria Road, for 375 pounds. They continued their weekly visits and Holy Mass was celebrated once a month in a room of the cottage. In 1928 a clinic was built on the site and also was used as a chapel. The following year there were two residential priests Fr. Hughes, serving Retreat and Tokai, and Fr. Ord serving Grassy Park. In the following years the area gradually built-up parish life. The Carmelite nuns in the Cape Town area are cloistered and dedicated to a life of prayer and solitude. The Carmelite Family (nuns, priests, and secular members), in Cape Town actively participate in the local archdiocese, including marking events like the 500th anniversary of St. Teresa of Avila, in 2025. (links available in FURTHER READING)