Ottery was probably established in 1904 as a residential suburb of Cape Town. The railway line from Maitland reached Ottery on 1 February 1904. It was originally built and operated as a private line, and was acquired by the Cape Government on 1 July 1908. There is an Ottery train station present and is on the Cape Flats line, which connects central Cape Town with the suburbs of Pinelands, Athlone, Lansdowne, Ottery and Retreat.
The Ottery station was built in 1904 (finished on 1 February). The line was built for private use and was acquired as government property on 1 July 1908. The Golden Arrow busses pass the Ottery centre as well, part of the Wynberg to Khayelitsha route. Minibus taxi's pass through Ottery on Ottery Road, en route to Wynberg from Lotus River and Mitchells Plain respectively. Cape Town did not experience dramatic change after the end of apartheid. Government policy ensured that Schools and Hospitals in 'white' areas mixed rapidly. But fear of a fall in 'standards' ensured a growth in private alternatives that remained 'white and wealthy'. Differentials of wealth thus maintained the old patterns. Only gradually did change became apparent. Some poorer whites moved into traditional 'coloured' areas such as Ottery and Rondebosch East. Coloureds moved into suburbs from which their parents had been displaced - Kenilworth, Mowbray, Sea Point, Wynberg, Woodstock. Some blacks moved into 'white' areas such as Thornton. Rondebosch, where there is a high concentration of students, mixed rapidly, as did the crowds of shoppers in areas like Claremont.
One person has died and a woman sustained serious burn injuries when a train caught alight in Cape Town on Wednesday. Cape Town's Fire and Rescue Services said they responded to reports of two carriages on fire on the train between Ottery and Southfield stations just after 9am. Spokesperson Theo Layne said: "One adult female sustained serious burns, three adult females minor injuries. All patients were taken to hospital. "On further investigation, Fire and Rescue located one adult, gender unknown, with fatal burns." He said arson was suspected and that the investigation had been handed over to the South African Police Service. Commuters were evacuated and the burning carriages decoupled from the rest of the train to contain the damage.
Buses were requested to operate between the Ottery and Wetton stations and the line was temporarily closed, which could last three to four hours.
By KAREN WATKINS May 30, 2018
