Clive Cupido Memorial Park

I support the proposed renaming of Eendrag Park to Clive Cupido Memorial Park. Clive Cupido was one of many young people whose lives were cut short during the violent repression of the apartheid era, and acknowledging his name in the public space of Bellville South is an important step in recognising the lived history of the community.

However, this proposal must also be understood within a broader concern about how history is remembered in the City of Cape Town. More than thirty years into democracy, the city’s public landscape remains overwhelmingly Eurocentric. Statues, monuments and major memorial spaces still largely reflect colonial and European histories, while many of the people who resisted apartheid or shaped the early history of the Cape remain marginal in the public imagination.

For example, there is still no major public monument to Autshumayo, one of the earliest known Khoi leaders to challenge colonial authority at the Cape. Similarly, many anti-apartheid events and sacrifices from Cape communities are remembered only through small plaques rather than meaningful memorial spaces where people can gather, learn and engage with the past.

The tragic events of the Trojan Horse killings in 1985 — where apartheid security forces used a concealed police operation that resulted in the deaths of young activists — remain one of the most painful chapters in the history of the Cape Flats. Yet the way these events are commemorated is often minimal and understated compared to the scale of the sacrifice and trauma experienced by the communities.

If the City proceeds with the renaming of Eendrag Park, it should also consider developing the site into a meaningful memorial space rather than simply a name change. This could include historical information, community art, or a monument that allows residents, especially young people, to understand the story behind the name.

Renaming places is important, but remembrance should go further than plaques or symbolic gestures. Our communities deserve visible and dignified memorials that recognise the full depth of our history — from the earliest resistance at the Cape to the sacrifices made during the struggle against apartheid.

Honouring Clive Cupido should therefore be part of a broader effort to restore balance to the historical landscape of Cape Town and to ensure that the stories of our communities are preserved for future generations.