How the Solomon family made a success of their restitution
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Over the past decade, VOC has been following the restitution story of the Solomon family of Cape Town, as they battled to reclaim their prime property in the leafy suburb of Constantia.
Their land, which was once a farm on Ladies Mile Road, had been forcibly removed under the Group Areas Act during the apartheid era. The farm had been their home until 1960, when 30 households were given five years to sell their homes and move out. The family ended up scattered across the Cape Flats, Grassy Park and Retreat.
But their challenges didn’t stop there. It took two decades for restitution to be completed and in a classic David versus Goliath story, the Solomon family trust faced numerous objections in the establishment of its first commercial venture on the land, the Constantia Emporium
The shopping centre finally opened its doors last Tuesday – marking the end of a very long journey and the start of a new one for the Solomon Family Trust.
Their land, which was once a farm on Ladies Mile Road, had been forcibly removed under the Group Areas Act during the apartheid era. The farm had been their home until 1960, when 30 households were given five years to sell their homes and move out. The family ended up scattered across the Cape Flats, Grassy Park and Retreat.
But their challenges didn’t stop there. It took two decades for restitution to be completed and in a classic David versus Goliath story, the Solomon family trust faced numerous objections in the establishment of its first commercial venture on the land, the Constantia Emporium
The shopping centre finally opened its doors last Tuesday – marking the end of a very long journey and the start of a new one for the Solomon Family Trust.