About Claremont Histories
This is a collection of stories as told by ex-residents of Harfield Village & Claremont.
The stories tell of a time before the forced removals in Harfield & Claremont under the Apartheid-regime's Group Areas Act & have been collected & published here with permission from all those quoted.
The person who runs this site became interested in these histories after moving to Harfield Village & finding herself solidly placed in the altered landscape formerly occupied by the displaced people of Claremont (as the entire Harfield area was & is often referred to). She had heard stories from her own father who had been forcibly removed in the 70s & these accounts became suddenly more vivid & more important as she matured enough to consider the loss experienced by those who were evicted.
All stories should be shared. Those of the members of Harfield are among the most fascinating, heart-warming, colourful & complex. Many of these of them already been lost over time & this site was set up in the hope that those which can still be collected, will be.
You may experience some pain while reading them, because what happened in South Africa was as atrocious & inhumane as you can imagine it to be. But it is hoped that you will also experience much joy while reading them, too, because that is how so many people of Harfield remember it: a time of happiness, cultural diversity, simple pleasures, and generosity.
If you are an ex-Claremont resident & would like to share your story, please make contact via the contact form. It would be wonderful to share your experiences here.
Read more about the history of Claremont & Harfield here.
The stories tell of a time before the forced removals in Harfield & Claremont under the Apartheid-regime's Group Areas Act & have been collected & published here with permission from all those quoted.
The person who runs this site became interested in these histories after moving to Harfield Village & finding herself solidly placed in the altered landscape formerly occupied by the displaced people of Claremont (as the entire Harfield area was & is often referred to). She had heard stories from her own father who had been forcibly removed in the 70s & these accounts became suddenly more vivid & more important as she matured enough to consider the loss experienced by those who were evicted.
All stories should be shared. Those of the members of Harfield are among the most fascinating, heart-warming, colourful & complex. Many of these of them already been lost over time & this site was set up in the hope that those which can still be collected, will be.
You may experience some pain while reading them, because what happened in South Africa was as atrocious & inhumane as you can imagine it to be. But it is hoped that you will also experience much joy while reading them, too, because that is how so many people of Harfield remember it: a time of happiness, cultural diversity, simple pleasures, and generosity.
If you are an ex-Claremont resident & would like to share your story, please make contact via the contact form. It would be wonderful to share your experiences here.
Read more about the history of Claremont & Harfield here.
