South Africa's Post-Apartheid Gay Village: A Victim of its Own Success?

The abolition of apartheid and the new liberal and historic South African Constitution of 1996 led to a unique phenomenon on the African continent, a 'self-styled' gay village in Cape Town's De Waterkant neighbourhood. Africa's only gay village became a safe space for gay travellers and locals alike and remains, to this day, one of the most salient factors attracting gay travellers to Cape Town. Despite evidence suggesting that De Waterkant, as is the case with most urban gay villages in the Western world, is transforming into a 'de-gayed' district, it is still being used as a strategic marketing tool to attract tourists. This creates a challenge for the local tourism industry, as gay tourism has become a vital aspect to Cape Town's tourist economy. Questions are posed as to why De Waterkant is seemingly following the example of a Western trend. In a non-Western context, the 'de-gaying' of Africa's only gay village cannot be entirely due to a lesser need for gay-dedicated spaces in a post-gay era of gay rights as currently communicated in Western discourse. This logic seems parochial as it obscures the day-to-day experiences of violence and discrimination still faced by many in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent. The narratives of six remaining gay business owners in the gay village is used to explore how De Waterkant became a victim of its own success, and suggests that Western theorisation of the 'de-gaying' of gay villages is not universally applicable, as certain factors contributing to its decline appears to be location-specific. A central conclusion is that the longevity of De Waterkant as a gay village seems threatened by continuous development pressures, which may be detrimental to Cape Town's reputation as a gay capital and its ability to attract certain gay travellers.