Cape Malays

The Cape Malays are a group of people who can claim descent from slaves brought to South Africa from Indonesia starting from 1667. They are predominantly found in the Western Cape. The slaves were Muslim resistors to Dutch imperialism and anti-Islamic persecution exiled into slavery. The Malays brought Islam to South Africa as well their own culture, foods, and words. These are still apparant today in South Africa. Foods such as brodie, bobotie, and sosaties are stapes in many South African homes.

It is estimated that there are about 166,000 Malays in Cape Town with about 10,000 in Johannesburg. The Malay Quarter of Cape Town is found on Signal Hill. Many Cape Malays also lived in District Six before it was demolished.