The Amlay House Heritage Museum in Simon’s Town continues to battle a long-standing issue with tourist buses parking directly in front of its entrance, despite repeated appeals to the City and local council for intervention. According to curator Sheribeen Amlay, the matter has persisted for years, disrupting both the museum’s operations and the daily lives of residents living upstairs.
Amlay explained that the issue began when a councillor once told his late aunt that the bus parking was “only temporary.” However, the problem has grown worse over time. “They just started printing buses, and the buses would come and park the whole area full. There is parking for the buses at Mapello Tower, but they don’t care. They just come and park here,” Amlay said.
The curator added that the situation not only affects the elderly relatives who live above the museum, due to the exhaust fumes from idling buses, but also harms tourism to the site. “The sad part is they park in front of the museum, and you’ve got so many foreigners coming here. And they don’t see the museum,” he noted.
The City of Cape Town’s Traffic Service spokesperson, Kevin Jacobs, confirmed that no official complaint has been recorded but said officers will investigate the matter.
The museum, located in the original Amlay family home, holds deep historical significance. The family was forcibly removed in 1975 when Simon’s Town was declared a whites-only area under apartheid’s Group Areas Act, an injustice that displaced over 7,000 residents from the area.
Through its exhibits, the Amlay House Heritage Museum continues to preserve these memories, offering a powerful reminder of Simon’s Town’s displaced communities and their enduring legacy.
VOC News
Photo: Amaly House/ Sheribeen Amlay
