09h00 - 16h00 Mondays - Saturdays
(Sundays are by appointment only)
In addition to being a community space for ex-residents to gather and meet, the Museum has also become a site that tells the story of District Six to visitors from near and far. It has been designed in such a way that a visitor can wander in off the street and go on a self-guided tour, and if preferred, can have the privilege of experiencing of having a tour with a former resident of the destroyed District Six
Guided tours are available at the following times from Monday to Friday (and on Saturdays by pre-arrangement) Please note that if a tour is fully booked then you will have to wait for the next available opening or guide.
Book a tour by using the following link:
Ex-residents of District Six &other areas of forced removals; SA pensioners
The Museum offers guided tours of the area conducted by an ex-resident either as a walking or a driving tour. Site tours must be booked in advance.
General site tours are charged per person using a sliding scale. The costs below are for walking tours, or driving using your own vehicle.
1 - 5 pax | R150pp |
6 - 10 pax | R120pp |
11 - 20 pax | R100pp |
21 - 30 pax | R80pp |
31 - 50 pax | R60pp |
Special arrangements need to be made for groups of more than 50 people
Sunday visits can be arranged but cannot be guaranteed as it depends on the availability of an ex-resident guide or staff member:
1 - 5 pax | R200pp |
6 - 10 pax | R150pp |
11 - 20 pax | R120pp |
21 - 30 pax | R100pp |
31 - 50 pax | R80pp |
Special arrangements need to be made for groups of more than 50 people
Visitors can also walk into the open space by themselves and get a sense of the magnitude of the destruction that took place. The site has been nominated as a National Heritage Site and has been awarded provisional Grade 1 status. As a conservation area it should be treated with sensitivity and respect.
To make a booking for a school visit to the District Six Museum, please download the forms below:
The District Six Museum is the perfect extension of the classroom. Wonderful visuals, oral testimoies, documentaries, audiovisual materials - and last but certainly not least, the knowledge of ex-residents, who offer personal tours which many learners love.
Noor Ebrahim and Joe Schaffers introduce learners, young and old alike, to the history of District Six, apartheid and forced removals. Education Programmes on special topics (for example, Richard Rive's popular “Buckingham Palace”) are available on request.
The District Six Museum is, regrettably, not able to cater for children younger than 10 years of age at this point. Early Childhood Development Centres may, however, make special arrangements to design an encounter for their children with the Museum's education department. This visit will have to be under their own supervision as we do not have the staff capacity for this.
The Museum has expanded into its Homecoming Centre and we are now able to prepare special programmes for schools aimed at supporting the research and curriculum needs of learners and educators. Groups are restricted to a maximum of 40 learners. Special arrangements need to be made with the Museum to facilitate the management of bigger or multiple groups. Education programmes are available from Tuesday to Friday from 10h30, and last for approximately 1 hour. Longer programmes and workshops that include a tour of the actual District are available on request.
Visits to the Museum are R5.00/learner.
Workshop fees are negotiable and solely to cover materials and other costs. We can always make a plan with schools that are unable to afford the extra costs as no learner should be disadvantaged because of money.
Special programmes with partner organisations are negotiable and we encourage schools to approach local businesses / ex-learners / government organisations to contribute towards the cost of involving learners in the interactive programmes that we offer.
School educators and learners can subscribe to our mailing list to receive information about special programmes that we offer at the Museum for schools.
We also offer a range of customised programmes with partners who are storytellers, poets, dancers, visual artists and musicians who make the experience of learners with the story of District Six a creative and intellectually engaging one. Please contact education@districtsix.co.za to make arrangements.
Message from Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu, District Six Museum Patron
As a patron of this institution I continue to offer my support, noting especially the role that it plays in promoting intergenerational conversations, creating and conserving a growing archive, and facilitating cultural expression in response to a range of social issues. I call upon you to do the same.
John Matshikiza - Mail and Guardian.
There is something about walking into that old, wooden-ceilinged church, where the descendants of slaves used to worship and sing and talk, that brings oppression, genocide and redemption into a single space that my mind can take hold of, without being overwhelmed. The tobacco-stained detail of Welcome Dover stoves and a mother's doek and her hand in her armpit as she tries to come to terms with the death of her son in another act of Cape violence, deliberate or accidental.
Megan, Union of Students in Ireland.
Cape Town and Ireland have so many similarities in love and hate. Help to reclaim the spirit of one community.
In solidarity, Arial Dorfman, Chile.
The past is not easily erased. After the Nazi's destroyed Warsaw the Polish people rebuilt the city as it had been. Let us hope you can also reconstruct this District where you used to live in peace.