A French Touch in the Cape
Present on every continent, France has left its mark on the history of many countries and South Africa was no exception.
When we think of Franschhoek, we imagine vineyards, fine restaurants, and elegant art galleries.But this small town in the Western Cape has a much older story to tell. It was founded by French people called Huguenots more than 300 years ago. In 1688, around 228 French Protestant Huguenots, persecuted in Catholic France, fled their country and settled at the Cape of Good Hope. Supported by the Dutch East India Company, they were granted land in a valley called Olifantshoek, later renamed Fransche Hoek “the French corner”, which became today’s Franschhoek.
While the Dutch introduced wine-making to South Africa, it was thanks to the French Huguenots’ expertise in viticulture that the quality improved significantly, helping to develop the wine industry into what it is today. To remember them, their descendants continue this legacy, and the Huguenot Memorial Museum, opened in 1948, is an important place that highlights their history, and contribution to South Africa.
But French influence didn’t stop at vineyards.
At the end of the 18th century, architect Louis Michel Thibault, trained in Europe, brought a French touch to Cape Town.
Working with sculptor Anton Anreith and engineer Hermann Schutte, he designed several now-iconic buildings like the Slave Lodge, parts of the Castle of Good Hope, and many baroque façades still visible today.
At the same time, European tensions reached the Cape. The alliance between revolutionary France and the Dutch Republic worried Britain, which feared Napoleon would take the Cape, a strategic stop on the Indian Ocean route. The British acted preemptively in 1795. France never sets foot in the Cape, but at just a few thousand kilometers away, on the island of Saint Helena, where Napoleon ended his days imprisoned there by the British after his defeat at Waterloo in 1821.
In the 20th century, many French citizens settled in South Africa for economic reasons. Industry, particularly mining, attracted engineers, researchers, and entrepreneurs. By May 2019, according to the official consular register published by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, 3,210 French citizens were living in Cape Town many of them working in sectors such as energy, transport and mining.
Moreover, between January 2021 and June 2024, French companies invested ZAR 1.573 billion in the Western Cape, creating 205 jobs, according to the official website of the provincial government. Additionally, around 165 French companies are currently operating in South Africa, according to the French-South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Today, over 8,500 French nationals live in the Western Cape. They contribute to the region’s energy like artisanal bakeries, galleries, vineyards.French companies like Pernod Ricard and wine groups linked to LVMH have invested in Stellenbosch, in vineyards and wine production. French businesses are active in key sectors such as agri-food (Danone), cosmetics (L’Oréal), retail (Decathlon), energy and auto (Renault).
The French school in Cape Town has over 500 students, with lots of kids from French families living here and the French international school now educates about 400 students many of whom are children of French expatriates.
French is not only spoken by expats.Thousands of migrants from Congo, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, or Rwanda speak this language because is an official language in their home countries, a legacy of colonial history. In neighborhoods like Khayelitsha, Bellville, or Observatory, French is now hearable in churches, markets and cafés.
In March, Cape Town celebrates Francophone diversity with festive, cultural, and educational events, organized by the Alliance Française of Cape Town in partnership with several embassies.
The French have left their mark on Cape Town through lot of things due history.
Sources: Huguenots.com | Universalis.fr | Theses-chartes.psl.eu | Lemonde.fr | Lesechos.fr | Indeed.com | Statista.com | Fsacci.com | Provincialgovernement.co.za
This blog was written by Emma Hammoudi, a French intern at Culture Connect. I hope you enjoyed it and learned something new. Sorry if my English isn’t perfect I did my best.