A growing chorus of voices in Bo-Kaap is urging the City of Cape Town to step in as short-term rental platforms continue to reshape one of the country's most historic neighbourhoods.
Locals say the rapid rise of Airbnb-style accommodation is placing their heritage, culture and long-standing community bonds at risk.
The Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers Association BKCRA says the trend of family homes being swapped for tourist lodgings is dismantling the social fabric that has held the area together for generations. The organisation calls Bo-Kaap the ancestral home of Islam in South Africa and insists the neighbourhood was always meant to remain a residential community.