Resting at the confluence of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, sandwiched between the slopes of the iconic Table Mountain and the glistening sapphire waters of Table Bay, the exceptionally scenic city of Cape Town is in a class of its own. Framed by the iconic Table Mountain and celebrating uninterrupted views of the city of Cape Town below, a more spectacular location for a luxury hotel quite simply doesn’t exist.
An eclectic mix of intimate luxury and inspired design elevates Camissa House to an experiential masterpiece. Sister to the award-winning MannaBay Hotel, Camissa House is destined to take the world by storm. Stepping out of the hotel, it is not hard to see where Camissa House’s design inspiration has been sourced.
Camissa House is described as a celebration of Africa’s Cape. Elegant and cannot fail to impress with its sleek rooftop bar! The newest boutique hotel in Cape Town, Camissa House has a wonderful location on the slopes of Table Mountain! However, the property isn’t as close to Cape Town’s restaurants as other options in the area.
Camissa has eight rooms which each flaunt magnificent views of the city’s most iconic sights, perfectly complementing the tranquillity inherent of the design, the ancient history that sparked its inception and the timeless source of modern life that continues to stem from its spectacular surroundings.
Camissa House is small, sleek and full of personality. Expect rich textiles, strong art, serious views and a rooftop pool that feels miles from the city. Service is highly personalised and thoughtful. Breakfasts are à la carte and excellent. A discreet, design-forward choice for couples wanting luxury with soul.
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Luxurious rooms offer extra-large double beds and unique views of Table Mountain. Spacious rooms with extra-large double beds and private balconies overlooking the city of Cape Town and the Atlantic beyond.
Accommodation is booked on a B&B basis, including all house beverages, afternoon high tea, a concierge service, a 24-hour butler service, and high-speed Wi-Fi. The house can be accessed via 20 minutes’ road transfer from Cape Town International Airport.
The Indigenous Roots of Camissa
The term "//ammis, gammis, kamis or kamma" is the root for "Camissa" and is from the language of the Nama and !Ora, defining it as a fresh-water river, according to Haacke and Eiseb. Moodie tells us that Governor-General van Goens in 1682 notes that the inland Khoena refer to a fresh-water river as ‘Camissa’ or ‘Cumissa’.
Thus the river providing drinking water in Table Bay was referred to as '//amma' and the term 'Ssa' referred to those who foraged or fished as this community did when not trading - thus the people of the water and the river itself came to be called Camissa. The Cape Peninsula was known to the indigenes as //Hu !Gais who associated it as central to their survival and very being.
The Camissa community were originally members of various tribes who had broken away from tribal life to establish themselves as entrepreneurs and traders, and facilitators in a new economy that met the needs of the passing sea traffic. The dramatic increase in shipping and regular contact with Europeans had effectively resulted in a social revolution and introduced new ways of living and a new economy with the exchange of commodities.
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From the indigene side they also began new economic activities such as salt production to meet the needs of the ships. Other indigenes referred to them as the Goringhaicona while the Dutch originally referred to them more accurately as the ‘Water People’ (Watermans). There is record that a number of these people were taken abroad to familiarise themselves with European culture and for training.
When Jan van Riebeeck arrived, as part of his tactics of subverting the ‖Ammaqua and their economy, he tried to project that they were the same people as their traditional enemies the Sonqua line-fishermen and those Khoi outcasts who had joined them.
In the period 1600 to 1652 over 1071 outward bound ships dropped anchor at Table Bay, took on water, meat, salt and timber, and recuperated their sick - all with the assistance of Khoi Traders. Likewise with homeward bound shipping. Stayovers were between three weeks and nine months. Europeans, African and Asian seamen, African-Asian slaves, soldiers en-route to fight in the East, company officials and families, all numbering over 150 000 passed through this indigene-run port.
The indigenes also ran a post and communications service and a number of them had also travelled with the Europeans to far off ports and had come back. Autshumao was no ‘Beachbum’ (Strandlooper). He was a trained port-master and is noted for his love for European dress and taste for cheese, bread, wine and conversation.
For the first seven years after Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival Autshumao and the ‖Ammaqua waged a relatively successful resistance to the Dutch Colony. This containment strategy was only crushed as a result of an act of betrayal in 1658 that saw Autshumao imprisoned on Robben Island.
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By the time the Peninsular Khoena woke up to what had happened to them as a result of the demise of Autshumao and his incarceration on Robben Island, they took to war, but it was too late. Peculiarly the war was led by the very opportunist, Doman, who had developed the disastrous peace treaty and who had delivered Autshumao to the Dutch. The first Dutch-Khoi war was lost by neither the Dutch nor the Khoi; it simply fizzled out.
Authshumao remained the most articulate voice of resistance until his death in 1663, as can be seen from the recorded statement in Jan van Riebeeck’s journal, during the negotiations after the war. The story of Autshumao and the ‖Ammaqua people of Camissa remains the foundation reference point for the emergence of the first multi-ethnic community of African-Creole people at the Cape.
The majority of the people of the Cape are Africans and the term Africa first emerged among the ancient people of Kemet (Egypt) and spread in use by the Arabs, Greeks Romans. It originally was AF RUI KA - the birthplace of Humanity. The term itself was not extensively used across Africa until the advent of the 15th century Slave Trade.
In South Africa the first to use the term as a means of identifying themselves were the first slaves, and the mixed descendants of slaves and Khoena (Khoi) people as per the progenitor of the Oorlams Afrikaners, Oude Ram Afrikaner and his progeny.
Cape Town’s Table Mountain, Explained
When political organisations in South Africa emerged in 1902 such as the African People’s Organisation and in 1919 the African National Congress (formed as the SA Native National Congress in 1912) the agreed meaning of the name AFRICAN was any person with at least one forebear who was indigenous to Africa.
The legacy of this indoctrination war on the one hand and the failures post 1994 to deal with de-Africanisation of ‘Coloured’ people is well illustrated by the documentary “I’m not Black…. I’m Coloured”.
The Impact of Slavery and Indentured Labor
In 1657, there were 15 slaves at the Cape of Good Hope and by the following year another 402 slaves, mainly children from West Africa joined these. In the entire period of almost 200 years of slavery at the Cape, over 78 539 new imported slaves were sold in Cape Town and their children, grandchildren and descendants all led lives of enslavement.
For 150 years the Cape census shows that there were more slaves than Europeans in the colony as illustrated by Giliomee and Mbenga using the 1798 figure of 20 000 Europeans to 25 754 slaves and 1 700 Free Blacks in the Cape Colony (Indigene figures are not given).
The majority of Cape slaves were Africans from other parts of Africa but as will be demonstrated in this paper the Indian and Southeast Asian slaves made up a substantial two fifths part of the slave population. In time the differences among slaves in terms of culture and origins disappeared into a creole or locally born identity, which together with other tributaries, this paper deems to call Camissa heritage.
Cape Town and the farmlands and small towns were all built on slave labor. Slaves were bought and sold and faced all sorts of abuse as the property of their owners. De Kock graphically gives accounts of scourging, dismembering parts of the body, impalement, drownings, burning at the stake, crucifixions accompanied by humiliations of every sort.
The enslaved were restricted from free movement, branded, carried passes and restricted as to what clothes they could wear and went barefooted. The United Dutch East India Company had the largest slave holdings at the Cape but colonial citizens, European and Free Black (a tiny community) could also own slaves.
Slavery was succeeded by an “Indentured Labour System” which was slavery by another name, even although people were no longer called slaves nor could be bought and sold in the same manner as previously done.
Large numbers of indentured labourers were brought to the Cape from different parts of the world, from St Helena, across Africa and through to India and the Indonesian Archipelago.
Indian and Chinese labourers were brought into the Natal Colony and the Cape Colony and Transvaal Republic to work on diamond and gold mines and also on the sugar and other farms. Later during the Anglo-Boer War more migrants of colour arrived as soldiers and trackers, such as the Aborigine Australians researched by Scarlett, some of whom remained behind after the war.
Today the indigenous peoples found to face discrimination and marginalisation are organised in surviving indigenous tribes and also by revivalist Khoena activist groups and re-created tribes aiming to secure their rights.
Until 1652 there were 1071 ships dropping anchor in Table Bay and trading with the indigenes as shown by maritime historian Knox-Johnston.
Contemporary Camissa House
The hotel has three luxury terrace rooms with jaw-dropping views of the whole of Cape Town and the surrounding area. Five luxury rooms offer outstanding Table mountain views.
Guest accommodation consists of just eight rooms, all exquisitely presented. Each features an inviting double bed, bedside stands and lighting, end-of-bed seating, a writing table, and ample storage space. The décor is in large part inspired by the hotel’s natural surroundings, for example the flowers that form part of the Cape Floral Kingdom and adorn the majestic mountainside.
In-room amenities include air conditioning, a television, international adaptors, a safe, and complimentary Wi-Fi. In the en-suite washroom, you’ll find a flush toilet, single or twin washbasins, and shower, as well as heated towel rails, a hairdryer, and complimentary dressing gowns. Some rooms have a freestanding bathtub too, so please let us know if you’d prefer a full bathroom.
The communal spaces at Camissa House are as impressive as the guest rooms. The main lounge area features plush sofas and armchairs around coffee or occasional tables, colorful floral cushions, a selection of reading material, and a cozy fireplace. The high-ceilinged restaurant has a pleasantly outdoorsy ambiance, emphasized by the presence of plenty of plants and flowers.
This is where guests tuck in to delicious breakfasts and indulgent high teas, while marveling at vistas over Cape Town. A good selection of drinks is offered at the property’s rooftop bar, which also boasts spectacular city views!
Camissa House is well located for trips into Cape Town. - As the house is situated on the mountain’s slopes, why not start the fun here? - Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years, and 18 of those years were spent within the prison on this island. - The garden is an ideal destination for a picnic lunch. - This pentagon-shaped structure is the oldest building in South Africa. - We think Camps is the most glamorous sandy spot in Cape Town! - This sheltered series of four coves, located not far from Camps Bay, is another top pick at YZ. - Why not take an excursion to Africa’s south-western tip, which is famous for its beaches?
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Each and every traveller is important, that’s why we have a dedicated team ready to help 24/7. If you want anything extra arranged, from a hire car on arrival to a bespoke experience away from the crowds, all you need to do is ask.
As a highly personalised and service-driven company, we are keen to support all of our clients in helping you to make the best possible decision and to be able to travel with confidence in this ever-changing climate. We charge a non-refundable deposit and you can change your travel dates for free up to one week before your trip, which is when your balance is due. Our post-booking services are industry leading and your deposit is to ensure we can offer you the support you deserve, every step of the way.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Slopes of Table Mountain, Cape Town |
| Rooms | Eight exquisitely presented rooms |
| Views | Magnificent views of Cape Town and Table Mountain |
| Amenities | Air conditioning, Wi-Fi, en-suite bathrooms, rooftop bar |
| Historical Significance | Rooted in the history of the Camissa people and the Cape |
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