Panorama is a suburb in
Parow,
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
History
In 1700 land that today form part of Panorama was awarded to Booysen,B.
Change of ownership through the years
From Booysen it was then transferred to Meyboom, C which called it "de Grendel" It changed hands through the years and owners were: Meyboom,F. Heyns, J. and van Reenen, D. In 1890
Sir David Graaff, 1st Baronet
Sir David Pieter de Villiers Graaff, 1st Baronet (30 March 1859 – 13 April 1931) was a South African cold storage magnate and politician. Graaff revolutionized the cold storage industry in Africa. He founded the Imperial Cold Storage and Supp ...
purchase he land.
The Graaff family
They farmed with horses and milk. When Sir David died in 1931, his son
de Villiers de Villiers is a common French and Afrikaans surname. It may refer to:
* De Villiers (playwright) (c. 1600–1681), French playwright and actor
*AB de Villiers, a former South African international cricketer
*De Villiers Graaff, a former South Afr ...
took it over. The land was in a company called Graaff's Trust. After de Villiers death in 1999 his son
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
was in charge.
Residential development and the naming error
In 1956 two pieces of land were sold for residential development. The remaining part of the farm (which today makes wine) is still in the hands of the Graaff family. The one piece being on a hill, from where Table Mountain is visible, and the other piece at the bottom of the hill. The intention was that the piece of land on the hill being called Panorama (Panorama meaning view) and the other piece Plattekloof (Afrikaans word for flat valley). The town planners however made an error and the two names were switched. Today the area with the views is Plattekloof and the area at the bottom of the hill Panorama.
Notable residents
*
Melissa Williams, Olympic skateboarder born and grew up in the suburb.
References
{{Cape Town suburbs
Suburbs of Cape Town