cape point

Cape Point is a poetry collection by Rachel Gambling exploring her South African heritage, part of Estuary Anthology 2025. Between 20-28 June, 24 poems will be posted on girlblog!, culminating in a poetry zine available for purchase from the 28th June.

In January 2025, I visited Cape Town — my grandparents’ birthplace — for the first time. In 1960, they migrated from there to London to marry, as apartheid laws prevented them from doing so in South Africa. In 1962, my mum was born in Bethnal Green. They moved to Southend-on-Sea in 1966.

I have always had questions about my heritage. My ouma (Afrikaans for grandmother, and what I always called her), preferred not to answer questions about her Cape Coloured background, whereas my oupa (grandfather) has always been more forthcoming, but still respectful of my ouma’s wishes. This visit to South Africa, which I took with my oupa, mum, and dad, was a chance to answer some of those questions, but more importantly, meet my South African family.

I wanted to write a poetry collection about this visit to reflect on my home by the Southend estuary, and the similarities and differences it holds to the coast at Cape Town. The title, Cape Point, is where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet at the tip of South Africa. It’s also where my oupa insisted we visit on the final day of our trip to South Africa.