On 6 April 1652, the Dutch East India Company established the Cape Colony at Table Bay, in present-day Cape Town, marking the first permanent European settlement in South Africa.
Led by Jan van Riebeeck, the settlement served as a vital refreshment station for Dutch ships travelling between Europe and Asia.
While it began as a strategic outpost, the colony would grow rapidly, laying the foundations for centuries of European expansion, trade, and conflict in the region.
