The Old Slave Tree Memorial

A single, low-hanging metal plaque sits embedded in the brickwork near the corner of Church and Spin Streets. This spot marks the location of an oak tree that stood here for over two centuries. In the years of the Dutch East India Company, the tree functioned as a site for the public sale of enslaved people. Merchants and locals gathered in its shade to auction men, women, and children who had been brought to the Cape from across the Indian Ocean.