Step inside Cape Town’s first slave church

Walk past 40 Long Street and you might never guess what lies behind its elegant façade. Built between 1802 and 1804, this remarkable building was South Africa's first official church established for enslaved people. Today, the SA Sendinggestig Museum preserves a powerful chapter of Cape Town's history. Step inside to discover original church furnishings, historic documents and the names of the first eight enslaved people baptised here. Look closely at the wooden floor, where a constellation of stars commemorates the abolition of slavery at the Cape in 1834. It's a small museum with an extraordinary story to tell.

BEFORE YOU GO
Find the museum at 40 Long Street in Cape Town's city centre. Admission is free. The museum currently lists opening hours as Monday to Thursday, 09:00–16:00, and is closed on weekends and public holidays. Friday opening is not listed, so contact the museum before visiting on a Friday. Allow around 30–45 minutes to explore the exhibitions, and consider combining your visit with the nearby Slave Lodge Museum for a deeper understanding of Cape Town's history.