Zeitz MOCAA
Africa's largest contemporary art museum, carved out of forty-two concrete grain silos on the Cape Town waterfront.
Updated 21 October 2026
The grain silo on the Cape Town waterfront was built in 1921 and was the tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa when it opened; it stood disused for decades. Thomas Heatherwick's conversion, completed in 2017, cut a cathedral-like atrium out of the middle of the forty-two concrete tubes by carving the shape of a single enlarged corn kernel through them, leaving the sliced cylinders exposed - the building is the reason many people come, and it deserves that. Inside are around a hundred galleries over nine floors holding contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, founded on the collection of Jochen Zeitz. It opened on 22 September 2017 as the largest museum of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, with an art education centre and an artist residency. African citizens enter free on Wednesday mornings.
What's there
- The carved atrium - a corn-kernel shape cut through forty-two concrete silo tubes.
- The 1921 silo - once the tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa, disused for decades.
- The collection - contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora over nine floors.
- The Wednesday access - free entry for African citizens on Wednesday mornings.
When to go
All year. Two to three hours. Wednesday mornings are busy for the free session.
What to expect
The building outshines some of the exhibitions, which visitors say openly. Ticket prices are high by local museum standards. Exhibitions rotate, so what is on varies considerably. The Waterfront around it is a shopping district.
Nearby
The V&A Waterfront is adjacent; Table Mountain is behind the city.
Key facts
Source: Wikidata, item Q28003638, read on 18 October 2026.
What to pack for Zeitz MOCAA
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
- Loose, light, long clothing - Covering up beats bare skin in the desert - and locals dress this way for a reason. Find on Amazon
- Comfortable walking shoes - Sightseeing means kilometres of pavement and cobbles daily. Find on Amazon
- Modest clothing - Shoulders and knees covered - the single most common requirement. Find on Amazon
- A wide-brim hat + sunglasses - Shade for your face and eyes where there is none overhead. Find on Amazon
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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
