Mitchell's Plain was established in the 19705 as a township to respond to the housing shortages of the coloured community. 115 design was also part of the apartheid's race-based spatial planning and Group Areas Act. As forced removals intensified in Cape Town, Mitchell's Plain became a home for communities that were displaced from District Six.Erf 11553, including the Rocklands Community Hall which was built during the early 19805, provided a convenient space for mass resistance and large scale political gatherings that were organised by the anti-apartheid organisations. The historical meeting of 20 August 1983 which led to the establishment of the United Democratic Front (UDF) was held at this location. UDF became the largest sociopolitical movement that united South Africans from diverse backgrounds to fight against apartheid. The site has Significant political, as well as social significance.
