East London, sometimes referred to as
Buffalo City (
AfrikaansAfrikaans is an Indo-European language derived from Dutch and thus classified as Low Franconian West Germanic. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia, with smaller numbers of speakers living in Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, the United...
:
Oos-Londen,
XhosaXhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when...
:
eMonti), is a city on the southeast coast of
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
, situated at 32.97°S and 27.87°E in the
Buffalo City Local MunicipalityBuffalo City is a municipality situated on the east coast of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.It includes the towns of East London, Bhisho and King William's Town, as well as the large townships of Mdantsane and Zwelitsha...
in the
Amatole DistrictAmatole is one of the 7 districts of Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The seat of Amatole is East London. Over 90% of its 1 664 259 people speak Xhosa . The district code is DC12...
of the Eastern Cape Province. The city lies on the
Indian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by South Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean...
coast, largely between the
Buffalo RiverThe Buffalo River or Cwenqgcwe is situated in the city of East London on the East Coast of South Africa. It is to the west of the Nahoon River. It is the only navigable river in South Africa. The town of East London was thus established around it....
and the
Nahoon RiverThe Nahoon River is situated in the city East London on the East Coast of South Africa. It is to the east of the Buffalo river harbour, and is to the west of Gonubie River. The suburb of Nahoon is on its west bank and Beacon Bay is on the east bank. The Nahoon Dam supplies some of the water for...
, and is the country's only river port. East London today has a population of over 400,000, with over 1.4 million in the metropolitan area.
History
The city formed around the only river port in South Africa, and was originally known as Port Rex. This settlement on the West Bank was the nucleus of the town of East London, which was later elevated to city status in 1914.
During the early to mid-1800 Frontier wars between the British settlers and the local Xhosa inhabitants, East London served as a supply port to service the military headquarters at nearby King William’s Town, about thirty miles away. A
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
fort, Fort Glamorgan, was built on the West Bank in 1847, and annexed to the
Cape ColonyThe Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
that same year. This fort was one of a series of forts the British built, that included Fort Murray, Fort White, Fort Hare and Fort Beaufort, in the border area that became known as
British KaffrariaBritish Kaffraria was a former colony / subordinate administrative entity in present-day South Africa, consisting of the districts now known as King Williams Town and East London....
.
With later development of the port came the settlement of permanent residents, including German settlers, most of whom were bachelors. These settlers were responsible for the German names of a number of towns in the vicinity of East London, e.g. Stutterheim and Berlin. Today, German surnames such as Gehring, Salzwedel and Peinke are still common in East London, but the descendants of the settlers rapidly became Anglicized.
The existing port, in the mouth of the Buffalo River, adjoining the Indian Ocean, has been operating since 1870. The advent of the railway on the east bank in 1876 added momentum to ongoing development of the area into today’s thriving city of East London.
The unusual double-decker bridge over the Buffalo River was completed in 1935 and to this day, is the only bridge of its type in South Africa. Modern day attractions include the East London Museum housing the
coelacanthCoelacanth is the common name for an order of fish that includes the oldest living lineage of gnathostomata known to date...
, a prehistoric fish, thought to be extinct, discovered live there by fishermen in 1938, and numerous memorial statues. The city is well-known as a surfing mecca, and its beaches are among the best in the country.
In 1959, the
Prince George CircuitPrince George Circuit is a race circuit in East London in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.Opened in the 1930s, it hosted the South African Grand Prix in 1934, and 1936 to 1939 when racing was halted due to World War II. Modified to meet Formula One regulations in 1959, the track was built into...
race circuit opened; it hosted three
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
South African Grand PrixThe South African Grand Prix was first run as a Grand Prix motor racing handicap race in 1934 at the Prince George Circuit at East London, Eastern Cape Province. It drew top drivers from Europe including Bernd Rosemeyer, Richard "Dick" Seaman, and the 1939 winner Luigi Villoresi.World War II...
races in the 1960s.
In 1961, areas on either side of East London were declared
Bantu homelandsA bantustan, black African homeland or simply homeland, was territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...
.
CiskeiCiskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It consisted 2,970 square miles , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province and possessing a small coastline along the shore of the Indian Ocean....
to the west and
TranskeiThe Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
to the East. East London finding herself almost surrounded, except to the north, became very unsettled during the Apartheid era. The editor of the local newspaper, the Daily Dispatch, was the late
Donald WoodsDonald James Woods, CBE was a white South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist.As editor of the Daily Dispatch from 1965 to 1977, he befriended Steve Biko, leader of the anti-apartheid Black Consciousness Movement, and was banned by the government soon after Biko's death, which had been...
. This newspaper broke the story of the murder of
Steve BikoStephen Bantu Biko was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of...
, a Pan Africanist leader and author of the book
I write what I like, at the hands of South African security police in Port Elizabeth, in September 1977. The story of Donald Woods was recorded in a Hollywood film called
Cry FreedomCry Freedom is a 1987 feature film directed by Richard Attenborough, set in the late 1970s, during the apartheid era of South Africa. The film was shot in neighbouring Zimbabwe, and, although not banned in South Africa, cinemas showing the films were faced with bomb threats. According to the...
. A prominent statue of
Steve BikoStephen Bantu Biko was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of...
now stands outside the East London City Hall.
The period of international sanctions which followed in the 1980s damaged the economy of East London's harbour. Enormous investment in recent years, by corporations such as Daimler Chrysler, has resulted in the harbour being developed to include a new car terminal.
In 2000, East London became part of the municipality of
Buffalo CityBuffalo City is a municipality situated on the east coast of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.It includes the towns of East London, Bhisho and King William's Town, as well as the large townships of Mdantsane and Zwelitsha...
, also consisting of
King William's TownKing William's Town, a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River. The town is about 40 minutes' motorway drive WNW of the Indian Ocean port of East London. It forms part of a Transitional Local Council area incorporating Bisho, Zwlitsha, Dimbaza,...
and Bhisho.
Economy
East London is the second largest industrial centre in the province. The motor industry is the dominant employer. A major
DaimlerDaimler may refer to:*Gottlieb Daimler, German automobile inventor...
plant is located near the harbour, manufacturing
Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG , after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz...
vehicles for the local market, as well as exporting to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Other industries include clothing, textiles, pharmaceuticals and food processing.
From the 1960s until 1994, the apartheid government created tax and wage incentives to attract industries in the former black "independent states", including nearby
CiskeiCiskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It consisted 2,970 square miles , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province and possessing a small coastline along the shore of the Indian Ocean....
. Investment thus flowed into surrounding areas such as
Fort JacksonFort Jackson can refer to several places or things:*Fort Jackson , also called Fort Toulouse, a War of 1812 fort*Fort Jackson , a frontier trading post located near present-day Ione, Colorado...
and Dimbaza, leaving East London in relative isolation. The militant union activity of the time was not conducive to productivity or good labour relations. Infrastructure deteriorated and port activity wound down.
To encourage investment in East London, the East London Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) has been established on the West Bank, close to both the port and airport. 1500ha of land has been made available, and the site is one of four duty-free development areas in South Africa.
East London has good transport links with the rest of South Africa. The
N2The N2 is one of the National Roads of South Africa; it is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. The N2 starts in Cape Town in the Western Cape and runs through the cities of Port Elizabeth and East London in the Eastern Cape and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal to end at Ermelo in...
highway connecting
Cape TownCape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, and the largest in land area, forming part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many...
and
DurbanDurban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and...
bypasses the city, while the N6 highway joins East London with the inland city of
BloemfonteinBloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa as well as one of the nation's three capitals, the judicial capital. The city's Sesotho name is Mangaung, meaning "place of cheetahs" and became part of the Mangaung Local Municipality in 2000...
. The
East London AirportEast London Airport is located in East London, South Africa.East London's airport is a small but bustling one that plays an important role in the growing economy of the Eastern Cape....
, 10km from the city centre, has daily flights to all major South African cities.
Sports
CricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
is very popular around East London as with South Africa as a whole. A combined Border/Eastern Province cricket side known as the Warriors take part in the top provincial competition. The Proteas wicket keeper
Mark BoucherMark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer. He was educated at Selborne College. He has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore of the Indian Premier League, and South Africa...
who currently holds the Test Record for most dismissals by a wicketkeeper is from East London.
Buffalo ParkBuffalo Park is a cricket ground in East London, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. It is one of the home grounds for the Warriors cricket team. It can hold up to 28,000.It has hosted one Test match, in 2002 and hosted a number of One Day Internationals....
Stadium in East London hosted a match from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003.
Club
rugbyRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
is popular in East London. The provincial team, the
Border BulldogsThe Border Bulldogs are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Border Rugby Union and play out of East London.-External links:*...
, currently plays in the so-called First Division of the Currie Cup competition. Most national games in East London are played at the Absa Stadium which holds around 15000 people. East London schools have produced many fine rugby players, including (in recent times)
Andre VosAndre Vos was a back row forward who played rugby for Eastern Province, Queensland Reds, The Cats, The Lions, Harlequins and captained South Africa. Andre retired from professional rugby in the summer of 2007, a true rugby great...
, Keith and
Mark AndrewsMark Andrews is a rugby player.He achieved his Junior Springbok colours in waterpolo while still at school. He switched to rugby as his main sport and achieved honours while at school and university...
, Christiaan Scholtz,
Brent RussellRobert Brent Russell is a South African rugby union player. He is a "utility back" who plays for Clermont in the French Top 14. Previously, he had played with Saracens in England, and before that the Natal Sharks in the Currie Cup and the Sharks in the Super 14 for many years...
,
Rory KockottRory Kockott born 25 June, 1986 in East London, South Africa is a rugby union player for the Sharks in the Super 14 competition. He plays as a scrumhalf.-External links:*...
,
AkonaAkona Zilindlovu Ndungane is a South African rugby union footballer. His usual position is on the wing, though he can play in the centres. He plays for the Bulls in the international Super 14 competition as well as the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup...
and
Odwa NdunganeOdwa Ndungane born 20 February 1981 in Umtata, South Africa is a rugby union player for the Sharks in the Super 14 competition. He plays on the .He has recently been handed his South African debut ahead of, amongst others, his twin brother Akona Ndungane....
. South African Flanker Solly Tybilika is currently playing for the
Border BulldogsThe Border Bulldogs are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Border Rugby Union and play out of East London.-External links:*...
.
MotocrossMotocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. Motocross is derived from the French, and traces its origins to British scrambling competitions...
is also popular and many national events are held in the area surrounding East London, due to the terrain there and in
TranskeiThe Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
. East London is home to the ELMCC (East London Motor Cycle Club), which organises most of the motor cycle events in the area.
GolfGolf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...
is another favoured pastime in and around East London. Some of the more popular golf clubs are the West Bank Golf Club, Alexander Golf Club, Gonubie Golf Club, Red Bishop Golf Course, Fish River Sun (a
Gary PlayerGary Player is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf....
-designed golf course), Bunkers Hill Driving Range and the East London Golf Club.
Martial ArtsMartial arts or fighting arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat...
is also very popular, with numerous clubs available for training in
aikidois a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
,
judo, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century...
,
karateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands...
,
tai chiTai chi chuan is an internal Chinese martial art often practiced for health reasons. Tai chi is typically practiced for a variety of other personal reasons: its hard and soft martial art technique, demonstration competitions, health and longevity. Consequently, a multitude of training forms exist,...
and many other forms of martial arts. The East London Aikido Club is taught by a 3rd Dan local instructor who has trained under a number of international instructors in South Africa and overseas. Club members of the East London Aikido Club regularly represent their club at national aikido events. Fort Hare Karate and East London Goju Kai have also hosted many memorable events and training weekends.
Other sporting activities include
boxingBoxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. There are three ways to win...
, motor racing, soccer,
mountain bikingMountain biking is an ever evolving sport that has recently seen a huge flux of popularity but has firm roots in experimentation with non "mountain" style bicycles. The sport consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, with specially equipped mountain bikes or hybrid / cross...
, skydiving, athletics, horse riding and many water sports such as
surfingSurfing is most commonly known, the term is used for a surface water sport in which the person surfing moves along the face of a breaking ocean wave . However, surfing is not restricted to saltwater, but can sometimes take place on rivers, using a standing wave...
, swimming,
scuba divingScuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater for recreation, commercial or industrial reasons.Unlike early diving, which relied exclusively on air pumped from the surface, scuba...
,
fishingFishing is the activity of catching fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, boating, yachting and
windsurfingWindsurfing is a surface water sport using a windsurf board usually two to four meters long and powered by the effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a mast, wishbone boom and sail...
.
Tourism
East London's tourism industry has grown greatly over the past few years. The City is being marketed as Buffalo City though, causing many to be confused. Apart from this obstacle local businesses are thriving, with a great deal of investment in the area, drawing visitors from around the world. East London is relatively small so there are only a few hotels, making a perfect gap in the market for bed & breakfasts to offer accommodation.
The East Coast Resorts (up the coast toward Durban) are a fantastic collection of small villages with many people living there (only 20min to East London on the highway) but a very tranquil setting for a family holiday.
Resorts include:
Yellowsands, Glen Eden, Gonubie, Queensbury Bay, Cintsa (now spelled "Chintsa") West and Cintsa East.
Attractions
- East London Aquarium
- East London Zoo
- East London Museum
- Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve
Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve, is located approximately 30 km north-east of East London, and is situated within an area of 100 km² encompassing five different biomes in the wild coast region of South Africa's Eastern Cape province...
- Mpgongo Private Game Reserve
- University of Fort Hare
The University of Fort Hare is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was a key institution in higher education for black Africans from 1916 to 1959. It offered a Western-style, academically excellent education to students from across sub-Saharan Africa, creating a black...
Demographics
The main languages spoken in East London are
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
,
XhosaXhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when...
and Afrikaans. The city is home to a large number of retirees, thanks to the mild climate and holiday atmosphere.
The Municipal Demarcation Board provides extensive demographics about all urban areas, which include the following demographics about Buffalo City. These figures exclude people whose status is unknown:
General
- Number of households: 160 454
- Black residents: 563 776
- Coloured residents: 38 391
- Indian residents: 4 692
- White residents: 70 520
- Male residents: 321 992
- Female residents: 360 023
Age breakdown
- Under four: 61 234
- 5-19: 214 987
- 20-29: 127 841
- 30-49: 176 675
- 50-64: 59 934
- Over 65: 34 824
Employment
- Employed: 160 156
- Unemployed: 101 349
Occupation
- Senior management: 6 663
- Professional: 17 022
- Technical: 12 591
- Clerks: 12 604
- Service related: 14 484
- Skilled: 3 294
- Craft and trade: 21 715
- Plant machine: 12 279
- Elementary: 39 440
Annual individual income ('000)
- None: 414 152
- R1 to 24: 114 706
- R23 to R60: 62 965
- R60 to RR120: 39 442
- R120 to R180: 30 351
- R180 to R300: 25 602
- R300 to R420: 14 744
- R420 to R540: 10 069
- R540 to R720: 8 274
- R720 to R960: 3 930
- R960 to R1,32m: 2 588
- R1,32m to R1,92m: 1 403
- R1,9m to R3,6m: 816
- Over R3,6m: 281
Governance
East London forms a constituent part of the
Buffalo City Local MunicipalityBuffalo City is a municipality situated on the east coast of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.It includes the towns of East London, Bhisho and King William's Town, as well as the large townships of Mdantsane and Zwelitsha...
and is the seat of that municipality.
Famous people
- Mark Boucher
Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer. He was educated at Selborne College. He has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore of the Indian Premier League, and South Africa...
- International cricketer
- Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer
Marjorie Eileen Doris Courtenay-Latimer was the South African museum official who in 1938 brought to the attention of the world the existence of the coelacanth, a fish thought to have been extinct for sixty-five million years....
- Museum curator
- Joan Harrison
Joan Harrison was an English film producer and screenwriter.-Biography:Born in Guildford, Surrey, Harrison studied at St Hugh's College, Oxford and reviewed films for the student newspaper. She also studied at the Sorbonne. In 1933 Harrison became the secretary of Alfred Hitchcock...
- Swimmer and 1952 Olympic champion
- Mark Andrews - Rugby player
- Andre Vos - Rugby player
- Rory Kockott
Rory Kockott born 25 June, 1986 in East London, South Africa is a rugby union player for the Sharks in the Super 14 competition. He plays as a scrumhalf.-External links:*...
- Rugby player
- Ian Scheckter
Ian Scheckter is a former racing driver. He participated in 20 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on March 30, 1974...
- Racing driver
- Jody Scheckter
Jody David Scheckter is a South African former auto racing driver, the 1979 Formula One World Drivers Champion.-Career:Scheckter was born in East London, South Africa and educated at Selborne College....
- Formula 1 champion 1979
- Donald Woods
Donald James Woods, CBE was a white South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist.As editor of the Daily Dispatch from 1965 to 1977, he befriended Steve Biko, leader of the anti-apartheid Black Consciousness Movement, and was banned by the government soon after Biko's death, which had been...
- Author and anti-apartheid activist
- The Dealians
The Dealians were a pop group formed in East London, South Africa in January 1968 by Mike Fuller. The group took its name from the local Deal's Hotel where the group performed....
- South Africa's top pop group in the 1970's
- Wendy Botha - Four-time world surfing champion
- Norman Catherine - Artist
- Jonty Skinner - Swimmer and US swimming coach
- Deon Opperman - Award-winning playwright
- Vuyani Bungu - Boxer
- Welcome Ncita - Boxer
- Derek Bauer - Cartoonist
External links