Uitenhage
Uitenhage | |
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Victoria Tower in Uitenhage | |
Uitenhage Uitenhage shown within South Africa | |
Coordinates: 33°46′S 25°24′E / 33.767°S 25.400°ECoordinates: 33°46′S 25°24′E / 33.767°S 25.400°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Eastern Cape |
Municipality | Nelson Mandela Bay |
Established | 1804[1] |
Area[2] | |
• Total | 75.35 km2 (29.09 sq mi) |
Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 103,639 |
• Density | 1,400/km2 (3,600/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011)[2] | |
• Black African | 23.8% |
• Coloured | 54.7% |
• Indian/Asian | 1.2% |
• White | 18.4% |
• Other | 1.8% |
First languages (2011)[2] | |
• Afrikaans | 68.9% |
• Xhosa | 17.9% |
• English | 10.4% |
• Other | 2.9% |
Postal code (street) | 6229 |
PO box | 6230 |
Area code | 041 |
Uitenhage (/ˈjuːtɨnheɪɡ/; Afrikaans: [œi̯tənˈɦɑːxə]) is a South African town in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. The city of Port Elizabeth and the small town of Despatch are located near Uitenhage.
History
Uitenhage was founded on 25 April 1804 by landdrost (district magistrate) Jacob Glen Cuyler and named in honour of the Cape's Commissioner-General Jacob Abraham Uitenhage de Mist by the Dutch Cape Colony governor, Jan Willem Janssens.[3] Uitenhage formed from part of the district of Graaff Reinet (shortly after its short-lived secession).
The Cape Colony received a degree of independence when "Responsible Government" was declared in 1872. In 1875 the Cape government of John Molteno took over the rudimentary Uitenhage railway site, incorporated it into the Cape Government Railways (CGR), and began construction of the lines connecting Uitenhage to Port Elizabeth and the Southern African interior. Two years later, in 1877, Uitenhage was declared a municipality. [4]
Nearly a hundred years later, as part of the Union of South Africa, Uitenhage became a centre for resistance against Apartheid. In 1985, police opened fire on a funeral procession in Uitenhage, killing a number of unarmed people, in an event that became notorious as an example of police oppression in South Africa under apartheid.[5][6]
In 2001 it was incorporated with Port Elizabeth and Despatch into the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.
Industries
Uitenhage is known for the large industries situated there. The largest of these industries are the Volkswagen and Goodyear factories. An automotive supplier park, Alexander Park Industrial, has also been created directly next to the Volkswagen factory, thus allowing automotive component manufacturers to construct their manufacturing plants close by.
Notable people from Uitenhage
- Loyiso Bala - South African R&B singer; part of Bala Brothers ground and TKZee[7]
- Okkert Brits - Olympic pole vaulter
- Sean Burke - musician, composer currently based in Randburg, Gauteng[8]
- Joseph Petrus Hendrik Crowe - British Army officer who was awarded the Victoria Cross
- Nantie Hayward - South African cricketer who now plays in the Indian Cricket League
- Allan Hendrickse - Preacher-teacher-politician from apartheid politics
- Shirlon October (born Shirlon van Aardt) - Top Analyst for Fortune 500 company.
- The Invaders - popular South African music group from the 1960s
- Enoch Sontonga - composer of Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika which is now part of the national anthem.
- Christo van Rensburg - South African tennis player, ATP-ranked singles #19 in 1988 and doubles #5 in 1987[9]
- James Wide - Paraplegic railway signalman and owner of Jack the signal-baboon.
- Garth Wright - Springbok rugby scrum-half from Muir College in the late 80s and early 90s[10]
- Lee-Roy Wright - South African actor and television presenter[11]
- Smuts Ngonyama - ANC National Spokesman during Thabo Mbeki's Era. Recently appointed South African Ambassador to Spain
Notable animals from Uitenhage
- Jack - A chacma baboon trained as paraplegic signalman James Wide's assistant.
Bibliography
- Sellick, W.S.J. (1904). Uitenhage, past and present : souvenir of the Centenary, 1804-1904.
References
- ↑ "Chronological order of town establishment in South Africa based on Floyd (1960:20-26)" (PDF). pp. xlv–lii.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Main Place Uitenhage". Census 2011.
- ↑ "Uitenhage is founded". sahistory. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- ↑ Burman, Jose (1984), Early Railways at the Cape. Cape Town: Human & Rousseau, p.66. ISBN 0-7981-1760-5
- ↑ Thornton, R. J. (1990). "The Shooting at Uitenhage, South Africa, 1985: The Context and Interpretation of Violence". American Ethnologist 17 (2): 217–236. doi:10.1525/ae.1990.17.2.02a00020. JSTOR 645077.
- ↑ http://www.doj.gov.za/trc/hrvtrans/uiten/bucwa.htm
- ↑ Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality : Loyiso Bala
- ↑ Artist hits home with Consciousness Hip Hop
- ↑ Christo van Rensburg - South African Airways ATP Rankings History
- ↑ The Captain's Table: Panel: Garth Wright
- ↑ Lee-Roy Wright
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uitenhage. |
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Uitenhage. |
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