Middelburg, Eastern Cape

This article is about the town in Eastern Cape. For other uses, see Middelburg (disambiguation).
Middelburg

Middelburg railway station
Middelburg

 Middelburg shown within Eastern Cape

Coordinates: 31°29′38″S 25°1′2″E / 31.49389°S 25.01722°E / -31.49389; 25.01722Coordinates: 31°29′38″S 25°1′2″E / 31.49389°S 25.01722°E / -31.49389; 25.01722
Country South Africa
Province Eastern Cape
District Chris Hani
Municipality Inxuba Yethemba
Established 1852[1]
Area[2]
 • Total 44.76 km2 (17.28 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 18,681
 • Density 420/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 49.2%
 • Coloured 43.9%
 • Indian/Asian 0.3%
 • White 6.2%
 • Other 0.4%
First languages (2011)[2]
 • Afrikaans 52.3%
 • Xhosa 43.6%
 • English 1.9%
 • Other 2.2%
Postal code (street) 5900
PO box 5900

Middelburg is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, in the Great Karoo. It lies in the Upper Karoo, 1 279 m above sea level, with a population of 19,000.[3] It falls under the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality, in the Chris Hani District Municipality.

History

In 1837 the Cape Colony government proclaimed the district of Colesberg, and established the Town of Middelburg in 1852, so named since it is midway between Graaff-Reinet and Colesberg. (It is also approximately halfway between Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein, as well as between Johannesburg and Cape Town.)

The town and surrounding areas are rich in history from the Anglo Boer War. The adjacent Grootfontein College of Agriculture was originally established as a military camp and training centre for British troops.[4] About 7 000 troops from the Third Manchester Regiment were stationed at Grootfontein - some of them were married, so about 3 000 women and children also lived at Grootfontein.[3] In 1910 the Union of South Africa took control of the farm after which the Grootfontein School of Agriculture was established in 1911. Today the college offers a two year Certificate in Agriculture and a three year Diploma in Agriculture, both accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee.

The R56, the shortest route between the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal begins at Middelburg. The town's hospital is Wilhelm Stahl Provincial Hospital.[5]

Persons born in Middelburg

Middelburg is the birthplace of playwright Athol Fugard. Other well known South Africans who were born or lived in Middelburg include Eddie Stuart (Footballer), Steven Sykes (Rugby player), Arthur Lennox Ochse (Cricketer), John James Clements (recipient of the Victoria Cross), Eric Rosenthal (historian and author), Cecily Norden (Horse industry), John Phillip Harison Acocks (botanist).

Climate

Climate data for Middelburg, Eastern Cape
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 30
(86)		 28
(82)		 26
(79)		 22
(72)		 18
(64)		 15
(59)		 16
(61)		 18
(64)		 22
(72)		 24
(75)		 26
(79)		 29
(84)		 22
(72)
Daily mean °C (°F) 21
(70)		 20
(68)		 18
(64)		 14
(57)		 11
(52)		 8
(46)		 8
(46)		 10
(50)		 13
(55)		 15
(59)		 18
(64)		 20
(68)		 14
(57)
Average low °C (°F) 13
(55)		 12
(54)		 11
(52)		 7
(45)		 3
(37)		 −4
(25)		 −1
(30)		 1
(34)		 4
(39)		 6
(43)		 9
(48)		 11
(52)		 6
(43)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 44
(1.73)		 56
(2.2)		 60
(2.36)		 31
(1.22)		 16
(0.63)		 10
(0.39)		 11
(0.43)		 12
(0.47)		 15
(0.59)		 26
(1.02)		 38
(1.5)		 37
(1.46)		 356
(14.02)
Source: Weatherbase [6]

References

  1. ↑ "Chronological order of town establishment in South Africa based on Floyd (1960:20-26)" (PDF). pp. xlv–lii.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Middelburg". Census 2011.
  3. 1 2 travel-informed.co.za
  4. ↑ Grootfontein College
  5. ↑ Eastern Cape Dept of Health official website
  6. ↑ "Climate Statistics for Middelburg, Eastern Cape, South Africa". Retrieved June 8, 2012.

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