Uitenhage

Uitenhage

Victoria Tower in Uitenhage
Uitenhage
Uitenhage
Uitenhage

 Uitenhage shown within Eastern Cape

Coordinates: 33°46′S 25°24′E / 33.767°S 25.400°E / -33.767; 25.400Coordinates: 33°46′S 25°24′E / 33.767°S 25.400°E / -33.767; 25.400
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 (/ˈjuːtᵻnheɪɡ/; 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, to the east.

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

Notable animals from Uitenhage

Coats of arms

Drostdy — In 1804, the Cape colonial government assigned the shield of Jacob Abraham Uitenhage de Mist's arms to the new Uitenhage drostdy. The arms were Sable, a cross moline Argent, i.e. a silver cross moline on a black shield. An anchor was placed behind the shield.[15] The British authorities discontinued the drostdy seals in 1814, and replaced them with the royal coat of arms.[16]

Municipality — In 1881, the Uitenhage municipal council adopted the De Mist arms, complete with a crest consisting of a cross moline issuing from a gold coronet.[17] The arms were registered with the Cape Provincial Administration in September 1956[18] and at the Bureau of Heraldry in June 1994.[19]

Divisional council — The Uitenhage divisional council (the local authority for the rural areas outside the town) assumed a coat of arms in 1968. The arms were granted by the provincial administrator in August 1968[20] and registered at the Bureau of Heraldry in June 1972.[19]

The arms were : Or, a triple crowned tree Vert, the trunk entwined with the Batavian tricolour; on a chief wavy Sable a cross moline between dexter a pickaxe and hammer in saltire, handles downwards and sinister two scrolls in saltire, Argent. In layman's terms, the design was a golden shield displaying, from top to bottom, a crossed pickaxe and hammer, a cross moline and two crossed scrolls on a black horizontal strip with a wavy edge, and a triple-crowned tree with a Batavian Republic flag wrapped around it.

The crest was an elephant, and the motto Per laborem ad honorem.

Bibliography

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 Uitenhage". Census 2011.
  3. ↑ "Uitenhage is founded". sahistory. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  4. ↑ Burman, Jose (1984), Early Railways at the Cape. Cape Town: Human & Rousseau, p.66. ISBN 0-7981-1760-5
  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.
  6. ↑ http://www.doj.gov.za/trc/hrvtrans/uiten/bucwa.htm
  7. ↑ McGregor, Liz (21 March 2005). "Obituary: The Rev Allan Hendrickse". UD News. Uitenhage. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  8. ↑ Christo van Rensburg - South African Airways ATP Rankings History
  9. ↑ Combrinck, Heilie (30 June 2016). "First local TEDx conference hosts famous guests". UD News. Uitenhage. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  10. ↑ The Captain's Table: Panel: Garth Wright
  11. ↑ "Lee-Roy Wright". tvsa.co.za.
  12. ↑ "Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality : Loyiso Bala". nelsonmandelabay.gov.za.
  13. ↑ Artist hits home with Consciousness Hip Hop
  14. ↑ Gedye, Lloyd (22 November 2008). "Rise of The Invaders". The M&G Online. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  15. ↑ Pama, C. (1965) Lions and Virgins.
  16. ↑ Cape Town Gazette 418 (15 January 1814).
  17. ↑ The arms were depicted on a cigarette card issued in 1931.
  18. ↑ Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette 2833 (28 September 1956).
  19. 1 2 National Archives of South Africa : Data of the Bureau of Heraldry
  20. ↑ Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette 3470 (9 August 1968).
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uitenhage.
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Uitenhage.
 Baviaanskloof Kirkwood 54 km Addo 45 km
Hankey 73 km Despatch 9 km, Coega
   Uitenhage  
Humansdorp 88 km Skoenmakerskop 44 km Port Elizabeth 31 km

Note: Distances by tarred road as per SA Explorer – Uitenhage Distances

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