Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth is one of South Africa’s largest cities and seaports. Effectionally knows as “Die Baai” in Afrikaans and amongst locals as, “The Friendly City” and “The Windy City”; and in short, just PE. Port Elizabeth was founded in 1820 to house British Settlers, but originally home to the Khoisan, San and Xhosa tribes. From as early as 1488, the bay got visited by European explorers and these visits were merely motivated by the fresh water on offer. In 1820, 4000 settlers settled at the seaport town and the acting Governor Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin named the town after his late wife, Elizabeth.
Port Elizabeth's history
Port Elizabeth grew rapidly after the railway connecting PE and Kimberly was built in 1873. Port Elizabeth had a diverse community comprising of European, Cape Malay and many other immigrants from other countries. During the Second Boer War, Port Elizabeth played an important role as a transit point for soldiers and goods. PE was not part of any battles during these turbulent times, but housed refugees, Boer woman and children in the British concentration camp.
Port Elizabeth apartheid era
In 1962 the “Group Area Act” began; forcefully removing all non-whites from the South End district, a prime real estate area. These people were relocated to informal settlements (Townships). South End then got flattened and redeveloped exclusively for whites. This relocation continued until 1975. The anti-apartheid activist, Steve Biko were caught and interrogated in Port Elizabeth by the Security Police in 1977, who later died in Pretoria after being transported there.
Port Elizabeth industry
After the fall of apartheid in 1994, Port Elizabeth grew from strength to strength. Tourism and industry boomed with multi Billion Rand Industrial developments like Coega and the new 2010 Soccer stadium. PE is world renowned for their motor vehicle industry with the Ford; Volkswagen and General Motors assembly plants located there together with other automotive parts manufacturers. Port Elizabeth is a world class tourist destination with Blue Flag beaches, game parks, museums and other attractions. PE offer a wide range of outdoor activities ranging from hiking trails, scuba diving, horseback riding, surfing and Kite boarding, to mention just a few.
Port Elizabeth Sport
Port Elizabeth offers a range of sporting facilities for major sporting events like cricket, rugby, soccer and hockey. High tech stadiums like the St. George’s Park cricket ground and the all new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is strategically located in Port Elizabeth in close vicinity to the Port Elizabeth Airport. With the ocean basically in the city, it is the perfect venue for large water sport events and lures thousands of visitors to Port Elizabeth annually.
