Fort Beaufort ( Xhosa: iBhofolo) is a town in the Amatole District of South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, and had a population of 25,668 in 2011. The town was established in 1837 and became a municipality in 1883. The town lies at the confluence of the

Kat River The Kat River ( af, Katrivier) is a tributary of the Great Fish River, that drains the southern slopes of the Winterberg in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Etymology Kat, meaning "cat", is a translation of the Khoekhoen word "huncu", th ...

and Brak River between the

Keiskamma The Keiskamma River ( af, Keiskammarivier) is a river in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The river flows into the Indian Ocean in the Keiskamma Estuary, located by Hamburg Nature Reserve, near Hamburg, midway between East London and Po ...

and

Great Fish River The Great Fish River (called ''great'' to distinguish it from the Namibian Fish River) ( af, Groot-Visrivier) is a river running through the South African province of the Eastern Cape. The coastal area between Port Elizabeth and the Fish ...

s. Fort Beaufort serves as a mini-'dormitory' for academic staff and students of Fort Hare University, based in the nearby town of

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

, and is also close to Sulphur Springs. It is also the birthplace of South African politician and anti-

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

activist who is also the first Premier of the Eastern Cape Raymond Mhlaba and his former first wife Joyce Meke.

History

The roots of Fort Beaufort is a mission station that the Reverend Joseph Williams of the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational m ...

established in 1816. In 1822, Colonel Maurice Scott of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment constructed a blockhouse about three miles from the mission station as a military frontier post and stronghold against raids by the Xhosa under their chief, Maqoma. The British named it Fort Beaufort to honour the

Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort (), a title in the Peerage of England, was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of S ...

, father of Lord Charles Henry Somerset, first British governor of the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with ...

(1814 to 1826). After the 6th Xhosa War (1834–1835), Governor Sir Benjamin d'Urban authorised construction of a fort at the site of the original blockhouse. The new buildings included a military hospital, guard houses, infantry barracks, and officers' quarters. In 1839, the British commenced work on what is probably the world's only inland

Martello tower Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand u ...

, a small, circular

Napoleonic era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislativ ...

design hitherto used only in coastal defences. The tower was completed in 1846. Today, the original howitzer remains mounted on the roof on a traversing carriage that gives it a 360-degree field of fire. The tower has been restored after having served for some time as a public latrine. In 1840 Fort Beaufort became a town. Around this time Andrew Geddes Bain built the first road, including the Ecca Pass, from

Grahamstown Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana ...

, to Fort Beaufort. During the 8th Xhosa War (1850–53), also known as the War of Mlanjeni, anti-British forces unsuccessfully attacked the town. Harmanus Matroos, alias Ngxukumeshe, was a half-

Khoikhoi Khoekhoen (singular Khoekhoe) (or Khoikhoi in the former orthography; formerly also '' Hottentots''"Hottentot, n. and adj." ''OED Online'', Oxford University Press, March 2018, www.oed.com/view/Entry/88829. Accessed 13 May 2018. Citing G. S. ...

and half- Xhosa. He started the war on 30 December 1850 by capturing a small outpost near Fort Beaufort. Matroos had served the British in the 7th Xhosa War (1846–47), also known as the War of the Axe. Matroos fell on 8 January 1851 during his third attack on Fort Beaufort. British troops occupied the town until 1870. In 1949 the first congregation of the

Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NGK) is a Reformed Christian denomination in South Africa. It also has a presence in neighbouring countries, such as Namibia, Eswatini, and parts of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

(Dutch Reformed Church) seceded from Alice due to demographic changes.

Schools

Schools in the area include the historic

Healdtown Comprehensive School Healdtown Comprehensive School is a Methodist school located near Fort Beaufort, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. It was established in 1855 and assuming its current name in 1994, having been known for most of its history as simply "Healdtown" ...

. Fort Beaufort has number of high schools that include: Eyabantu High,
Inyibiba High,
Lindani High,
Winterberg High,
Thubalethu High,
Sakhululeka High, and the newly built
Lighthouse Academy.

Culture

Healthcare today

Fort Beaufort has three governmental hospitals, namely Fort Beaufort Provincial Hospital, Tower Psychiatric Hospital, and Winterberg TB (previous SANTA) Hospital. There are also seven primary healthcare clinics in the area, namely C.C. Lloyd (in the CBD), Newtown, Hillside, Thozamile, Lulama Kama,

Healdtown Healdtown is a hamlet located 10 km north-east of Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated in Raymond Mhlaba Municipality in Amathole District in an area that was formerly part of the Ciskei. Nelson Mandel ...

and Mxelo.

Notable people

* Raymond Mhlaba (first Premier of the Eastern Cape) * Joyce Meke (Raymond Mhlaba's former first wife) * Josiah Gumede (President of the ANC 1927-1930) * Charlotte Maxeke (First President of the ANCWL) * Ian Roberts (Actor) * Litsila McDonald Fani (Member of the National Assembly)1994-1999 * Thobani Mseleni (Actor) * Ntando Bangani (Musician) * Saxola Ketshengana (Actor) * Zikhona Tshona (Journalist) * Dolly Ntaka (Rugby Player) * Ken Gampu (Actor) * Ian Roberts (Actor/Director) * Donald Gray (Actor) * Tony Yengeni (Politician) *

Oliver Zono Oliver Zono (born ) is a South African rugby union player for the in the Currie Cup and in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is fly-half. As of 2020 he plays for Krasny Yar Krasnoyarsk in Russia. Rugby career Border Bulldogs Zono ...

(Rugby Player) * Ali Mgijima (Rugby Player )(Went to school in the area) * John Dugard (Professor of International Law) *

Ollie le Roux Andre-Henri "Ollie" le Roux (born 10 May 1973) is a South African rugby union footballer with 54 caps for his country. Rugby career Le Roux was born in Fort Beaufort, Eastern Cape. In his professional club rugby career he has played for: the , ...

(Rugby Player)

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions * ...