Uitenhage ( ; ), officially renamed Kariega, is a South African town in the

Eastern Cape Province The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

. It is well known for the

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n continent. Along with the city of

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

and the small town of Despatch, it forms part of the

Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (; ) is one of eight metropolitan municipalities in South Africa. It is located on the shores of Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape province and comprises the city of Gqeberha, the nearby towns of Uitenhage and De ...

History

Uitenhage was founded on 25 April 1804 by ''

landdrost ''Landdrost'' ({{IPA, nl, ˈlɑndrɔst, lang, Nl-landdrost.ogg) was the title of various officials with local jurisdiction in the Netherlands and a number of former territories in the Dutch Empire. The term is a Dutch compound, with ''land'' mean ...

'' (district magistrate)

Jacob Glen Cuyler Jacob Glen Cuyler (1773 – April 14, 1854) was an American of Dutch origin who was an important character in the settlement of the British 1820 Settlers to the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Early life Jacob Glen Cuyler was born in 1773 to Abraham ...

and named in honour of the Cape's Commissioner-General

Jacob Abraham Uitenhage de Mist Jacob Abraham Uitenhage de Mist (20 April 1749 – 3 August 1823) was a Dutch statesman. He was the Head of State of the National Assembly of the Batavian Republic from 17 April 1797 – 1 May 1797, and Commissioner-General of the Cape Colony ...

by the

Dutch Cape Colony The Cape of Good Hope () was a Dutch United East India Company (VOC) supplystation in Southern Africa, centered on the Cape of Good Hope, from where it derived its name. The original supply station and the successive states that the area was ...

governor,

Jan Willem Janssens ''Jonkheer'' Jan Willem Janssens GCMWO (12 October 1762 – 23 May 1838) was a Dutch military officer, colonial administrator and statesman who served both as the governor of the Dutch Cape Colony and governor-general of the Dutch East Indies ...

. Uitenhage formed part of the district of

Graaff Reinet Graaff-Reinet (; Xhosa: eRhafu) is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the oldest town in the province and the fourth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Simon's Town, Paarl and Swellendam. The to ...

(shortly after its short-lived secession). The

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

received a degree of independence when "

Responsible Government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...

" was declared in 1872. In 1875, the

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

government of

John Molteno Sir John Charles Molteno (; 5 June 1814 – 1 September 1886) was a politician and businessman who served as the first Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1872 to 1878. Early life Born in London into a large Anglo-Italian family, Molten ...

took over the rudimentary Uitenhage railway site, incorporated it into the

Cape Government Railways The Cape Government Railways (CGR) was the government-owned railway operator in the Cape Colony from 1874 until the creation of the South African Railways (SAR) in 1910. History Private railways The first railways at the Cape were privately ow ...

(CGR), and began construction of the lines connecting Uitenhage to

and the

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

n interior. Two years later in

1877 Events January * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India by the Royal Titles Act 1876, introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sioux War of 1876: Batt ...

, Uitenhage was declared a municipality. Nearly a hundred years later, as part of the Republic 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 Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

. In

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

it was incorporated with Port Elizabeth and Despatch into the

. On 23 February 2021,

Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture The minister of sport, arts and culture is a Minister (government), minister in the Cabinet of South Africa. The minister is responsible for Sport in South Africa, sport, recreation and Culture of South Africa, culture in South Africa. , the c ...

Nathi Mthethwa Emmanuel Nkosinathi Mthethwa (born 23 January 1967) is a South African politician who is currently serving as South African Ambassador to France. He represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly of South Africa betwee ...

approved and gazetted the decision to rename Uitenhage to Kariega along with the neighbouring city of Port Elizabeth, which was renamed Gqeberha.

Geography

Kariega is situated on the banks of the

Swartkops River Swartkops River, also Zwartskop River, (Afrikaans: ''black hills'') is a watercourse in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The source of the Swartkops is near Cockscombe Mountain, and it flows east into the Algoa Bay of the Indian Ocean ...

, approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) north-west of

Gqeberha Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipa ...

. Kariega, along with the city of Gqeberha, the neighbouring town of Despatch, the adjoining

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

KwaNobuhle KwaNobuhle is the largest township on the outskirts of Uitenhage (Kariega) in the Eastern Cape province of the Republic of South Africa. It was formed during the time of Forced Removals, officially opened in 1967. History Early history * ...

and surrounding areas, form the

. Kariega also lies at the start of the Mohair Route which leads along Route 75 towards

Graaff-Reinet Graaff-Reinet (; Xhosa: eRhafu) is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the oldest town in the province and the fourth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Simon's Town, Paarl and Swellendam. The to ...

(the centre for mohair farming in South Africa), 228 kilometres to the northwest via

Jansenville Jansenville is a town in Sarah Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town is on the Sundays River, 87 km south of Graaff-Reinet. Laid out on the farm Vergenoegd in 1854, it was proclaimed in 1855 a ...

Route 75 The following highways are numbered 75: International * Asian Highway 75 * European route E75 Afghanistan * Kandahar-Boldak Highway (A75) Australia * Cobb Highway, NSW * Northern Highway, Victoria Brazil * SP-75 Canada * Manitoba Highw ...

Industries

Kariega is known for the large industries situated there. The largest of these industries are the Volkswagen of South Africa 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. Other industries of note are the food processing giant, Sovereign Foods, located in Kruisrivier industrial area and The Nelson Mandela Bay Logistics Park which hosts several other industries, including Fauricia. These industries are heavily interlinked.

Transport

Roads

The R75 highway, also known as Route 75, bypasses Kariega to the east, heading north–south from

with interchanges at the M19, M6, R334 and Graaff-Reinet Road. The R334 connects Kariega with

Coega The Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ), established in 1999 and 9 003 ha in extent, is situated near Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), i ...

to the east and with

and the R102 (near

Van Stadens Pass Van Stadens Pass is situated in the Eastern Cape, province of South Africa, on the R102 regional route, between Port Elizabeth and Humansdorp Humansdorp is a town in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, with a population of around 29,000 as o ...

) to the south-west. The town is also intersected by metropolitan routes such as the M6 (Caledon Street; Union Avenue) to Despatch in the east, the M10 (Durban Street; Algoa Road) to

Bethelsdorp Bethelsdorp is a town in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, 20 km north-west of Port Elizabeth. History The town was established in 1803 by Rev. J.T. van der Kemp on the farm Roodepas ...

in the south-west, the M19 (Botha Street) to Despatch and the M22 (Marconi Street; Mel Brooks Avenue) to KwaNobuhle in the south. The main streets through the CBD, known as Uitenhage Central, include Cuyler Street, Caledon Street in Upper Central and Durban Street in Lower Central.

Notable people

* Loyiso Bala, South African R&B singer; part of Bala Brothers ground and

TKZee TKZee is a South African kwaito music group formed in 1990s by three school friends, Tokollo Tshabalala, Kabelo Mabalane, and Zwai Bala. The group shot to prominence in late 1997 and early 1998 with their chart-topping singles "Palafala" and ...

Mihlali Mosi Mihlali Mosi (born ) is a South African rugby union player for the . His regular position is flanker or number 8. Mosi was named in the squad for the 2021 Currie Cup Premier Division. He made his debut for the in Round 2 of the 2021 Currie Cu ...

, professional Rugby Player from Muir College Boys' High School *

Linky Boshoff Delina Ann Boshoff-Mortlock, commonly known as Linky Boshoff (born 12 November 1956), is a South African former professional tennis player. She won the 1976 US Open women's doubles title with her partner Ilana Kloss. Tennis career In 1973 Bos ...

, South African tennis player from Riebeek College Girls' High School *

Okkert Brits Okkert Brits (born 22 August 1973, in Uitenhage) is a former South African track and field athlete who specialised in the pole vault. He was the silver medallist at the World Championships in Athletics in 2003. He was a four-time champion at t ...

, Olympic pole vaulter *

Joseph Petrus Hendrik Crowe Lieutenant colonel Joseph Petrus Hendrik Crowe VC (12 January 1826 – 12 April 1876) was the second South African-born recipient of the Victoria Cross (after Christopher Teesdale VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in th ...

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

* Deshun Deysel, member of the

1996 South African Everest Expedition The 1996 South African Everest expedition was a heavily publicised expedition by a UK-South African climbing team to summit Mount Everest. The expedition was led by Ian Woodall, intended to be a celebration of post-apartheid South Africa. While t ...

* Carel Fourie, Springbok rugby wing; from Die Brandwag Hoërskool *

Nantie Hayward Mornantau "Nantie" Hayward (born 6 March 1977) is a South African former cricketer, who played in 16 Test matches and 21 One Day Internationals for the national team between 1998 and 2004. He played as a right-arm fast bowler, who, according t ...

, South African cricketer who now plays in the

Indian Cricket League The Indian Cricket League (ICL) was a short-lived cricket league that ran from 2007 to 2009. It was sponsored by Zee Entertainment Enterprises, a media company. The ICL had two seasons, featuring four international teams and nine domestic teams ...

Allan Hendrickse Helenard Joe Hendrickse (22 October 1927 – 16 March 2005), popularly known as Allan Hendrickse, was a South African politician, Congregationalist minister and teacher. He was a founder of the 1969–1994 Labour Party of South Africa and a le ...

, preacher-teacher-politician during the apartheid era *

Mcebisi Jonas Mcebisi Hubert Jonas (born 1960) is a South African politician and businessman who was the Deputy Minister of Finance of South Africa between May 2014 and March 2017. He is best known as a state capture whistleblower. In 2016, he publicly alle ...

, former deputy Finance Minister, active member of ANC's Uitenhage branch *

Deon Kayser Deon Jerome Kayser (born 3 July 1970 in Uitenhage) is a South African former rugby union player and current coach. He played as a wing. Career Kayser made his senior provincial debut for in 1996 and at the end of the 1999 season he moved to th ...

, rugby player * Johann van der Merwe, Springbok rugby centre 1969/70 British tour; from Die Brandwag Hoërskool *

Bicks Ndoni Bicks Ndoni (7 May 1958 – 20 January 2020) was a South African politician who served as chief whip of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality from August 2018 until his death in January 2020. He was previously the deputy mayor of Nelson ...

, former mayor of Uitenhage and ANC politician *

Smuts Ngonyama Lulama Smuts Ngonyama (born 22 August 1952) is a South African diplomat who previously served as South Africa’s Ambassador to Spain and currently to Japan, and a former head of communications for the African National Congress (ANC) in South Afric ...

, ANC National Spokesman during Thabo Mbeki's Era. Recently appointed South African Ambassador to Spain *

Anrich Nortje Anrich Arno Nortje (born 16 November 1993) is a South African cricketer. He made his international debut for the South Africa cricket team in March 2019. In July 2020, Nortje was named the newcomer of the year at Cricket South Africa's annual a ...

, South African cricketer * Charles Robert Redcliffe, Labour Party politician, community leader and anti-apartheid activist *

Christo van Rensburg Christo van Rensburg (born 23 October 1962) is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. Van Rensburg turned professional in 1983. He won his first doubles title on ATP Tour later that year at Cleveland. Van Rensburg won 20 top-l ...

, South African tennis player, ATP-ranked *

Enoch Sontonga Enoch Mankayi Sontonga ( – 18 April 1905) was a South African composer, who is best known for writing the Xhosa hymn "" (), which, in abbreviated version, has been sung as the first half of the national anthem of South Africa since 1994. Prev ...

, composer of ''

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika "" (, ) is a Christian hymn composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a Xhosa people, Xhosa clergyman at a Methodism, Methodist mission school near Johannesburg. The song became a pan-African liberation song and versions of it were later adopted as ...

'' which is now part of the national anthem * James Wide, double leg amputee railway signalman and owner of

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, incl ...

the signal-

baboon Baboons are primates comprising the biology, genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys, in the family Cercopithecidae. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow ba ...

Garth Wright Garth Derick Wright (born 9 September 1963) is a former South African rugby union player. Playing career Wright played for Eastern Province and Transvaal in the South African domestic competitions. He made his test debut for the Springbok ...

Springbok The springbok or springbuck (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is an antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus (biology), genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first Species description, described by the Germa ...

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

scrum-half from

Muir College Muir College is a semi-private English medium high school for boys situated in the suburb of Vanes Estate in Kariega (Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality) in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Muir caters for pupils from Grade ...

* Lee-Roy Wright, South African actor and television presenter *

Lloyiso Loyiso Gijana (born 8 March 1999), professionally known as Lloyiso is South African singer-songwriter and producer. Born and raised in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, Lloyiso developed musical interest at the age of 12 and contested on '' Idols SA'' seas ...

, South African singer-songwriter (born 1999)

Notable animals

– a

chacma baboon The chacma baboon (''Papio ursinus''), also known as the Cape baboon, is, like all other baboons, from the Old World monkey family. It is one of the largest of all monkeys. Located primarily in southern Africa, the chacma baboon has a wide vari ...

trained to assist signalman James Wide, who had both legs amputated.

Notable buildings

* Masjid al-Qudama (1849), is one of the oldest

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s in the country. * Cuyler Manor, historic house museum

Coats of arms

Drostdy — In 1804, the Cape colonial government assigned the shield of

'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.Pama, C. (1965) ''Lions and Virgins''. The British authorities discontinued the drostdy seals in 1814, and replaced them with the royal coat of arms.''Cape Town Gazette'' 418 (15 January 1814). 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.The arms were depicted on
cigarette card
issued in 1931. The arms were registered with the Cape Provincial Administration in September 1956Cape of Good Hope ''Official Gazette'' 2833 (28 September 1956). and at the

Bureau of Heraldry The Bureau of Heraldry is the South African heraldic authority, established in Pretoria on 1 June 1963. It is headed by a State Herald (known unofficially as the National Herald since 2004) and its functions are to register arms, badges, flags ...

in June 1994. 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 1968Cape of Good Hope ''Official Gazette'' 3470 (9 August 1968). and registered at the

in June 1972. On the arms were stated: "Or, a triple crowned

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

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 The Batavian Republic (; ) was the Succession of states, successor state to the Dutch Republic, Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 after the Batavian Revolution and ended on 5 June 1806, with the acce ...

flag wrapped around it. The crest was an

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

, and the motto ''Per laborem ad honorem''.

References

Bibliography

External links

{{Authority control Populated places in Nelson Mandela Bay Populated places established in 1804