This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2014) |
New Brighton | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 33°53′56″S25°35′42″E / 33.899°S 25.595°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Eastern Cape |
Municipality | Nelson Mandela Bay |
Main Place | Ibhayi |
Government | |
• Type | Metro Council |
Area | |
• Total | 4.85 km2 (1.87 sq mi) |
Population (2011) [1] | |
• Total | 47,917 |
• Density | 9,900/km2 (26,000/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 99.6% |
• Coloured | 0.2% |
• Other | 0.2% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Xhosa | 92.5% |
• English | 3.0% |
• Other | 4.5% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
PO box | 7070 |
New Brighton is a township in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It forms part of the greater township of Ibhayi and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality which governs Port Elizabeth and its surroundings.
It was established in 1902, and was the first officially black residential area in the greater Port Elizabeth area. Prior to the establishment of New Brighton as the first black township, there was a demolishing of the then Black residential area in 1902 where the personal belongings of the Black residents were arbitrarily destroyed, and restrictions imposed upon their travel outside the demarcated area. The racially segregated township of New Brighton was established in 1902 on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, some 8 km north of the city centre, to house families who had been forcefully removed in the previous years. [2] . Many of Athol Fugard's plays are set in New Brighton. [3]
As part of the governing modus-operandi of the Colonial Government of the 19th century, that would eventually lead to the Land Act of 1913 a decade later, where policy was formulated on the basis of ethnicity, townships, including that of New Brighton, were established for the exclusive use of Black residents who were not housed by employers, and who could not afford to purchase property in the suburbs. In 1855, Stranger's Location, known as Emaxambeni in isiXhosa was established. Stranger's Location spilled over into Cooper's Kloof in the 1860s and became a separate municipal location in 1877. The Reservoir Location off Mount Road was established by the Municipality in 1883. The largest privately owned township, Gubbs Location, was established in the 1860s. [4]
A case of bubonic plague in Gubb's Location in 1901 set in place events that led to demolition of these townships and the creation of New Brighton. Port Elizabeth recorded a total of 105 cases - 21 Whites and 84 Blacks - of bubonic plague in 1901. [4] This was the direct result of Argentinian fodder and horses being imported into South Africa by the British military during the South African War. [5]
After the first case was reported, the residents from the various townships agreed to meet. During the meeting it was agreed that a single township outside Port Elizabeth had to be built. Following recommendations from public health officials, demolished houses number 325 in Port Elizabeth and 950 in the Stranger's location, The Reservoir Location and Gubb's Location townships in 1903. The establishment of New Brighton was facilitated by the Colonial Government's purchase of the farms known as Cradock Place and Deal Party for the sum of £20 000. The portion set for the establishment of New Brighton was situated north of Port Elizabeth in area which was deemed unsuitable for industrial use. The choice of a site for New Brighton outside the town's boundaries was determined by favourable health conditions in the area, and the fact that it would allow for effective residential segregation. [4] These were on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, far away from the city centre and white suburbs where New Brighton residents were employed. In its very early days, Port Elizabeth was planned in a manner that did not allow for different races to mix and this was spelt out as such in colonial policy and regulations. White and Coloured people, even though New Brighton was established as an exclusively Black township, flouted Government rules and built homes in New Brighton, albeit only a few. By the year 1911, New Brighton’s population had grown to 3,650 persons, almost all of them Black, this compromising of 52 Whites, 3414 Black Africans and 184 Coloureds. [6] The oldest and iconic location within the New Brighton area is the Red Location, which was developed in 1902-1903, and made up of corrugated iron shacks which were built in a barrack-type fashion.
Accommodation for individuals in New Brighton was allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. The Government initially planned to rehouse only about 1 500 people in the Location even though estimates suggested that about three times that number of Africans resided in Port Elizabeth and slum areas, and that a similar number lived outside the municipal boundaries. Huts were erected in this order: one and two-bedroomed family accommodation for 'ordinary native labourers' and 'civilised natives' also known as Class A and B, and dormitories for 'single men' called Class C. Rents in New Brighton of between 20s. and 30s. per month for family quarters and 8s. per month for single quarters (Class C). At the end of 1903 the population of New Brighton was 2 125. Some residents from the demolished townships of Stranger's location, The Reservoir Location and Gubb's Location refused to move to New Brighton and opted for Korsten. In Korsten, they could own land. By January 1910, the population of New Brighton had reached 3156. [4]
Today, New Brighton is made up of many more locations namely White location, Elundini, KwaFord, Boast Village, Masangwanaville and Chris Hani informal settlement, amongst others. New Brighton is also popular for the sons and daughters it birthed, who would go on to be prominent anti-apartheid activists and leaders of post-apartheid, democratic South Africa. Amongst the prominent South African people born and bred in New Brighton include actor and playwright Ken Gampu, John Kani, Nomhle Nkonyeni, ANC stalwart Vusi Pikoli and Black Consciousness co-founder Barney Pityana. As such, the first cell of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the ANC, was set up in New Brighton. Some of the prominent names in the South African art scene today – a new generation following those mentioned above – that were also born and bred in New Brighton include poet Mxolisi Nyezwa and dramatist-playwright Mzwandile Zwai Mgijima. Many of the historic places that served as cultural and political hubs in New Brighton and Port Elizabeth at large in the 1960s have either been demolished or changed to suit contemporary needs. Notable amongst these include the former Rio Bioscope, opened in 1950 on Aggrey Road, is today being used as a church by the Cathedral Church of Umzi Wasi Topiya, naming it Kaizer Ngxwana after the anti-apartheid struggle stalwart. The Red Location Museum is one of the main tourist attractions. [7]
New Brighton forms part of the greater township of Ibhayi. It is surrounded by the township of KwaZakhele in the north, Algoa Park, and Cradock Place in the east, Young Park in the south-east, Sidwell in the south and the industrial area of Deal Party in the west.
It is located along the R75 (Uitenhage Road) to Uitenhage and North End and north of the N2 off-ramp. The N2 links to Humansdorp, George and Cape Town in the west and Makhanda, East London and Durban in the east. [8]
The Struandale industrial area is a popular industrial node in Nelson Mandela Bay located west of New Brighton and is often considered part of New Brighton. [9]
Notable companies in Struandale include Distell Distribution, DSV Pharmacare, BASF, MW Wheels, Eveready but most importantly the Isuzu automotive manufacturing plant and Ford engine manufacturing plant. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]
Continental Tyres and PPC Cement have their manufacturing plants in New Brighton. [16] [17]
Port Elizabeth College which is a higher education facility has its campus in the Struandale area, west of New Brighton. [18]
Basic education facilities/schools in New Brighton include:
The song "Berlin Wall" on Johnny Clegg & Savuka's first album Third World Child refers to the local nickname given to the fence erected by security forces around the township during the 1986 State of emergency. [28]
East London is a city on the southeastern coast of South Africa, in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape Province. The city lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo River and the Nahoon River, and hosts the country's only river port. As of 2011, East London had a population of over 267,000 with over 755,000 in the surrounding metropolitan area.
Bellville is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, and is part of the city's Northern Suburbs region. Having formerly been an independent city, it was later incorporated into the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, which is located in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
The Defiance Campaign against Unjust Laws was presented by the African National Congress (ANC) at a conference held in Bloemfontein, South Africa in December 1951. The Campaign had roots in events leading up the conference. The demonstrations, taking place in 1952, were the first "large-scale, multi-racial political mobilization against apartheid laws under a common leadership".
Athol Fugard OIS HonFRSL is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright. He is best known for his political and penetrating plays opposing the system of apartheid. Some of these have also been adapted for film.
Winston Ntshona was a South African playwright and actor. He won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1975.
Nelson Mandela University, formerly Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, is a public university in South Africa. Established in 2005, it comprises the former University of Port Elizabeth, the Port Elizabeth Technikon and Vista University's Port Elizabeth campus. This university has its main administration in the coastal city of Gqeberha.
Bonisile John Kani,, is a South African actor, author, director and playwright. He is known for portraying T'Chaka in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Black Panther (2018), Rafiki in The Lion King (2019) and Colonel Ulenga in the Netflix films Murder Mystery (2019) and Murder Mystery 2 (2023).
The R75 is a provincial route in Eastern Cape, South Africa that connects Graaff-Reinet with Gqeberha via Despatch, Kariega and Jansenville.
Gqeberha, formerly known as 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 Municipality, South Africa's second-smallest metropolitan municipality by area. It is the sixth-most populous city in South Africa and is the cultural, economic and financial hub of the Eastern Cape.
Khayelitsha is a township in Western Cape, South Africa, on the Cape Flats in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality. The name is Xhosa for New Home. It is reputed to be one of the largest and fastest-growing townships in South Africa.
Red Dust is a 2004 British drama film starring Hilary Swank and Chiwetel Ejiofor and directed by Tom Hooper.
Atandwa Kani is a South African actor. He is the son of actor John Kani.
iBhayi is a large township near Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It is the largest township in the Eastern Cape province and the ninth largest in South Africa after Mitchells Plain near Cape Town in the Western Cape.
Motherwell is a fast growing township in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It forms part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality which is the metropolitan area comprising Gqeberha, Despatch, Uitenhage and other surrounding towns.
Red Location, Ilali Ebomvu, is one of the oldest townships in South Africa. It is situated in the township of New Brighton in Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape. It is commonly described as 'the umbilical cord of New Brighton'. It has its characteristic red appearance due to the corrugated deep red structures of the settlement which date back to the early twentieth century. These corrugated iron structures were sourced from a de-constructed concentration camp established in Uitenhage during the South African War. The recycled structures were painted red and consequently the oldest section of New Brighton became known as the Red Location. The township was aimed at housing black people and started development in 1902. Many prominent political and cultural South African leaders were born or spent time in the township.
Dora Nginza, known as the “Mother of New Brighton", was a nursing sister who was one of the earliest and most influential pioneers of public health service for black people in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
The following is a timeline of the history of Port Elizabeth in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Eastern Cape province, South Africa.
Florence Matomela OLG (1910–1969) was a South African anti-pass law activist, communist, civil rights campaigner, ANC veteran, teacher and mother who dedicated her life to fighting against Apartheid laws in South Africa. Matomela was the provincial organiser of the African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) and vice-president of the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) in the mid 1950s.
Nomhle Nkonyeni was a South African actress who has appeared in television series such as Mzansi, Tsha Tsha and the 2007 mini-series Society, as well as feature films such as Of Good Report (2013).
Oslo Beach is a small coastal village located along the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and forms part of the coastal town of Port Shepstone.