Uitenhage
| Uitenhage | |
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| — Town — | |
.svg)
 Uitenhage
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| Coordinates: 33°46′S 25°24′E / 33.767°S 25.4°ECoordinates: 33°46′S 25°24′E / 33.767°S 25.4°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| Metropolitan Municipality | Nelson Mandela Bay |
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) |
Uitenhage is a South African town with 275,185 inhabitants 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 town's name is pronounced /ˈjuːtɨnheɪɡ/ by English speakers and [œjtənˈɦɑːxə] in Afrikaans. The city of Port Elizabeth and the small town of Despatch are located near Uitenhage.
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[edit] 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.[1] Uitenhage formed from part of the district of Graaff Reinet (shortly after its short-lived secession) and in 1877 it became a municipality.
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.[2][3]
In 2001 it was incorporated with Port Elizabeth and Despatch into the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Notable people from Uitenhage
- Allan Hendrickse - Preacher-teacher-politician from apartheid politics
- Okkert Brits - Olympic pole vaulter
- Nantie Hayward - South African cricketer who now plays in the Indian Cricket League
- The Invaders - popular South African music group from the 1960s
- Joseph Petrus Hendrik Crowe - British Army officer who was awarded the Victoria Cross
- Christo van Rensburg - South African tennis player, ATP-ranked singles #19 in 1988 and doubles #5 in 1987[4]
- Lee-Roy Wright - South African actor and television presenter[5]
- Garth Wright - Springbok rugby scrum-half from Muir College in the late 80s and early 90s[6]
- Enoch Sontonga - composer of Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, now part of the national anthem
[edit] Bibliography
- Sellick, W.S.J. (1904). Uitenhage, past and present : souvenir of the Centenary, 1804-1904. http://www.archive.org/details/uitenhagepastpre00sell.
[edit] References
- ^ "Uitenhage is founded". sahistory. http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology/thisday/1804-04-25.htm. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- ^ 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.
- ^ http://www.doj.gov.za/trc/hrvtrans/uiten/bucwa.htm
- ^ Christo van Rensburg - South African Airways ATP Rankings History
- ^ Lee-Roy Wright
- ^ The Captain's Table: Panel: Garth Wright
[edit] External links
Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Uitenhage". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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