East London Town Hall. Photo by Tim Giddings
The history of East London is intimately connected with the history of European settlement in South Africa. It started as the “Slummies” before it was declared a city in 1914. However, it did not display significant growth as a new city. Prior to the 1900s, East London was designated as the supply port, Port Rex, to service the British army’s needs during the frontier wars. The frontier wars were between the British army and the indigenous Xhosa peoples. Fort Glamorgan, which was run by the British, was erected along the West Bank in the mid-1800s.
After the wars, German bachelors came to East London to settle down. Today, this German heritage is barely noticed because the Germans changed their last names to sound more British. By 1876, a railway was constructed which brought more trade and residents. One of the main attractions in East London is the double deck bridge on Buffalo River, built in 1935. It’s the only bridge of its kind in the country.
Bantu Homelands
During the 1960s, during the Apartheid era, East London was very unsettled. This was because it was surrounded by Bantu homelands. Bantu homelands were areas designated as solely for ethnically African people. These areas represented the racial divide, and it brought a lot of tension. East London was not part of the Bantu homelands, but Ciskei to its west and Transkei to its east were part of the Bantu homelands.
It was the local East London papers that first published the story of Steve Biko’s murder: Biko was a major proponent of the Black Consciousness Movement. After the free elections of 1994, a free port zone was established in East London, and this began the industrialization of the city. Today it is the 2nd most modern city in the province. In the year 2000, East London became a municipality of Buffalo City along with Bhisho (formerly Bisho) and King William’s Town.
East London Attractions
East London has a lot to be proud about and one of these points of pride would be their attractions. The city is brimming with almost all kinds of leisure activities, sports, and recreation. Locals have no problem finding something special to do on any given day.
The Beaches of East London
The Indian Ocean is known for its warm, relaxing waters, and in East London the water stays the same temperature almost all year round. Since it is not as popular a tourist destination as Cape Town or Durban, the beaches remain relatively pristine, clean and comfortably populated.
The East London Aquarium and The Ocean Deck
Not surprisingly, many residents in East London enjoy the Ocean Deck because it’s one way to shake off the stress of a work week. The aquarium, on the other hand, is South Africa’s oldest aquarium having been built in 1930 – 1931.
Other points of interest for both visitors and residents are the game reserves, zoo and museum. But what East Londoners really enjoy doing during their free time is their favourite sport. Sports are extremely diverse, especially in this part of South Africa. There are water sports, racing, cycling, golf, racquet sports, cricket, rugby, soccer, and hunting. In short, there’s always something to do in East London.