MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Facts about the Eastern Cape

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Adendorp, Eastern Cape – is a Village some 8 km South of Graaff-Reinet, in the Sundays River Valley. Named after the former owner of the Farm, NJ Adendorff, who sub-divided it into smallholdings in about 1858. Municipal status was attained in 1878.

Aberdeen, Eastern Cape is about 50 km South-West of Graaff-Reinet and only 3 hours drive from Port Elizabeth.

Aberdeen was founded when the Nederduits-Gerefomeerde Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church) of Graaff-Reinet gave permission for the establishment of a new congregation on 10 September 1855. The Farm ‘Brakkefontein’ had been bought for this purpose by Jan Vorster. A Village soon sprang up around the new church, and it was named Aberdeen, after the town in Scotland where a minister of the Church, Andrew Murray, had been born.

In 1858 the first Village Management Board was established, and it soon developed into a Municipality. Today, Aberdeen is one of the declared Architectural Conservation Areas, of the Karoo. According to legend, the last wild Quagga was seen in the Aberdeen area.

A Karoo Town with lots of community volunteering and good will, located in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality. Only 3 hours drive from Port Elizabeth, it is one of the Victorian Architectural Conservation Areas of the Karoo. Aberdeen is filled with examples of Victorian architecture, and the Steeple of the Dutch Reformed Church, with its 50 metre Tower, is the highest in South Africa. There is a Local Authority Nature Reserve found here, as well as The Fonteinbos Nature Reserve which is both beautiful and functional, as its natural spring (Die Oog) supplies the entire town and its agricultural sector with its water. Fonteinbos is popular amongst nature enthusiasts as it is home to a plethora of wildlife species. These include many antelope, as well as ostriches, samango monkeys, and a host of birdlife. These are best enjoyed on one of the many walking trails or on a game drive.

The Prehistoric History of the Karoo is fascinating, and visitors are invited to follow the fossilised dinosaur tracks in the rock formations for a taste of this history.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.