Our hometown of Uitenhage is a beautiful, productive little industrial town with many historic buildings and sites. So beautiful, in fact, that it came to be known as the Garden Town of South Africa. The people are friendly and for the most part open-hearted. Unfortunately, like many industrial towns, poverty is the order of the day for many of our residents. At least 35% live just shy of the breadline. This has been the case for the last two generations and it has contributed to a new anger and hard-heartedness in our people. It has affected all races that reside here.
About Uitenhage, the garden town
In 1804, JA Uitenhage de Mist, Commissioner-General of the Batavian Republic, instructed Captain Alberti to select a site for the new Drostdy (Eastern Cape District). Alberti chose a site on the banks of the Zwartkops River Valley, because of the favourable climate and abundant water supply. As a result, Uitenhage (also known as the Garden Town) was originally the headquarters of the Eastern Cape. Located only 35 km from Port Elizabeth, today Uitenhage is a thriving industrial and commercial town and forms part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. Uitenhage is home to Volkswagen of South Africa (Pty) Ltd, one of three motor manufacturers in the Eastern Cape. The surrounding area also encompasses the pristine Groendal Wilderness Area, that provides a host of eco-outdoor activities.