Whittlesea, South Africa Explained

Whittlesea
Other Name:Vetlisi
Native Name:Hewu
Pushpin Map:South Africa Eastern Cape#South Africa
Coordinates:-32.1667°N 75°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:South Africa
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Eastern Cape
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Chris Hani
Subdivision Type3:Municipality
Subdivision Name3:Enoch Mgijima
Subdivision Type4:Main Place
Established Title:Established
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:15.37
Population Total:14756
Population As Of:2011
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:Racial makeup (2011)
Demographics1 Title1:Black African
Demographics1 Info1:99.1%
Demographics1 Title2:Coloured
Demographics1 Info2:0.2%
Demographics1 Title3:Indian/Asian
Demographics1 Info3:0.2%
Demographics1 Title4:White
Demographics1 Info4:0.1%
Demographics1 Title5:Other
Demographics1 Info5:0.4%
Demographics Type2:First languages (2011)
Demographics2 Title1:Xhosa
Demographics2 Info1:93.3%
Demographics2 Title2:English
Demographics2 Info2:2.5%
Demographics2 Title5:Other
Demographics2 Info5:4.2%
Timezone1:SAST
Utc Offset1:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code (street)
Postal Code:5360
Postal2 Code Type:PO box
Postal2 Code:5360
Area Code Type:Area code

Whittlesea is a semi-rural town situated on the R67 road in the Hewu district, 37 km south of Komani, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The town is made up of the townships Ekuphumleni, Bhede, Ndlambe, Extension 4, Extension 5 and Sada. The town falls under the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality which is under the Chris Hani District Municipality. Surrounding Whittlesea are 36 villages which make up the Hewu (meaning "flat land' in Xhosa) district.

History

Founded in 1849, Whittlesea was as a military outpost created to protect white settlers during the Frontier War of 1850–1853. The town was named after Whittlesea in Cambridgeshire, birthplace of Sir Harry Smith (1787-1860), Governor of the Cape Colony from 1847 to 1852.[2] A British officer fortified five houses during the War of Mlanjeni (1850 to 1853), when the Xhosas besieged the settlement. One of these, which now forms part of the Post Office Complex, is still standing.[3] Between 1948 and 1994, at the height of the apartheid regime in South Africa, Whittlesea belonged to the former Ciskei, a bantustan/homeland established in 1961 under the Promotion of Self-Government Act of 1959. Until 1994, there was no formal political organisation in Whittlesea. The Department of Internal Affairs facilitated decisions around land use, services and rates in the townships through township managers. After South Africa's first democratic election in 1994, Whittlesea became governed by a council.[4]

Landmarks

Economy

Whittlesea functions as a central town, providing services and shopping facilities to the surrounding villages. The inhabitants of the town rely on the neighbouring town of Queenstown for their economic needs. Due to the failure of the factories built by the Taiwanese in Sada in the 1990s, the underutilisation of small business complexes, a lack of funding and a lack of natural resources, Whittlesea has become a source of migrant labour.[7] However, projects started by The South African National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL)[8] and Expanded Public Works Programmes [9] have brought hope to the area.

Demographics

The following statistics describing Whittlesea are from the 2011 census.[10]

GenderPopulation%
Male6,77445.91
Female7,98254.09
RacePopulation%
Coloured270.18
Black African14,62199.09
White160.11
Indian or Asian350.24
Other570.39
First languagePopulation%
Afrikaans640.44
isiXhosa1366693.27
English3692.52
Sesotho80 0.55
Setswana190.13
Sign language1180.81
isiZulu530.36
isiNdebele490.33
Xitsonga170.12
Sepedi310.21
Tshivenda190.13
siSwati60.04
Other1621.11
Not applicable104

Villages

Some of the villages surrounding Whittlesea include;

External links

Cape Socio-Economic Consultative CouncilFani (Bradloof)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Main Place Whittlesea . Census 2011.
  2. Web site: Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain). Human Science Research Council. 474.
  3. Web site: Eastern Cape. In A Bus Tours. 104.
  4. Web site: Whittlesea: A socio economic profile and LED strategy. Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council. 6.
  5. Web site: Whittlesea wine farm defies odds . Show Me.
  6. Web site: Quality wine now made in Whittlesea . Daily Dispatch.
  7. Web site: Whittlesea: A socio economic profile and LED strategy. Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council. 12.
  8. Web site: SANRAL celebrates Whittlesea SMMEs during Women’s Month. SANRAL.
  9. Web site: Plans afoot to get country out of junk status: Ramaphosa. SABC.
  10. Web site: Whittlesea census . Adrian Firth.