Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Port Elizabeth Events in February 2013

Events in February 2013

Self catering accommodation at Belvedere & Doncaster Cottages click here

ARTS JOURNEY

01 Jun 2011 - 01 Sep 2014

Take a walk on the ARTS side - incorporating the "Creative Collectives" of Nelson Mandela Bay Read More

100 Shades of Grey

24 Nov 2012 - 31 Mar 2013

Herald Cycle Tour 2013

02 Feb 2013 - 03 Feb 2013

AFCON 3/4 Final: Winner Group A vs. Runner-up Group B

02 Feb 2013 - 02 Feb 2013

Cricket - Chevrolet Warriors vs Highveld Lions

07 Feb 2013 - 10 Feb 2013

Starts @ 10.00 daily Tickets prices: unreserved R15.00-R30.00 Reserved: R45.00-R60.00 Read More
Accommodation at Doncaster Cottages see http://www.belvederecottages.co.za

AFCON 3rd/4th Place Play off: Loser Match 29 vs. Loser Match 30

09 Feb 2013 - 09 Feb 2013

Concerts in Victoria Park

16 Feb 2013 - 17 Feb 2013

Pick n Pay Women's Walk Port Elizabeth

16 Feb 2013 - 16 Feb 2013

The Pick n Pay Women's Walk is a 10 Km fun walk to raise funds for the PinkDrive who offer free cancer screening and health advise in local communities. PinkDrive is present at every Women's Walk to offer free breast examinations to participants... Read More

Cricket - Chevrolet Warriors vs Nashua Titans

22 Feb 2013 - 22 Feb 2013

for accommodation see Belvedere Cottages at http://www.belvederecottages.co.za

Day Night Match Starts @ 14.30 Tickets unreserved: R25.00-R60.00 Reserved: R75.00 Read More

River Mile Festival

23 Feb 2013 - 24 Feb 2013

The River Mile Festival - Africa's oldest open water swimming event. Read More

Super Rugby: Southern Kings vs. Force

23 Feb 2013 - 23 Feb 2013

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More about our beautiful City, Port ELizabeth.

Port Elizabeth is a great little coastal city with loads of great things to do, and a whole host of fantastic attractions right on its doorstep. It's big enough to have everything you'd really want from a city but small enough to occasionally feel like a village.

Nelson Mandela Bay has got everything a visitor expects to find on a South African holiday. We are the only city that boasts the Big 7 (Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino, Lion, Leopard, Humpback Whale and Great White Shark). Port Elizabeth (The Friendly City) is known for its over 40Km coast that boast a multitude of Beaches and hours of sunshine to enjoy them in. After a fun day out enjoy the fun and entertainment of the Nelson Mandela Bay nightlife.

Nelson Mandela Bay bears the rich legacy of an area which saw the first meetings of Khoisan, British, Dutch, German and Xhosa people. As the landing place of the 1820 Settlers, it boasts some of the finest architectural attractions in South Africa. TheBay offers a wealth of treasures in the for of historical attractions, museums an places of interest, which are guaranteed to provide a journey of discovery through its dicerse history and culture.

Port Elizabeth’s rich cultural heritage guarantees history lovers a unique insight into the Eastern Cape’s and the Metro’s diverse and remarkable past.

The nomadic San were the earliest group of indigenous people known to live in the Eastern Cape. The Khoi displaced the San into the mountains and semi-desert, early in the second millennium AD. The forefathers of the Xhosa speaking people arrived on the banks of the Kei River in about 800AD.

While on his epic voyage of discovery searching for a sea route to the East, the Portuguese, Bartolomeu Dias, rounded the “Cabo da Roca” in February 1488 and entered “Baia da Roca” – Cape and Bay of the Rock (now Cape Recife and Algoa Bay). Dias also gave the name “Ilheus Chaos” (Flat Islands) to the Bird Islands. In 1497, Vasco da Gama, successor to Dias, entered Algoa Bay and noted the Bird Islands on his voyage to India. His charts gave Cape Recife it’s name – “Cabo do Arricife” – Cape of the Reef. The "Bay" was later named "Baia de Lagoa", by navigator and cartographer Manuel de Mesquita Perestrelo in 1576, which referred to the lagoon situated at the mouth of the Baakens River.

By the middle of the 18^th century, the number of ships passing the “Bay” had increased and occasionally survivors of the shipwrecks were given hospitality by Dutch Trekboers (farmers) who had trekked from the Cape in search of good farmland. At the end of 1799 the English, fearing that the French would render military assistance to the Graaff Reinet rebels, decided to construct Fort Frederick, overlooking the mouth of the Baakens River as a permanent military post.

4 000 British Settlers arrived by sea in 1820, to become the first permanent British residents in the Albany District. On 6 June 1820, Sir Rufane Donkin, Acting Governor of the Cape Colony at the time, named the new sea port in memory of his late wife, Elizabeth.

Before the up-country gold and diamond booms, PE developed as one of the major commercial cities in SA, trading in wool, mohair and ostrich feathers. As a result, the harbour became a bustling port. People traveled to the city in search of trade and labour opportunities. Early Port Elizabeth was characterized by the settlement of European, Cape Malay and immigrant communities. The diverse community lived together according to economic and social status, rather than on an ethnic basis. Some folk were already residing in New Brighton since 1903. However, when the Group Areas Act was legislated in 1960, this resulted in forced relocation under the “apartheid law” among the non-white population and the so-called townships came into being.

Port Elizabeth was the first city in SA to establish a fully integrated, democratic local authority and has long been a leader in the political transformation of the country. Presently, Port Elizabeth is fondly referred to as “Ibhayi” by Xhosa speakers, “Die Baai” by Afrikaners and “The Bay” by English speakers.