Timeline of Gqeberha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a timeline of the history of Gqeberha in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Eastern Cape province, South Africa.
Prior to 20th century
- 1754 - Dutch settlements at the Cape extended eastwards to adjacent Algoa Bay.[1]
- 1799 - Fort Frederick built by British during the Napoleonic Wars.[1]
- 1820 - Port Elizabeth settlement founded by British.[2][1]
- 1823 - Population: 319.[3]
- 1836 - Made a free warehousing port
- 1841 - Jetty constructed in Algoa Bay.[4]
- 1845 - Eastern Province Herald newspaper begins publication.[5]
- 1856
- Grey High School founded.[3]
- King George VI Art Gallery opens.
- 1859 - St George's Park founded.
- 1861 - Town of Port Elizabeth incorporated.[1]
- 1862 - Western-Road Synagogue formed.[6]
- 1865 - Hill Presbyterian Church consecrated.
- 1866 - St. Augustine's Cathedral built.
- 1873 - Railway station building starts.[1]
- 1875
- Uitenhage-Port Elizabeth railway begins operating.[3]
- Port Elizabeth railway station built.[7]
- 1880 - Prince Alfred's Guard Drill Hall built.
- 1881 - Horsecar tram begins operating.
- 1882
- Imbumba yama Nyama political group formed.[8]
- Conservatory built in St George's Park.
- 1885 - "South African Exhibition" held[9]
- 1888 - Mighty Elephants rugby team formed.[chronology citation needed]
- 1889 - St George's Park Cricket Ground in use.
- 1892 - Opera House built.
- 1897 - Electric tram begins operating.
- 1899 - Humewood Road railway station built.
- 1900 - Post Office built.
20th century
- 1900-1902 - Port Elizabeth Concentration Camp in operation
- 1903 - New Brighton black township established.
- 1905 - Horse Memorial erected.
- 1907
- NG gemeente Port Elizabeth (church) founded.
- Prince Alfred's Guard Memorial unveiled.
- 1908
- Port Elizabeth Orthodox Hebrew Congregation formed.[chronology citation needed]
- Devastating flooding
- 1912 - Raleigh Street Synagogue built.
- 1913 - Port Elizabeth gains city status.[1]
- 1917 - Airplane flown from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.[citation needed]
- 1928 - NG gemeente Port Elizabeth-Sentraal (church) founded.
- 1929 - Port Elizabeth Airport and Gereformeerde kerk Port Elizabeth (church) established.
- 1936 - Campanile (belltower) installed.
- 1937 - Oosterlig newspaper begins publication.[5]
- 1940 - NG gemeente Port Elizabeth-Wes (church) founded.
- 1940 - Victoria Park High School was founded
- 1949 - Adcockvale suburb laid out (approximate date).
- 1950 - Evening Post newspaper begins publication.[5]
- 1951 - Van Stadens-veldblomreservaat (nature reserve) established near city.
- 1952 - Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba and Vuyisile Mini were imprisoned for three months in Rooi Hel ('Red Hell' or North End Prison, Port Elizabeth) for participating in the Defiance Campaign.
- 1954 - 20th Century Theatre in business.[10]
- 1960
- Boet Erasmus Stadium opens.
- Alliance Française of Port Elizabeth founded.
- 1961 - 16 December: Bombings.[11]
- 1964 - University of Port Elizabeth established.
- 1965 - Walmer, South Africa becomes part of Port Elizabeth.
- 1969 - Kouga Dam begins operating in vicinity of city.
- 1979 - Port Elizabeth Black Civic Organisation founded.
- 1984
- Port Elizabeth Youth Congress founded.
- Development of Motherwell begins near city.
- 1985
- March: Labor strike.[12][13]
- 8 May: Disappearance of "Pebco Three" anti-apartheid activists.
- 27 June: The deaths of "The Cradock Four" political activists.
- 1986 - Jewish Pioneer's Memorial Museum established.(de)
- 1991 - Population: 303,353 city; 853,205 metro.[5]
- 1995
- Nceba Faku elected mayor.[14]
- Part of 1995 Rugby World Cup contest played in Port Elizabeth.
- 1996 - Part of 1996 Africa Cup of Nations football contest played in Port Elizabeth.
21st century
- 2001
- Port Elizabeth becomes the seat of the newly created Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.[15]
- Anti-apartheid leader Govan Mbeki dies at age 91.
- 2004 - Website Mandelametro.gov.za launched.[16]
- 2005
- First premier of the Eastern Cape and anti-apartheid leader Raymond Mhlaba dies at the ages of 85 years.
- Nelson Mandela University formed.
- Red Location Museum of apartheid opens.
- 2006
- 1 March: South African municipal elections, 2006 held.
- Nondumiso Maphazi becomes mayor.(fr)
- Bay United F.C. (football club) formed.
- 2009
- Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium opens.
- Zanoxolo Wayile becomes mayor.[17](fr)
- Southern Kings rugby team formed.
- 2010
- Gelvandale Stadium opens.
- Part of 2010 FIFA World Cup football contest played in Port Elizabeth.
- 2011 - Population: 312,392.
- 2013
- Part of 2013 Africa Cup of Nations football contest played in Port Elizabeth.
- Ben Fihla becomes mayor.[17]
- 2015
- Danny Jordaan becomes mayor.[17]
- Chippa United F.C. moved to the city from Cape Town.
- 2016 - Athol Trollip becomes mayor.
- 2021
- Name officially changed from Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha.[18]
- 2023 - Eight people are killed in a mass shooting.
See also
- History of Gqeberha
- List of heritage sites in Gqeberha
- Timelines of other cities in South Africa: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg, Pretoria
