Jamestown, Eastern Cape

Jamestown is a town on the N6 national road 58 km south of Aliwal North and 105 km north of Komani (formerly Queenstown) in the Joe Gqabi District Municipality of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is at the centre of a fertile sheep, cattle and wheat-farming area and was the terminus of a branch railway line from Molteno. It was named after James Wagenaar, original owner of the farm on which the town was laid out.[2]

This article is about Jamestown in the Eastern Cape. For Jamestown in the Western Cape, see Jamestown, Western Cape.
Jamestown
Jamestown
Jamestown
Jamestown
Coordinates: 31°07′17″S 26°48′24″E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceEastern Cape
DistrictJoe Gqabi
MunicipalityWalter Sisulu
Established1874
Area
 • Total11.98 km2 (4.63 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total4,666
 • Density390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African96.0%
 • Coloured1.9%
 • Indian/Asian0.3%
 • White1.1%
 • Other0.6%
First languages (2011)
 • Xhosa92.7%
 • Afrikaans2.2%
 • English1.6%
 • Sotho1.4%
 • Other2.1%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
9742
PO box
9742
Area code051

The Jamestown Hospital, which was previously provincially aided, has since January 2011 been fully operated by the Eastern Cape Department of Health.[3]

There are two public schools: Phambili Mzontsundu Senior Secondary School which is situated in town, and Phahameng Primary School which is situated in Masakhane Township.

Notable people associated with Jamestown
  • Prime Minister John Vorster was born and raised in Jamestown
  • Alexander James Kidwell, referred to as the "Father of Jamestown", a merchant, Special Justice of the Peace, and Methodist preacher. The sandstone Kidwell Memorial Church in the main street was named in his memory, as is the adjacent Kidwell Street. His grandparents – Alexander Kidwell and Phebe Tubb – were 1820 settlers.[4]
  • H. B. Thom – Rector and later Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, born in Jamestown.
  • Hennie Aucamp – Afrikaans poet, writer, cabaretist and academic, educated and matriculated in Jamestown.
  • Former Umhlobo Wenene FM Sport commentator, Zingisile Mathiso known by many as Ingxilimbela yaseMaXesibeni or Mbathane was born bred and buttered in Jamestown.

References
  1. "Main Place Jamestown". Census 2011.
  2. Jamestown entry in Standard Encyclopaedia of South Africa Vol 6, p. 182
  3. "Eastern Cape Department of Health official website". Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  4. Kidwell Memorial Church - photo and information by Crankshaw


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