Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a land of rolling hills, endless sweeps of rocky coves and sandy beaches, towering mountain ranges and verdant forests, and is physically the second largest of the nine provinces.
The Eastern Cape boasts a remarkable natural diversity, ranging from the dry desolate Great Karoo to the lush forests of the Wild Coast and the Keiskamma Valley, the fertile Langkloof renowned for its rich apple harvests, and the mountainous southern Drakensberg region at Elliot.
The main feature of the Eastern Cape is its astonishing coastline. With its wide open sandy beaches, secluded lagoons and towering cliffs, the Indian Ocean coastline provides the province with a rich natural tourist attraction. The graceful curve of Algoa Bay provides an ideal setting for the Port of Port Elizabeth. There are good harbour facilities in East London, while the province is also serviced by four airports, at Port Elizabeth, East London, Umtata and Bulembu.
The capital of the Eastern Cape is Bisho. Other important towns in the province include Uitenhage, with its motor vehicle-manufacturing and related industries; King William’s Town, rich in early settler and military history; Grahamstown, also known as the City of Saints with its more than 40 churches; Graaff Reinet, with its charming collection of historic buildings; Cradock, the hub of the Central Karoo; Stutterheim, the forestry centre of the province; Aliwal North, famous for its hot sulphur springs, and Port St Johns, the largest town on the Wild Coast.
In the Eastern Cape, various floral habitats meet. Along the coast, the northern tropical forests intermingle with the more temperate forests of the south. This makes for an interesting forest habitat of various species endemic to this region alone. Age-old forests occur at Keiskammahoek, Dwessa, Port St Johns and Bathurst; dune forests are found at Alexandria, and mangroves along the Wild Coast. Rolling grasslands characterise the eastern interior of the province, while the western central plateau is savannah bushveld. The northern inland is home to the aromatic Karoo succulent bush.
The People
With its six million people, the Eastern Cape has the third-largest provincial population. They live on about 169 600 km² of land. The language spoken by most is IsiXhosa, followed by Afrikaans and English.
The architecture of many of the cities and towns reflects the rich heritage of the people.
The province has five universities, three technikons and 20 technical colleges. Despite the high quality of educational facilities, 20,9 per cent of those aged 20 years or older have received no schooling, while 4,7 per cent has completed a higher level of education.
Agriculture, fishing and forestry
The Eastern Cape is not rich in minerals, but has excellent agricultural and forestry potential. The Langkloof in the south-west is a fertile valley area with enormous deciduous fruit orchards, while the Karoo interior is an important sheep-farming area. Angora wool is also produced.
The Alexandria-Grahamstown area produces pineapple, chicory and dairy products, while coffee and tea are cultivated at Magwa. People in the former Transkei region are dependent on cattle, maize and sorghum farming. Extensive exotic forestry plantations in the high rainfall areas of Keiskammahoek provide job opportunities for large numbers of the population. The province is a summer rainfall region with high rainfall figures along the coast, but becoming gradually drier behind the mountain ranges into the Great Karoo.
The Eastern Cape fishing industry generates about R200 million a year. It is expected that the Government’s decision in July 1998 to issue long-line hake permits to fishermen in the region would boost the industry by providing year-round employment to fishermen who previously had only been able to work during the five-month squid season. The squid industry generates about R150 million a year and provides jobs for approximately 3 000 people.
Industry
The metropolitan economies of Port Elizabeth and East London are based primarily on manufacturing, the most important being motor-manufacturing.
The provincial economy grew at an average of 1,7 per cent between 1985 and 1994 – slightly higher than the national average of 1,3 per cent. The province contributes approximately R30 billion to the national GDP and is widely regarded as having the potential to substantially increase this contribution as South Africa moves towards an export-led industrial strategy.
With two harbours, three airports offering direct flights to the main centres, and an excellent road and rail infrastructure, the province has been earmarked as a priority for growth and economic development. To facilitate integrated planning sensitive to the environment, the province is implementing a consultative process involving community participation that includes two spatial development initiatives (SDIs), the Fish River SDI and the Wild Coast SDI, two Industrial Development Zones (IDZs), the Coega IDZ and the West Bank IDZ, and numerous substructure and structure plans.
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Capital: Bisho
Principal languages IsiXhosa 83,8%, Afrikaans 9,6%, English 3,7%
Basic statistics
Population 6,303 million
% of total 15,5%
Area (km2) 169 580
% of total 13,9%
GGP* at current prices (1994) R29,049 million
% of total GDP** 7,59%
*GGP (gross geographical product) = GDP of a region
** GDP (gross domestic product)
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(Source: GCIS: South Africa Yearbook)