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Fort Beaufort iBhofolo | |
|---|---|
| KwaMaqoma | |
 Themartello tower at Fort Beaufort | |
  Fort Beaufort  Fort Beaufort  Fort Beaufort | |
| Coordinates:32°46′44″S26°38′07″E / 32.77889°S 26.63528°E /-32.77889; 26.63528 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| District | Amathole |
| Municipality | Raymond Mhlaba |
| Established | 1822[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 82.81 km2 (31.97 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 25,668 |
| • Density | 310/km2 (800/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 83.6% |
| • Coloured | 12.9% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.4% |
| • White | 2.6% |
| • Other | 0.5% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Xhosa | 76.9% |
| • Afrikaans | 15.4% |
| • English | 4.7% |
| • Other | 3.0% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 5720 |
| PO box | 5720 |
| Area code | 046 |
Fort Beaufort (Xhosa: iBhofolo), officially renamedKwaMaqoma in March 2023,[3] is a town in theAmatole District of South Africa'sEastern Cape Province, and had a population of 25,668 in 2011. The town was established in 1837 and became a municipality in 1883. The town lies at the confluence of theKat River andBrak River between theKeiskamma andGreat Fish Rivers. KwaMaqoma serves as a mini-'dormitory' for academic staff and students ofFort Hare University, based in the nearby town ofAlice, and is also close to Sulphur Springs.
It is also the birthplace of South African politician and anti-apartheid activist who is also the firstPremier of the Eastern CapeRaymond Mhlaba and his former first wifeJoyce Meke.
The roots of Fort Beaufort lie in a mission station that the Reverend Joseph Williams of theLondon Missionary Society established in 1816. In 1822, Colonel Maurice Scott of theRoyal Warwickshire Regiment constructed a blockhouse about three miles from the mission station as a military frontier post and stronghold against raids by theXhosa under their chief,Maqoma. The British named the martial structure Fort Beaufort in honour of theDuke of Beaufort, father ofLord Charles Henry Somerset—Governor of theCape Colony (1814 to 1826). After the6th Xhosa War (1834–1835), Governor SirBenjamin d'Urban authorised construction of a fort at the site of the original blockhouse. The new buildings included a military hospital, guard houses, infantry barracks, and officers' quarters.
In 1839, theBritish commenced work on what is probably the world's only inlandMartello tower, a small, circularNapoleonic era design hitherto used only in coastal defences. The tower was completed in 1846. Today, the original howitzer remains mounted on the roof on a traversing carriage that gives it a 360-degree field of fire. The tower has been restored after having served for some time as a public latrine.
In 1840 Fort Beaufort became a town. Around this timeAndrew Geddes Bain built the first road, including theEcca Pass, linkingGrahamstown and Fort Beaufort.
During the 8thXhosa War (1850–53), also known as the War of Mlanjeni, anti-British forces unsuccessfully attacked the town. Harmanus Matroos, alias Ngxukumeshe, was a half-Khoikhoi and half-Xhosa. He started the war on 30 December 1850 by capturing a small outpost near Fort Beaufort. Matroos had served the British in the7th Xhosa War (1846–47), also known as the War of the Axe. Matroos fell on 8 January 1851 during his third attack on Fort Beaufort.
British troops continued to be stationed in the town until 1870.
In 1949 the first congregation of theNederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church) seceded from Alice due to demographic changes.
Schools in the area include the historicHealdtown Comprehensive School. Fort Beaufort has number of high schools that include:
Eyabantu High,
Inyibiba High,
Lindani High,
Winterberg High,
Thubalethu High,
Sakhululeka High, and the newly built
Lighthouse Academy.
Fort Beaufort has three governmental hospitals, namelyFort Beaufort Provincial Hospital,Tower Psychiatric Hospital, and Winterberg TB (previous SANTA) Hospital. There are also seven primary healthcare clinics in the area, namely C.C. Lloyd (in the CBD), Newtown, Hillside, Thozamile, Lulama Kama,Healdtown and Mxelo.
| Climate data for Fort Beaufort, elevation 455 m (1,493 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1998–2023) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 44.5 (112.1) | 43.3 (109.9) | 42.9 (109.2) | 38.6 (101.5) | 34.5 (94.1) | 32.2 (90.0) | 31.9 (89.4) | 36.8 (98.2) | 41.5 (106.7) | 43.6 (110.5) | 41.5 (106.7) | 43.0 (109.4) | 44.5 (112.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.8 (91.0) | 32.2 (90.0) | 30.8 (87.4) | 27.5 (81.5) | 25.6 (78.1) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.8 (74.8) | 24.7 (76.5) | 26.1 (79.0) | 28.4 (83.1) | 29.2 (84.6) | 30.8 (87.4) | 28.0 (82.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.5 (76.1) | 23.1 (73.6) | 19.7 (67.5) | 17.5 (63.5) | 15.4 (59.7) | 15.2 (59.4) | 16.1 (61.0) | 17.7 (63.9) | 20.0 (68.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 23.2 (73.8) | 19.9 (67.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) | 17.0 (62.6) | 15.3 (59.5) | 12.1 (53.8) | 9.4 (48.9) | 6.8 (44.2) | 6.5 (43.7) | 7.6 (45.7) | 9.4 (48.9) | 11.6 (52.9) | 13.3 (55.9) | 15.6 (60.1) | 11.8 (53.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 9.0 (48.2) | 8.4 (47.1) | 6.4 (43.5) | 0.0 (32.0) | 0.5 (32.9) | −2.0 (28.4) | −2.6 (27.3) | −0.5 (31.1) | 0.2 (32.4) | 3.8 (38.8) | 4.6 (40.3) | 8.0 (46.4) | −2.6 (27.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 52.7 (2.07) | 63.7 (2.51) | 71.8 (2.83) | 42.5 (1.67) | 26.1 (1.03) | 16.1 (0.63) | 17.0 (0.67) | 22.7 (0.89) | 35.4 (1.39) | 48.2 (1.90) | 54.5 (2.15) | 56.0 (2.20) | 506.7 (19.94) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.25 mm) | 6.4 | 6.9 | 7.6 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 61.7 |
| Source: Starlings Roost Weather (precipitation 1877–2023)[4][5] | |||||||||||||
Municipalities and communities ofAmathole District Municipality,Eastern Cape | ||
|---|---|---|
District seat:East London | ||
| Amahlathi | .svg) | |
| Great Kei | ||
| Mbhashe |
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| Mnquma |
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| Ngqushwa | ||
| Raymond Mhlaba | ||
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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