Aliwal North (officially Maletswai) is a town in central

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

on the banks of the

Orange River The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibia to the north ...

, Eastern Cape Province. It is a medium-sized commercial centre in the northernmost part of the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

History

Sir Harry Smith, then Governor of the Cape Colony, formally founded the small town of Aliwal North in the Cape Province of South Africa in 1850. He named the town "Aliwal North" in memory of his victory over the

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

s at the

Battle of Aliwal The Battle of Aliwal was fought on 28 January 1846 between the British and Sikh forces in northern India (now Punjab). The British were led by Sir Harry Smith,Smith, Sir Harry. ‘'The Autobiography of Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Smith Bar ...

during the

First Sikh War A Sikh War may mean: *The Mughal-Sikh Wars *The Afghan–Sikh Wars *The Gurkha-Sikh War (1809) *The Sino-Sikh War (1841-1842) *The First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–1846) *The Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military con ...

in India in 1846. The town was laid out in 1849 on ground acquired by the government. This was auctioned and 38 lots were sold for £972. The park in the centre of Aliwal North, the Juana Square Gardens was named after Smith's wife Juana Maria de Los Dolores de Leon. One of the first white settlers in the area, Pieter Jacobus de Wet built a house at the nearby Buffelsvlei around 1828. Municipal status was attained in 1882. The railway line from Molteno reached Aliwal North on 2 September 1885. On 8th January 1901, following the evacuation of Smithfield during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

, Major Kendal Pretyman Apthorp established the Aliwal North

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

, which at its height housed approximately 2,000

Boer Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape Colony, Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controll ...

refugees. The camp was closed by November 1902 after the inmates had been repatriated to their homes. Aliwal North-001

Education

Aliwal North has 10 Primary Schools and 5 High Schools and a higher education and training (tertiary school), Ikhala TVET College. Primary Schools are: *Alheit van der Merwe Primary School *Holy Cross Primary *Flamingo Primary School *Laerskool Aliwal-Noord *Maletswai Primary School *Nchafatso Primary School *Nkosi sikelela' Private Primary School *Pelomosa Primary School *Vulamazibuko Primary School *Vumile Primary School High Schools: *Malcomess Senior Secondary School *Hoërskool Aliwal-Noord *Bishop Demont High School *Egqili Senior Secondary School *Faith high School

Geography

The settlement of the area and its development into a town probably is connected to the presence of good water, thermal springs and a good fording place ('drift') across the Orange River, just below its confluence with the Kraai River. The Frere Bridge was opened in 1880 and later replaced with the General Hertzog Bridge, leading to

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...

, 206 km to the north. To the south-west of the town, the Kramberg raises to 2000 m above sea level.

Layout

The central business district is surrounded by the following suburbs: Dukathole, Hilton, Joe Gqabi, the Springs (where the well-known Aliwal Spa is situated) and Arborsig. Many residents and staff of the Goedemoed Correctional Services facility (situated on the Free State side of the Orange River) use the town's many businesses, hospital, churches and schools. The town is connected to neighbouring towns via a good roads system, and serve as a thoroughfare for tourists en route to resorts in the Eastern Cape

Drakensberg The Drakensberg (Afrikaans: Drakensberge, Zulu: uKhahlambha, Sotho: Maluti) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – within th ...

. Unfortunately, the railway station had to close, due to lack of rail usage. The town also has a good airfield with three grass runways, safe for use during daylight.

Notable people

Joe Gqabi Joe Nzingo Gqabi (6 April 1929 – 31 July 1981) was a South African African National Congress activist, who was the ANC's chief representative in Zimbabwe at the time of his assassination by South African Defence Force in Ashdown Park, Harare (t ...

(1921-1981), African National Congress activist * Thamsanqa Kambule, South African Mathematician and Educator *

Bongani Ndulula Bongani Ndulula (born 29 November 1989) is a South African footballer who last played as a striker for Chippa United F.C. in the Premier Soccer League Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governmen ...

, South African footballer *

François Steyn François Philippus Lodewyk Steyn (born 14 May 1987) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Cheetahs (rugby union) in Pro 14. He usually plays at inside centre, fullback ...

, Springbok Rugby player *

Wandisile Letlabika Wandisile Letlabika (born 2 August 1989) is a South African professional association football, soccer player who plays for Moroka Swallows F.C., Moroka Swallows in the South African Premier Division. Honours ;Mamelodi Sundowns Runner-up * Nedb ...

, South African footballer

Tourism

The principal attractions of Aliwal North are two hot mineral springs, both of which have extremely high concentrations of minerals and gases. The thermal springs resort, named Aliwal Spa, is located within the municipal area. During 2010–2014 the resort underwent re-construction by Maletswai Local Municipality's contractors, and opened again for public use in 2015.

Climate

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(''Cwb'').

References

External links

* {{Authority control Second Boer War concentration camps Populated places in the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality Hot springs of South Africa