Cathcart is a town in 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 ...
province of South Africa, named after Sir
George Cathcart
Major-General Sir George Cathcart (12 May 1794 – 5 November 1854) was a British general and diplomat.
Military career
He was born in Renfrewshire, son of William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart. After receiving his education at Eton and in Edin ...
, governor of the
Colony of the Cape of Good Hope 1852–1853. The town is situated on the
N6, north of
Stutterheim
Stutterheim is a town with a population of 46,730 in South Africa, situated in the Border region of the Eastern Cape province. It is named after Richard Von Stutterheim.
History
The area's earliest human population were Bushmen. Khoikhoi groups ...
en route to
Komani
Queenstown, officially Komani, is a town in the middle of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, roughly halfway between the smaller towns of Cathcart and Sterkstroom on the N6 National Route. The town was established in 1853 and is curr ...
.
Establishment
Originally a small military post, established during the
Eighth Frontier War, it was established as a village in 1858 when German colonists arrived in the region. Work on its railway connection to
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
on the coast was begun by the
Cape
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck.
History
Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
government of
John Molteno
Sir John Charles Molteno (5 June 1814 – 1 September 1886) was a soldier, businessman, champion of responsible government and the first Prime Minister of the Cape Colony.
Early life
Born in London into a large Anglo-Italian family, Molten ...
in 1876 and the line was officially opened on 3 November 1879.
Religion
![Church of Saint Alban](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Church_of_Saint_Alban.jpg)
St. Alban's
Anglican Church
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
, built in 1886 is a well known landmark in Cathcart and has an unusual and distinctive Western façade.
Education
There are a number of
high schools
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
and
primary schools
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...
in Cathcart. Cathcart High School is located North of the town near the
N6 route to
Queenstown.
Notable people
*
Allister Sparks
Allister Haddon Sparks (10 March 1933 – 19 September 2016) was a South African writer, journalist, and political commentator. He was the editor of ''The Rand Daily Mail'' when it broke Muldergate, the story of how the apartheid government sec ...
References
*
*
External links
Populated places in the Amahlathi Local Municipality
Populated places established in 1858
{{EasternCape-geo-stub