Motherwell is a fast-growing township in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. It forms part of the

Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (; ) is one of eight metropolitan municipalities in South Africa. It is located on the shores of Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape province and comprises the city of Gqeberha, the nearby towns of Uitenhage and De ...

which is the metropolitan area comprising

Gqeberha Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipa ...

, Despatch,

Uitenhage Uitenhage ( ; ), officially renamed Kariega, is a South African town in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. Along with the city of Port El ...

and other surrounding towns.

History

Motherwell was planned to accommodate the black squatters who were relocated from Zwide (and ''Veeplaas''), and construction began in 1984. It is the largest settlement in terms of population and land area in Port Elizabeth.

Geography

Motherwell is a township with about 140,000 inhabitants (as of 2011) about 25 km north of the Gqeberha city centre and is situated on the northern outskirts of the city's

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

. It is separated into blocks called "NU"s ative Units(e.g. NU5 or NU8).Motherwell Nodal Economic Development Profile
Business Trust, 2005 Neighbouring areas include Swartkops River nature reserve in the south-west and Markman Industrial Park in the east. Further but nearby communities include Amsterdamhoek/Bluewater Bay, Swartkops, Wells Estate/Saint George's Strand and

Coega The Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ), established in 1999 and 9 003 ha in extent, is situated near Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), i ...

Facilities

Motherwell has a number of public schools, both at the primary and secondary level. It also has a clinic, a day hospital, a library, numerous public parks, and community centers.

References

Populated places in Nelson Mandela Bay Townships in the Eastern Cape Populated places established in 1984 {{EasternCape-geo-stub