Qonce, formerly King William's Town, is a town 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 ...

along the banks of the Buffalo River. The town is about northwest of the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

port of

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

. It has a population of around 35,000 inhabitants and forms part of the

Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality () is a metropolitan municipality situated on the east coast of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It includes the towns of East London, Bhisho and Qonce, as well as the large townships of Md ...

. The town lies above sea level at the foot of the

Amathole Mountains Amatola, Amatole or Amathole are a range of densely forested mountains, situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The word ''Amathole'' means ‘calves’ in Xhosa, and Amathole District Municipality, which lies to the south, is na ...

in an area known for its agriculture. The town has one of the oldest post offices in the country developed by missionaries led by

Charles Brownlee Charles Pacalt Brownlee (182113 September 1890) was a politician and writer of the Cape Colony. He was the first Secretary for Native Affairs in the Cape. Early life Born in 1821, the son of the linguist, botanist and missionary, John Brownlee, ...

History

For thousands of years, the area was roamed by

Bushman The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are the members of any of the indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures of southern Africa, and the oldest surviving cultures of the region. They are thought to have diverged from other humans 100,000 to 200 ...

bands, and then was used as grazing by the nomadic

Khoikhoi Khoikhoi (Help:IPA/English, /ˈkɔɪkɔɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''KOY-koy'') (or Khoekhoe in Namibian orthography) are the traditionally Nomad, nomadic pastoralist Indigenous peoples, indigenous population of South Africa. They ...

, who called the Buffalo River ''Qonce''.

Xhosa people The Xhosa people ( , ; ) are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group that migrated over centuries into Southern Africa eventually settling in South Africa. They are the second largest ethnic group in South Africa and are native speakers of the Xho ...

lived alongside the Khoikhoi eventually taking over the land after Queen Hoho lost the war with King Ngqika kaMlawu. King William's Town was founded by Sir

Benjamin d’Urban Lieutenant General Sir Benjamin D'Urban (16 February 1777 – 25 May 1849) was a British general and colonial administrator, who is best known for his frontier policy when he was the Governor in the Cape Colony (now in South Africa). Durban ...

in May 1835 during the Xhosa War of that year. The town stands on the site of the

kraal Kraal (also spelled ''craal'' or ''kraul'') is an Afrikaans and Dutch language, Dutch word, also used in South African English, for an pen (enclosure), enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within a Southern African Human settlement ...

of the minor chief Dyani Tyatyu and was named after

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

. It was abandoned in December 1836, but was reoccupied in 1846 and was the capital of

British Kaffraria British Kaffraria was a British colony/subordinate administrative entity in present-day South Africa, consisting of the districts now known as Qonce (King William's Town) and East London. It was also called Queen Adelaide's Province and, unoffici ...

from its creation in 1847 to its incorporation in 1865 with the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

. Uniquely in the Cape Colony, its local government was styled a borough, rather than a municipality. Many of the colonists in the neighbouring districts are descendants of members of the

British German Legion The British German Legion (or Anglo-German Legion) was a group of German soldiers recruited to fight for Britain in the Crimean War. It is not to be confused with the King's German Legion, which was active during the Napoleonic Wars. Great Britain ...

disbanded after the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

and provided with homes in the Cape Colony; hence such names as

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

and

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 ...

given to settlements in this part of the country. It was declared the provincial capital of the surrounding Queen Adelaide's Province in the 1830s. On 5 May 1877, the Cape Government of Prime Minister

John Molteno Sir John Charles Molteno (; 5 June 1814 – 1 September 1886) was a politician and businessman who served as the first Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1872 to 1878. Early life Born in London into a large Anglo-Italian family, Molten ...

opened the first railway, connecting the town to East London on the coast and to the Xhosa lands inland and further east. With its direct railway communication, the town became an important

entrepôt An entrepôt ( ; ) or transshipment port is a port, city, or trading post where merchandise may be imported, stored, or traded, usually to be exported again. Such cities often sprang up and such ports and trading posts often developed into comm ...

for trade with the Xhosa people throughout

Kaffraria Kaffraria, Kaffiria, or Kaffirland, was the descriptive name given to the southeast part of what is today the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Kaffraria, i.e., the land of the Kaffirs, is no longer an official designation (with the term ''kaffi ...

. In 1973, a 108 hectare piece of protected land was established on the outskirts of town called the King William's Town Nature Reserve. The area's economy depended on cattle and sheep ranching, and the town itself has a large industrial base producing textiles, soap, candles, sweets, cartons and clothing. Its proximity to the new provincial capital city of

Bhisho Bhisho, formerly Bisho, is the capital of the Eastern Cape province in South Africa. The Office of the Premier, Provincial Legislature and many other government departments are headquartered in the town. The town, three kilometres from Qonce and ...

has brought much development to the area since the end of

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

in 1994. In September 2020 the Eastern Cape government announced plans to give the city a new name as part of what it described as a programme aimed at transforming the country's geographic landscape to be more representative of its people. The city officially became Qonce on 21 February 2021. The city is also home to Huberta, one of the farthest-travelling hippopotami in South Africa. It is displayed in the

Amathole Museum The Amathole Museum, formerly the Kaffrarian Museum is a natural and cultural history museum located in King William's Town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The museum houses a large collection of mammals and includes the taxidermie ...

in the CBD.

Notable people

Makhaya Ntini Makhaya Ntini (born 6 July 1977) is a South African former professional cricketer, who played all forms of the game. He was the first Black people, black player to play for the South African national cricket team. Ntini was a member of the So ...

, cricketer *

Lukhanyo Am Lukhanyo Am (born 28 November 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the in the United Rugby Championship. His regular positions are centre and wing. Professional career Am played for ...

, rugby player * Jaden Hendrikse, rugby player * Jordan Hendrikse, rugby player * Aphelele Fassi, rugby player *

Steve Biko Bantu Stephen Biko Order for Meritorious Service, OMSG (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977) was a South African internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist. Ideologically an African nationalism, African nationalist and ...

, Black Consciousness Movement leader, anti apartheid activist *

Anaso Jobodwana Anaso Jobodwana (born 30 July 1992) is a South African sprinter. He competed in 200 metres at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London where he ran a new personal best of 20.27 seconds to reach the final. In the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, ...

, track and field athlete * King

Maxhob'ayakhawuleza Sandile King (iKumkani) Maxhob'ayakhawuleza Sandile "Aa! Zanesizwe!" (21 May 1956 – 11 July 2011) was the son of the late King Mxolisi Sandile ''"Aa! Bazindlovu"'', who was the son of King Archie Velile Sandile, and Queen Nolizwe, the daughter of Weste ...

"Aa! Zanesizwe!", the King and ruler of the Rharhabe House of the Xhosa Kingdom. * King Jonguxolo Sandile "Aa! Vul'ulwandle!", the King and ruler of the Rharhabe House of the Xhosa Kingdom. * Percy Fitzpatrick, author, politician, businessman, farming pioneer * Andile Yenana, South African pianist *

Charles Patrick John Coghlan Sir Charles Patrick John Coghlan, (24 June 1863 – 28 August 1927), was a lawyer and politician who served as Premier of Southern Rhodesia from 1 October 1923 to his death on 28 August 1927. Having led the responsible government movement in th ...

, first premier of

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

Buster Farrer William Stephen "Buster" Farrer (8 December 1936 – 31 January 2025) was a South African cricketer who played in six Test cricket, Test matches between 1962 and 1964. He also played tennis and field hockey at international level, and represent ...

, international cricket, tennis and hockey player * Garry Pagel, South African rugby player *

John Tengo Jabavu John Tengo Jabavu (11 January 1859 – 10 September 1921) was a political activist and the editor of South Africa's first newspaper to be written in Xhosa. Early life John Tengo Jabavu was born on 11 January 1859 near Healdtown in the Cap ...

, founder of the first Xhosa-language newspaper in South Africa * Griffiths Mxenge, anti-Apartheid activist * Victoria Mxenge, anti-Apartheid activist *

Steve Tshwete Steve Vukhile Tshwete (12 November 1938 – 26 April 2002) was a South African politician and activist with the African National Congress. Involved in Umkhonto we Sizwe, Tshwete was imprisoned by the apartheid authorities on Robben Island from ...

, anti-Apartheid activist *

Raven Klaasen Raven Klaasen ( ; born 16 October 1982) is a South African professional tennis player who specialises in doubles. He achieved his career-high doubles ranking of world No. 7 in August 2019, and has won 19 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, includi ...

, professional

tennis player Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

* CB Jennings, rugby player and mayor of King William's Town * Masande Ntshanga, South African novelist

References

External links

History of King William's Town
{{Authority control Populated places established in 1835 Populated places in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality