Timeline of Gqeberha

The following is a timeline of the history of Gqeberha in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Eastern Cape province, South Africa.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Prior to 20th century

• 1754 - Dutch settlements at the Cape extended eastwards to adjacent Algoa Bay.^[1]
• 1799 - Fort Frederick built by British during the Napoleonic wars.^[1]
• 1820 - Port Elizabeth settlement founded by British.^[2][1]
• 1823 - Population: 319.^[3]
• 1836 - Made a free warehousing port
• 1841 - Jetty constructed in Algoa Bay.^[4]
• 1845 - Eastern Province Herald newspaper begins publication.^[5]
• 1856
  • Grey High School founded.^[3]
  • King George VI Art Gallery opens.
• 1859 - St George's Park founded.
• 1861 - Town of Port Elizabeth incorporated.^[1]
• 1862 - Western-Road Synagogue formed.^[6]
• 1865 - Hill Presbyterian Church consecrated.
• 1866 - St. Augustine's Cathedral built.
• 1873 - Railway station building starts.^[1]
• 1875
  • Uitenhage-Port Elizabeth railway begins operating.^[3]
  • Port Elizabeth railway station built.^[7]
• 1880 - Prince Alfred's Guard Drill Hall built.
• 1881 - Horsecar tram begins operating.
• 1882
  • Imbumba yama Nyama political group formed.^[8]
  • Conservatory built in St George's Park.
• 1885 - "South African Exhibition" held^[9]
• 1888 - Mighty Elephants rugby team formed.^{[chronology citation needed]}
• 1889 - St George's Park Cricket Ground in use.
• 1892 - Opera House built.
• 1897 - Electric tram begins operating.
• 1899 - Humewood Road railway station built.
• 1900 - Post Office built.

20th century

• 1900-1902 - Port Elizabeth Concentration Camp in operation
• 1903 - New Brighton black township established.
• 1905 - Horse Memorial erected.
• 1907
  • NG gemeente Port Elizabeth [af] (church) founded.
  • Prince Alfred's Guard Memorial unveiled.
• 1908
  • Port Elizabeth Orthodox Hebrew Congregation formed.^{[chronology citation needed]}
  • Devastating flooding
• 1912 - Raleigh Street Synagogue [de] built.
• 1913 - Port Elizabeth gains city status.^[1]
• 1917 - Airplane flown from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.^{[citation needed]}
• 1928 - NG gemeente Port Elizabeth-Sentraal [af] (church) founded.
• 1929 - Port Elizabeth Airport and Gereformeerde kerk Port Elizabeth [af] (church) established.
• 1936 - Campanile (belltower) installed.
• 1937 - Oosterlig [af] newspaper begins publication.^[5]
• 1940 - NG gemeente Port Elizabeth-Wes [af] (church) founded.
• 1940 - Victoria Park High School was founded
• 1949 - Adcockvale [af] suburb laid out (approximate date).
• 1950 - Evening Post [af] newspaper begins publication.^[5]
• 1951 - Van Stadens-veldblomreservaat [af] (nature reserve) established near city.
• 1952 - Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba and Vuyisile Mini were imprisoned for three months in Rooi Hel ('Red Hell' or North End Prison, Port Elizabeth) for participating in the Defiance Campaign.
• 1954 - 20th Century Theatre in business.^[10]
• 1960
  • Boet Erasmus Stadium opens.
  • Alliance Française of Port Elizabeth founded.
• 1961 - 16 December: Bombings.^[11]
• 1964 - University of Port Elizabeth established.
• 1965 - Walmer, South Africa becomes part of Port Elizabeth.
• 1969 - Kouga Dam begins operating in vicinity of city.
• 1979 - Port Elizabeth Black Civic Organisation founded.
• 1984
  • Port Elizabeth Youth Congress founded.
  • Development of Motherwell begins near city.
• 1985
  • March: Labor strike.^[12][13]
  • 8 May: Disappearance of "Pebco Three" anti-apartheid activists.
  • 27 June: The deaths of "The Cradock Four" political activists.
• 1986 - Jewish Pioneer's Memorial Museum [de] established.^(de)
• 1991 - Population: 303,353 city; 853,205 metro.^[5]
• 1995
  • Nceba Faku elected mayor.^[14]
  • Part of 1995 Rugby World Cup contest played in Port Elizabeth.
• 1996 - Part of 1996 Africa Cup of Nations football contest played in Port Elizabeth.

21st century

• 2001
  • Port Elizabeth becomes the seat of the newly created Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.^[15]
  • Anti-apartheid leader Govan Mbeki dies at age 91.
• 2004 - Website Mandelametro.gov.za launched.^[16]
• 2005
  • First premier of the Eastern Cape and anti-apartheid leader Raymond Mhlaba dies at the ages of 85 years.
  • Nelson Mandela University formed.
  • Red Location Museum of apartheid opens.
• 2006
  • 1 March: South African municipal elections, 2006 held.
  • Nondumiso Maphazi becomes mayor.^(fr)
  • Bay United F.C. (football club) formed.
• 2009
  • Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium opens.
  • Zanoxolo Wayile becomes mayor.^[17](fr)
  • Southern Kings rugby team formed.
• 2010
  • Gelvandale Stadium opens.
  • Part of 2010 FIFA World Cup football contest played in Port Elizabeth.
• 2011 - Population: 312,392.
• 2013
  • Part of 2013 Africa Cup of Nations football contest played in Port Elizabeth.
  • Ben Fihla becomes mayor.^[17]
• 2015
  • Danny Jordaan becomes mayor.^[17]
  • Chippa United F.C. moved to the city from Cape Town.
• 2016 - Athol Trollip becomes mayor.
• 2021
  • Name officially changed from Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha.^[18]
• 2023 - Eight people are killed in a mass shooting.

See also

• History of Gqeberha
• List of heritage sites in Gqeberha
• Timelines of other cities in South Africa: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg, Pretoria