Aliwal North
Encyclopedia
Aliwal North is a town in central South Africa
on the Orange River
, Eastern Cape
Province. Aliwal North is the seat of the Maletswai Local Municipality which falls within the Ukhahlamba District Municipality.
The principal attractions of Aliwal North are two hot mineral springs, both of which have extremely high concentrations of minerals and gases.
Aliwal North is named in tribute to Sir Harry Smith. 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" in memory of his victory over the Sikh
s at the Battle of Aliwal
during the First Sikh War in India
in 1846, and "North" in opposition to Aliwal South (now Mossel Bay
).
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 nearby Buffelsvlei in about 1828. 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. The town was laid out in 1849 on ground acquired by the government. This was auctioned and 38 lots were sold for £972.
The town is also known as Mpama among its black inhabitants, this came about as a result of the town being known as section5 during the apartheid years.
The town comes alive during the weeks ends and places you might visit include Boiketlong, Fox and babsie to name a few
Mpama is also not left behind in technology as it has its own Social network
this is called Mpama after the town slang name www.mpama.za.net
The Social network was started by Wycliffe Mohapi in January 2011.
Aliwal north has grown and has a lot of attractions like the hot springs.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on the Orange River
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
, Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
Province. Aliwal North is the seat of the Maletswai Local Municipality which falls within the Ukhahlamba District Municipality.
The principal attractions of Aliwal North are two hot mineral springs, both of which have extremely high concentrations of minerals and gases.
Aliwal North is named in tribute to Sir Harry Smith. 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" in memory of his victory over the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s at the Battle of Aliwal
Battle of Aliwal
The Battle of Aliwal was fought on 28 January 1846 between the British and the Sikhs. The British were led by Sir Harry Smith, while the Sikhs were led by Ranjodh Singh Majithia...
during the First Sikh War in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1846, and "North" in opposition to Aliwal South (now Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay is a harbour town of about 130,000 people on the Southern Cape of South Africa. It is an important tourism and farming region of the Western Cape Province...
).
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 nearby Buffelsvlei in about 1828. 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
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
, just below its confluence with the Kraai River. The Frere Bridge was opened in 1880 and later replaced with the General Hertzog Bridge. The town was laid out in 1849 on ground acquired by the government. This was auctioned and 38 lots were sold for £972.
The town is also known as Mpama among its black inhabitants, this came about as a result of the town being known as section5 during the apartheid years.
The town comes alive during the weeks ends and places you might visit include Boiketlong, Fox and babsie to name a few
Mpama is also not left behind in technology as it has its own Social network
this is called Mpama after the town slang name www.mpama.za.net
The Social network was started by Wycliffe Mohapi in January 2011.
Aliwal north has grown and has a lot of attractions like the hot springs.
External links
- http://www.southafrica.net/heritage/heritage_routes/maloti/maloti3.cfm
- www.mpama.co.za