Jamestown, Eastern Cape

Jamestown
Jamestown  Jamestown shown within Eastern Cape
Coordinates: 31°07′17″S 26°48′24″E / 31.12139°S 26.80667°ECoordinates: 31°07′17″S 26°48′24″E / 31.12139°S 26.80667°E
Country	South Africa
Province	Eastern Cape
District	Joe Gqabi
Municipality	Maletswai
Established	1874
Area[1]
• Total	11.98 km^2 (4.63 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	4,666
• Density	390/km^2 (1,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
• Black African	96.0%
• Coloured	1.9%
• Indian/Asian	0.3%
• White	1.1%
• Other	0.6%
First languages (2011)[1]
• Xhosa	92.7%
• Afrikaans	2.2%
• English	1.6%
• Sotho	1.4%
• Other	2.1%
Postal code (street)	9742
PO box	9742
Area code	051

Jamestown is a town on the N6 national road 58 km south of Aliwal North and 105 km north of Queenstown in the Joe Gqabi District Municipality of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is at the centre of a fertile sheep, cattle and wheat-farming area and was the terminus of a branch railway line from Molteno. It was named after James Wagenaar, original owner of the farm on which the town was laid out.^[2]

The Jamestown Hospital, which was previously provincially aided, has since January 2011 been fully operated by the Eastern Cape Department of Health.^[3]

There are two public schools: Phambili Mzontsundu Senior Secondary School which is situated in town, and Phahameng Primary School which is situated in Masakhane Township.

Notable people associated with Jamestown

• Alexander James Kidwell, referred to as the "Father of Jamestown", a merchant, Special Justice of the Peace, and Methodist preacher. The sandstone Kidwell Memorial Church in the main street was named in his memory, as is the adjacent Kidwell Street. His grandparents – Alexander Kidwell and Phebe Tubb – were 1820 settlers.^[4]
• H. B. Thom – Rector and later Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, born in Jamestown.
• Hennie Aucamp – Afrikaans poet, writer, cabaretist and academic, educated and matriculated in Jamestown.
• Jan Christoffel Combrinck, (Jancke) - Artist, poet, and musician. His father was the minister of the Dutch Reformed Church during his birth in Jamestown in 1947. Early education in Jamestown Primary school. "Juffrou" (Miss) Engela Van Tonder,[refer his painting "Miss Engela",watercolour on paper, 1985), was his grade 1 teacher.He followed a few years behind Hennie Aucamp the poet and writer lauriat. Later studied at Unisa,and the University of Pretoria in the Visual Arts, psychology and Sociology.

References

1. "Main Place Jamestown". Census 2011.
2. Jamestown entry in Standard Encyclopaedia of South Africa Vol 6, p. 182
3. Eastern Cape Department of Health official website
4. Kidwell Memorial Church - photo and information by Crankshaw