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Cathcart, South Africa

Coordinates: 32°18′S 27°08′E / 32.300°S 27.133°E / -32.300; 27.133
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Cathcart
Main street in Cathcart
Main street in Cathcart
Cathcart is located in Eastern Cape
Cathcart
Cathcart
Cathcart is located in South Africa
Cathcart
Cathcart
Cathcart is located in Africa
Cathcart
Cathcart
Coordinates: 32°18′S 27°08′E / 32.300°S 27.133°E / -32.300; 27.133
Country South Africa
Province Eastern Cape
DistrictAmathole
MunicipalityAmahlathi
Established1858[1]
Area
 • Total30.1 km2 (11.6 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total7,360
 • Density240/km2 (630/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African93.4%
 • Coloured2.0%
 • Indian/Asian0.1%
 • White4.3%
 • Other0.2%
First languages (2011)
 • IsiXhosa90.6%
 • English4.5%
 • Afrikaans3.1%
 • Other1.8%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
5310
PO box
5310
Area code045

Cathcart is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, named after Sir George Cathcart, governor of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope 1852–1853. The town is situated on the N6, 48 kilometres (30 mi) north of Stutterheim en route to Komani. It is the Biltong capital of South Africa.

Establishment

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Originally a small military post established during the Eighth Frontier War, Cathcart was established as a village in 1858 when German colonists arrived in the region. The village was formally laid out in 1858 and it only consisted of one inhabited dwelling. It only gained more settlers in the year 1876. It was named after the governor of the Colony of the Good Hope in 1852-1853, Sir George Cathcart. Work on its railway connection to East London on the coast was begun by the Cape government of John Molteno in 1876, and the line was officially opened on 3 November 1879. The Cathcart Shrine was the first built shrine in Africa and it was blessed in 1949.[3]

Religion

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Church of Saint Alban at Cathcart in the Eastern Cape South Africa on the road to Aliwal North.

St. Alban's Anglican Church,[a] built in 1886 is a well known landmark in Cathcart and has an unusual and distinctive Western façade.[4]

Education

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There are a number of high schools and primary schools in Cathcart. Cathcart High School is located north of the town near the N6 route to Queenstown.[b]

•* Cathcart Primary School •* Cathcart High School •* Fenfield Farm School •* Goshen Public School

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ Robson, Linda Gillian (2011). "Annexure A" (PDF). The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact (PhD thesis). University of Pretoria. pp. xlv–lii. hdl:2263/26503.
  2. ^ a b c d Sum of the Subplaces Katikati SP, Daliwe SP, Carthcart SP and Rocklands from Census 2011.
  3. ^ Burman 1984, p. 83.
  4. ^ Menache & David 2015, p. 16.
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Media related to Cathcart at Wikimedia Commons