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Xhosa iBhay, I Afrikaans Port Elizabeth, SesothoBaye

Port Elizabeth was recently renamed to Gqeberha, after the Xhosa and Southern Kloe name for the Baakens River that flows through the city. In 2019, the Eastern Cape Geographical names Committee recommended that the city’s name be changed to Gqeberha and the name was officially gazetted on 23 February 2021.

The city was founded as Port Elizabeth in 1820 by Sir Rufane Donkin, who was the governor of the Cape at the time. He named it after his late wife, Elizabeth, who had died in India. The Donkin memorial in the CBD of the city bears testament to this. Gqeberha was established by the authorities of the Cape Colony when 4,000 British colonists settled in Algoa Bay to strengthen the border region between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa. It is nicknamed “The Friendly City” or “The Windy City”.[4][10][11] In 2019, the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee recommended that Port Elizabeth be renamed Gqeberha, after the Xhosa and Southern Khoe name for the Baakens River that flows through the city. The city’s controversial[12] name change was officially gazetted on 23 February 2021.[13] However the new name remained poorly used locally as of early 2022.[14]

Located on the western portion of Algoa Bay along the southeastern coast of South Africa, the city lies 770 km eastward of Cape Town. It is eastward of the Garden Route and faces the Indian Ocean. It covers 251 square kilometers of the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan area, South Africa’s sixth-largest metropolitan municipality.[15] The city’s warm oceanic climate ranks it among the top cities in the world for pleasant year-round weather.[16][17][18] The city is known for many blue-flag beaches along the city’s urban coastline; its popularity as an international and local holiday destination; and its rich and various cultural heritage. It is a gateway city for the Eastern Cape’s adventure, outdoor and African big v game safari tourism.[19][20][21][22][23]