Bethelsdorp

Bethelsdorp
Almshouses, Alms Street, Bethelsdorp
Bethelsdorp Show map of Eastern Cape Bethelsdorp Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 33°53′S 25°30′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Eastern Cape
Municipality	Nelson Mandela Bay
Established	1803
Area [1]
• Total	36.62 km^2 (14.14 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	182,012
• Density	5,000/km^2 (13,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	34.1%
• Coloured	64.4%
• Indian/Asian	0.6%
• White	0.2%
• Other	0.8%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Afrikaans	57.8%
• Xhosa	28.7%
• English	11.2%
• Other	2.3%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	6059
PO box	6003
Area code	+27 (0)41

Bethelsdorp is a town in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, 20 km north-west of Port Elizabeth.

History

Established in 1803 by Rev. J.T. van der Kemp on the farm Roodepas of Theunis Botha as a mission station of the London Missionary Society. The name is derived from the Hebrew word Baitheel, meaning 'House of God'.[2]

Under the previous political dispensation, Bethelsdorp was a township almost exclusively inhabited by coloureds (Afrikaans: Kleurlinge). This changed somewhat with the end of Apartheid in South Africa in 1994, as living and trading in the township is now freely open to all races.

References

1. "Main Place Bethelsdorp". Census 2011.
2. "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 78.