Another festival held in Grahamstown annually is the ‘SciFest Africa’. This festival is held in late March or early April. Like the name suggests this is a science festival which attracts over 58 thousand visitors. Events include lectures, exhibitions, laser shows, high school quizzes and tours to name a few!

Rhodes university is a popular choice for school leavers as the place to expand their education. Situated in Grahamstown, this university has its own unique character which is owed to past cultural factors. This is a place where leaders learn…

The Very Beginning:

It was John Graham, a Lieutenant-Colonel who founded this town back in 1812. This was in an attempt to secure the eastern frontier of British influence against the Xhosa. In 1819, a large group of Xhosa warriors then launched an attack against the British Colonial Forces. At the time the Xhosa’s were under the leadership of Nxele. After continual harassment of Xhosas, in their own territory, by the British authorities, the Xhosas planned an attack on Grahamstown. The attack nearly happened however the Xhosa’s were overwhelmed by the amount of heavy artillery and gunfire by the British. Nxele eventually surrended and was later imprisoned on Robben Island where he later died.

Grahamstown then started to grow in the 1820’s when many settlers moved there with their families. In only a few decades Grahamstown became the Cape Colony’s largest city, after Cape Town.

Rhodes University College was then established in Grahamstown, back in 1904 – after receiving a grant from the Rhodes Trust. By 1951 Rhodes University was going so well and became a fully-fledged University.

In 1994 Grahamstown was declared a part of the newly established Eastern Cape Province and Bhisho became the provincial capital