East London, on the estuary of the Buffalo River, which here flows into the Indian Ocean, is the only river port of any economic importance in South Africa, handling mainly wool (auctions in Wool Exchange from May to September) and other agricultural products. Its main industry, after foodstuffs and textiles, is car
manufacture. In recent decades, however, East London, handicapped by its situation between the former homelands of Transkei and Ciskei and faced by strong competition from Durban and Port Elizabeth, has increasingly fallen into decline. In the nearby black settlements of Mdantsane and Zwelithsa up to 70% of the population are unemployed.
Of all this, however, visitors to East London see little. Situated as it is on one of the most beautiful stretches of coast on the Indian Ocean, with long, broad, clean and unfrequented beaches, East London is now a very popular holiday resort which attracts visitors throughout the year.
In 1688 a ship anchored at the mouth of the Buffalo River looking for survivors of a shipwreck. Then in 1752 Ensign Beutler undertook a voyage of exploration in the region and reported the discovery of a river which the natives called Konka ("buffalo"). Presumably this area, on the borders of Xhosa country, was thought to be unsafe, for it was more than eighty years before another British ship put in here in 1836, this time with supplies for troops stationed in the region. During the Kaffir Wars the port rapidly gained in importance as a supply base. In 1848 it was occupied by British forces and named East London.
In 1857 and 1858 almost 5000 discharged mercenaries of the British German Legion found a haven here and settled with their families in the surrounding area. Hence the many German place-names (Hamburg, Potsdam, Braunschweig, etc.) round East London; hence also the origin of the German Market in which the settlers sold their produce. The market is still held on Fridays and Saturdays in Beacon Bay, on the north side of East London; but now it is mainly African women who sell their wares there. East London was granted its municipal charter in 1880.
From the air terminal at the railroad station there are regular bus services to Ben Schoeman Airport, 12km/71\2mi from the city center, which links East London with all the principal South African cities.
With its pleasant residential suburbs and its public parks and gardens, East London has a well-cared-for look. The central area is small and can be easily explored on foot. The main street is Oxford Street. It is 5km/3mi long, but only the section between Argyle Street in the north and Fleet Street is really busy. There is an attractive promenade, the 2km/1.25 mi long Esplanade, along the seafront
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