Athlone, Cape Town
Encyclopedia
Athlone is a suburb of Cape Town
located to the east of the city centre on the Cape Flats
to the south of the N2
highway. It is named after Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
who was Governor-General of the Union of South Africa
from 1924 to 1930. Two of the suburb's main landmarks are Athlone Stadium
and the decommissioned coal burning Athlone Power Station
, though, the distinctive cooling towers were dismantled in winter 2010. Athlone is mainly residential and is served by a railway station of the same name. It however includes Industrial (Athlone Industria 1 & 2) as well as strong commercial zones (Athlone CBD and Gatesville) as well. There are actually many "sub-areas" within Athlone, including: Manenberg, Gatesville, Belgravia Estate, Bridgetown, Crawford
, Hazendal to name a few.
It is also the home of the Trojan Horse Memorial, a reminder of the Trojan Horse Massacre which took place in 1985, when three anti-apartheid
protesters were killed and fifteen others wounded in a police ambush. Athlone is also the home of the Robert Waterwitch / Colleen Williams Memorial, established in memory of two ANC
activists who perished in the struggle against apartheid.
There are over 100 schools in the greater Athlone area, including Alexander Sinton Secondary School
.
, 23.45% Indian/Asian, 3.69% White and 0% from other races.
In the suburb the population was spread out with 28.38% under the age of 18, 28.37% from 18 to 34, 26.53% from 35 to 54, 8.04% from 55 to 64, and 8.66% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.53 males.
82.58% of the population speak English
, 15.18% speak Afrikaans
, 1.13% speak Xhosa
, 0.52% speak another African language and 0.59% some other language as a first language.
is provided by Bridgetown Secondary School, located on Brushwood Road, Bridgetown.
is situated alongside the N2. The cooling towers, commonly referred to as the "Athlone Towers", were demolished on 22 August 2010.
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
located to the east of the city centre on the Cape Flats
Cape Flats
The Cape Flats is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. To many people in Cape Town, the area is known simply as 'The Flats'....
to the south of the N2
N2 (South Africa)
The N2 is a National Route in South Africa; it is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. The N2 starts in Cape Town in the Western Cape and runs through the cities of Port Elizabeth and East London in the Eastern Cape and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal to end at Ermelo in...
highway. It is named after Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
Major-General Alexander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone , was a close relative of the shared British and Canadian royal family, as well as a British military commander and major-general who served as Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, the...
who was Governor-General of the Union of South Africa
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State...
from 1924 to 1930. Two of the suburb's main landmarks are Athlone Stadium
Athlone Stadium
Athlone Stadium is a stadium in Athlone on the Cape Flats in Cape Town, South Africa. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Santos Cape Town. The stadium holds 30,000 people and was built in 1972....
and the decommissioned coal burning Athlone Power Station
Athlone Power Station
Athlone Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station in Athlone, Cape Town, South Africa.The power station was commissioned in 1962 with 6 turbines with a nominal capacity of 180 megawatts, and operated by the City of Cape Town. Between 1985 and 1994 the station was held on standby,...
, though, the distinctive cooling towers were dismantled in winter 2010. Athlone is mainly residential and is served by a railway station of the same name. It however includes Industrial (Athlone Industria 1 & 2) as well as strong commercial zones (Athlone CBD and Gatesville) as well. There are actually many "sub-areas" within Athlone, including: Manenberg, Gatesville, Belgravia Estate, Bridgetown, Crawford
Crawford, Cape Town
Crawford is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, located to the East of the City Centre on the Cape Flats to the South of the N2 highway. The suburb is surrounded by the suburbs of Lansdowne, Rondebosch East, Athlone, Belthorn Estate, Rylands, and Belgravia...
, Hazendal to name a few.
It is also the home of the Trojan Horse Memorial, a reminder of the Trojan Horse Massacre which took place in 1985, when three anti-apartheid
Internal resistance to South African apartheid
Internal resistance to the apartheid system in South Africa came from several sectors of society and saw the creation of organisations dedicated variously to peaceful protests, passive resistance and armed insurrection. It came from both black activists like Steve Biko and Desmond Tutu as well as...
protesters were killed and fifteen others wounded in a police ambush. Athlone is also the home of the Robert Waterwitch / Colleen Williams Memorial, established in memory of two ANC
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
activists who perished in the struggle against apartheid.
There are over 100 schools in the greater Athlone area, including Alexander Sinton Secondary School
Alexander Sinton Secondary School
Alexander Sinton Secondary School, also known as Alexander Sinton High School is an English-medium school in Athlone, South Africa, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. As of 2006 it had some 1,113 students and was staffed by 35 educators....
.
Demographics
As of the censusof 2001, there were 11,556 households and 45,056 people residing in the suburb. The racial makeup of the suburb was 3.21% Black African, 69.66% ColouredColoured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
, 23.45% Indian/Asian, 3.69% White and 0% from other races.
In the suburb the population was spread out with 28.38% under the age of 18, 28.37% from 18 to 34, 26.53% from 35 to 54, 8.04% from 55 to 64, and 8.66% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.53 males.
82.58% of the population speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, 15.18% speak Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
, 1.13% speak Xhosa
Xhosa language
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said...
, 0.52% speak another African language and 0.59% some other language as a first language.
Organisations in Athlone
The Anti-Eviction Campaign and the Gatesville Hawkers Association have a strong presence with many members in Athlone.Education
Secondary educationSecondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
is provided by Bridgetown Secondary School, located on Brushwood Road, Bridgetown.
Athlone Power Station
The decommissioned Athlone Power StationAthlone Power Station
Athlone Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station in Athlone, Cape Town, South Africa.The power station was commissioned in 1962 with 6 turbines with a nominal capacity of 180 megawatts, and operated by the City of Cape Town. Between 1985 and 1994 the station was held on standby,...
is situated alongside the N2. The cooling towers, commonly referred to as the "Athlone Towers", were demolished on 22 August 2010.