Property in Eastern Cape - ERA Real Estate

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Welcome to ERA in Eastern Cape

If the Eastern Cape were to be described in a sentence it would be to say that this is a province of green hills and unspoiled beaches, political turmoil and rich history.

Unlike its pretty sister, the Western Cape, this region is not yet well marked on the international tourist map. Even so its gems are being discovered and once quiet seaside villages like Kenton-on-Sea and Jeffrey's Bay are increasingly attracting foreign interest. The beating heart of the Eastern Cape is the harbour city of Port Elizabeth, traditionally the point where a trip along the Cape's Garden Route begins or ends. North of Port Elizabeth is Grahamstown, home of Rhodes University, several famous schools and the centre of Africa's biggest annual cultural festival. The Addo Elephant Park and the private Shamwari game reserve, both malaria-free, are the only reserves in the southern part of the country that offer significant game viewing.

One of the reasons the Eastern Cape has remained undiscovered by foreign visitors is because of an historical legacy that carved it into black and white territories. In the 1820s the British made the Great Fish River the border of their new colony and fought several Frontier Wars with the Xhosa over land. That frontier remains in place and beyond the Great Fish River is the former Bantustan of the Transkei. Apartheid kept the region poverty stricken and largely without infrastructure. What it also spawned were several generations of political activists including former president Nelson Mandela, born in the village of Qunu, his successor Thabo Mbeki and black consciousness leader Steve Biko, who died in the custody of security police in 1977. For investors interested in real estate the Eastern Cape offers opportunities unmatched by the rest of the country.