Bhisho

History

Bhisho derives its name from the Xhosa word for buffalo, which is also the name of the river (Buffalo River) that runs near this town. Bhisho was named after the song by Ben Tyazashe, who wrote of his longing for his home, Bisho, his name for King William's Town. However, it has also been claimed that the name was invented by Ciskei leader Lennox Sebe, after his unsuccessful bid to incorporate King William's Town into Ciskei, as Qonce (the Xhosa version of the Khoikhoi name for the Buffalo River; it means “buffalo”) was already used as the native name for King William's Town. who united across political lines against incorporation into the homeland, in the face of a 1979 recommendation by the South African government. In 1983 Bisho signed a sister-city agreement with the settlement of Ariel in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This saw the construction of two hospitals (one on a floodplain) On 7 September 1992, Bisho became the scene of what is known as the Bisho massacre, when about 80–100,000 people marched on Bisho calling for the dismantling of Ciskei, which still maintained a measure of independence, and removal of the homeland's leader Brigadier Oupa Gqozo. The Ciskei Defence Force opened fire, shooting dead 28 or 29 people, and wounding 100. The massacre came at a critical time when negotiations towards democracy were underway. Bisho was reincorporated into South Africa on 12 August 1994, following the first democratic elections in the country in April the same year. In October 1994, the then Eastern Cape Premier Raymond Mhlaba announced that Bisho had been selected as the capital city of the Eastern Cape due to its infrastructure, accessibility to major roads and space for further development. The department of Arts and Culture published a correction of…

Most-observed species

• Hadada Ibis

  Bostrychia hagedash (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  311
• Red-winged Starling

  Onychognathus morio (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  256
• Sombre Greenbul

  Andropadus importunus (Vieillot, 1818) · Aves
  239
• Common Bulbul

  Pycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaines, 1789) · Aves
  233
• Red-eyed Dove

  Streptopelia semitorquata (Rüppell, 1837) · Aves
  225
• Cape Weaver

  Ploceus capensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  202
• Karroothorn

  Vachellia karroo (Hayne) Banfi & Galasso · Magnoliopsida
  199
• African Black-headed Oriole

  Oriolus larvatus Lichtenstein, 1823 · Aves
  197