Railway Station between Swartkops and Coega, 16 km North of Port Elizabeth on route to Alicedale. Takes its name from the genus of plants with succulent leaves, erect spikes of flowers and bitter juice, extracted from certain species.
In 1873, Prime Minister John Molteno of the Cape Colony commenced work on connecting Port Elizabeth to the developing National Railway network, resulting in the Station Complex being located in the Historic central District, near the harbour. The prosperity which followed the construction of railways to the interior earned for the port the designation of "the Liverpool of South Africa."
New Dictionary of South African Names by Peter E Raper
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