Bethelsdorp is a town in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, 20 km north-west of Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth).
The little historical town of Bethelsdorp lies just outside Port Elizabeth (officially renamed Gqeberha).
The village is one of the first mission stations in the Eastern Cape and was founded by the London missionaries Van der Kemp and Read in 1802, on the farm Roodepas of Theunis Botha. They built the original almshouses that still stand today, behind the Van Der Kemp Memorial Church, after convincing the colonial government to establish a settlement for indigenous people here to educate and provide religious and social instruction.
The name, Bethelsdorp, is derived from the Hebrew word Bet-el (בית אל), meaning ‘House of God’.
There are quite a few buildings in the village that are protected by the National Monuments Act, including the Van Der Kemp Memorial Church, thought to be the first congregational church in southern Africa. In front of the church is the market square, where the original mission bell still rests. Whilst just behind the church is Livingstone Cottage – legend has it that David Livingstone (of ‘Dr Livingstone, I presume’ fame) stayed here himself.
Under the Apartheid era, Bethelsdorp was a township almost exclusively inhabited by coloureds. This changed somewhat with the end of Apartheid in South Africa in 1994, as living and trading in the township is now freely open to all races.
Despite this part of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) being regarded as a high crime area, there are reasons to visit the village, not least of which are the photo moments the almshouses provide. Bethelsdorp Common lies between the town and the suburb of Bridgemeade, a grassy area of fynbos and steep rocky gorges that provide a wealth of bird life, and where those interested in birding come to walk along a trail from the town through the common.
There is also the Van der Kemp’s Kloof hiking trail that starts at the village, a circular trail that follows the Little Zwartkops River. Van der Kemp’s Kloof has a picnic site, and the walk is well worth doing.