East London is well known for its breathtaking natural beauty, with wide-open sandy beaches and popular surfing spots, but is just as attractive for its rich political and cultural history. The city's ancestry is evident. Against a typically African backdrop, traces of British and German heritage can be found. We visit this bustling city, also known as the gateway to the wild coast and sunshine coast, to explore its unique British and German influences and how these can still be felt today.

The city, which is synonymous with friendliness is home to an estimated 900 000 people, mainly Xhosa speaking. It was established in 1835 as a military base mainly because of the frontier wars that were being fought between the British and the Xhosa over land. The British invited the Germans to settle in East London during these frontier wars in order to form a buffer between themselves and the Xhosa.

During the frontier war the Xhosa’s received a major blow because of a vision Nongqawuse, the daughter of chief Mhlakaza, experienced. She had a vision that in order for the frontier wars to end and for the Xhosa people to expel the British from the area, the Xhosa nation would have to kill their cattle and burn their crops. The plan backfired and instead lead to mass starvation and the deaths of over 100 000 Xhosa people. These historic events are commonly referred to as the Xhosa national suicide.

At Fort Glamorgan we delve further into the frontier wars that shaped the city. The initial fort was built on the western shore of the mouth of the Buffalo River and was called Fort Buffalo. At roughly the same time in 1847 Sir Harry Smith ordered work to begin on a second fort, Fort Glamorgan, adjacent to Fort Buffalo. In fact it might have been intended as an extension of Fort Buffalo. The forts provided accommodation for a little over 20 cavalry and officers, and three companies of infantry.

Next the tour takes us on a brief visit to the German Memorial at the city’s Heroes Park to absorb more of the city’s German lineage. This stop leads us to East London City Hall, a venue of historic proportions. The building was erected in 1899 in commemoration of the Queen’s Jubilee and would much later become the first meeting of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee in the city in 1996. Today the City Hall still functions as the municipal headquarters. Outside the hall is a statue dedicated to a South African intellectual giant, Steve Bantu Biko, the famous leader of the black consciousness movement.

Elsewhere we visit the footprints building to learn about the footprints found on the beach approximately 124 000 years ago. We walk along the boardwalk to where the footprints were found. Today the footprints, which have been excavated, can be found in the East London Museum, along with other unparalleled anthropological displays. Amongst these are a specimen of the coelacanth, a fish previously believed to have become extinct some 80 million years ago, and the only dodo egg in existence.

Although East London is mainly known for its long, white stretches of sandy beaches and natural scenery, but its diverse cultural makeup and history (both modern and natural history) are just more things that add to its beauty and make it a must-visit destination.