History of Saldanha

Who was Saldanha?

Saldanha Bay is named after António de Saldanha who was captain of a vessel in Albuquerque’s fleet which visited South Africa in 1503. The name was given to Table Bay where the ship cast anchor. From 1601 the present town inherited the name Saldanha.

Disputes over the sheltered deep bay

Diplomat Edmund Roberts visited the Bay in 1833 and reported that it was “well sheltered from violent winds and had sufficient depth of water, but little in the way of agriculture and that few cattle and sheep could feed on the scrubland.

 The Dutch took control of the area in 1677, establishing farms and fishing posts. By the late 1700s, the bay was the scene of clashes between the Dutch and British. In 1781, a British squadron under Commodore George Johnstone captured six Dutch East Indiamen in the bay. They had feared an attack on Cape Town and had taken refuge in Saldanha Bay. This was the only achievement of the expedition sent to seize Cape Town during the war of 1781–1783.  The British took control of the area by 1796

Saldanha was significant during World War II. It was used as a convoy staging point, and coastal defences, including artillery positions and a boom defence system, were established to protect the harbour. In 1948, the South African Navy opened its first training base here, later renamed SAS Saldanha, which still trains non-commissioned naval officers and the South African Military Academy moved here in 1958.

The Sishen-Saldanha iron ore project with the railway built to transport ore from the mines in the Northern Cape opened in 1976, A deepwater jetty was constructed to handle large ore carriers. Today, Saldanha’s economy depends on fishing, seafood processing, the steel industry, and the harbour.

Other interesting facts

  • From the 17th century, French seal hunters operated for 150 years. However, the seal population became depleted.
  • During the 19th century,  guano from Malgas Island and penguin eggs from Jutten Island were heavily harvested
  • Saldanha also became a base for American, British, and French whalers operating off the South African coast.
  • During a smallpox epidemic that struck the cape in 1871, patients were shipped to a quarantine camp in Saldanha.
  • There is fossil evidence that man may have lived here as many as 117,000 years ago. This unspoilt part of the coast is home to seagulls, cormorants, Cape gannets, duikers and terns. The West Coast Fossil Park has one of the largest displays of late Tertiary vertebrate fossils in the world

The postcode for Saldanha is 7395

Things to see and do in Saldanha

  • There are some well-established hiking trails with great vantage points from which to view  Southern Right Whales in the calving season. Read about whales here
  •  Hoedjeskoppie Nature Reserve is located on a hill in the middle of Saldanha. Here there are some traditional fisherman’s cottages and you can take in some sweeping views of the surroundings,  On a clear day you can see as far as Table Mountain.
  • The SAS Nature Reserve in the military base has some walking routes that are all bike-friendly. There are stunning views, bird and game spotting, and access to the northern peninsula of Saldanha Bay.
  • Sea farming or aquaculture was started here in the tidal basin in 1982. The cold current makes it ideal for mussels, clams, and oysters that feed on plankton
  • National Marine Week is celebrated every year during the second week of October, its purpose is to create awareness of the maritime and coastal environment and the promotion of sustainable use and conservation
  • The West Coast National Park is home to more than 250 bird species.

WEATHER IN SALDANHA TODAY

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Useful Numbers

  • Police: 022 714 8333
  • Municipality; 022 701 7000
  • Traffic department: 022 701 6900
  • Fire: 022 713 1815
  • Water:
  • Electricity:
  • Ambulance: 10177 / 022 714 4590
  • Post office;022 714 1109
  • Library: 027 714 8010
  • Closest hospital;Weskus Fam Med 022 011 0053
    Saldanha clinic 022 714 4669
  • Pharmacy; 022 714 2201
  • SPCA: west coast 022 289 0998
  • Schools: saldanha primary 022 714 1358
    Diazville Senior Secondary 022 714 1909
    Diazville primary 022 714 1645
  • Tourism – (0)22 714 2088

Other towns in the Saldanha Municipality include Hopefield; Jacob’s Bay; Langebaan; Paternoster; St Helena Bay and Vredenberg

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