Hankey, Gamtoos Valley, Eastern Cape
Hankey is the oldest of the three towns that make up the Gamtoos Valley, the others being Loerie and Patensie. The keystone industry is agriculture and as a result the area is very scenic. Hankey can be accessed from Port Elizabeth (R331) or Humansdorp (R330), both scenic routes.
It is probably best known because of its claim to the largest sundial in Africa that stands 18m high and weighs in at a ton. It was erected to celebrate the town’s 160th anniversary in 1986 and was masterminded by local resident, Dirk Schellingerhout.
Hankey’s other claim to fame is the burial place of Sarah Baartman – now an icon for human rights. She was an uneducated Khoi-San woman, considered very beautiful by her own people, who was lured overseas and exhibited as a freak until her death in France. Years of negotiation with the French government finally culminated in her remains being returned to a burial place just outside Hankey – something of a victory for humanity and a symbol of freedom.
Hankey is accessed off the N2 either at Humansdorp on the R330 or close to Port Elizabeth on the R331.
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