The start of it all for Meise’s Halt

HERMAN Meise, a butcher of German descent, sailed to East London as part of the military settlement in November 1856.

Based in the village of Panmure which today incudes the suburbs of North End and Southernwood, he returned to his butcher’s trade.

After 1868, the town began to make rapid progress as trade through the harbour began to escalate and the municipality was established in May 1873.

Over the years, Meise came to be known as one of the fathers of the town prior to his death in November 1910. Meise’s Halt, a small rural community near East London consisting of just an hotel and trading store, would take its name from him.

Today this is no longer a small rural community, but rather a thriving business hub situated between Beacon Bay and Gonubie, which has seen immense growth and development in recent years.

This development is evident when looking at images of the area as recently as 2010 – where fields of grass once were, today stand the buildings that house businesses in agriculture, industrial and commercial equipment, as well as mechanical workshops. – Historic information from www.eastlondon-labyrinth.com