Gqeberha, South Africa · UTC+2 ☆

Gqeberha, the city formerly known as Port Elizabeth, sits on Algoa Bay on South Africa’s Eastern Cape coast and follows Africa/Johannesburg: UTC+2, no daylight saving time. The name change came in 2021 as part of a broader renaming of places with colonial origins, and the city of about 1.3 million people is still adjusting to the new name in everyday usage. International cricket broadcasts now use Gqeberha, and commentators from around the world have learned to pronounce it (the “Gq” sounds roughly like a click followed by “eh-BEH-ha”).

South Africa does not observe DST, so the UTC+2 offset is constant year-round. Gqeberha’s coastal position at about 34 degrees south latitude gives it milder temperatures than the interior Highveld cities, and its seasonal daylight variation is moderate. Summer days see sunrise before 5:30am and sunset around 7:15pm. In winter, sunrise comes after 7am and sunset by 5:30pm.

st george’s park

St George’s Park is one of the oldest cricket grounds in the world, having hosted its first Test match in 1889, the second Test ever played on South African soil. The ground holds about 19,000 spectators and sits in a park setting near the city center, surrounded by gardens and old trees. It is a Test venue with genuine history, and the list of matches played here reads like a timeline of South African cricket.

The ground is known for its sea breeze, which can swing the ball significantly in both directions. Pace bowlers who can exploit the conditions find St George’s Park rewarding. The pitch tends to offer something for everyone, which produces results and makes Tests here consistently entertaining.

Day-night Tests and ODIs under lights at St George’s Park start at 2pm SAST, with the evening sessions running under floodlights as the coastal light fades. The pink ball, used in day-night Tests, behaves differently in the coastal humidity compared to the dry Highveld air, adding another variable for bowlers to manage.

a port city renamed

Gqeberha was founded as Port Elizabeth in 1820 by British settlers, and the city’s colonial architecture, particularly along the Donkin Reserve and the historic city center, reflects that origin. The Campanile, a 53-meter bell tower near the harbor, was built in 1923 to commemorate the centenary of the 1820 settlers. It still stands as one of the city’s landmarks.

The renaming process was controversial and remains a point of discussion. The city was named Gqeberha after the Xhosa name for the Baakens River that flows through the city center. The metropolitan municipality retained its name, Nelson Mandela Bay, which was adopted in 2001.

the windy city

Gqeberha is sometimes called the Windy City of South Africa, a title it shares with some justification. The prevailing southwesterly wind off the Indian Ocean blows consistently, particularly in the afternoon. This wind affects cricket at St George’s Park, sometimes making batting on the windward side of the ground uncomfortable and giving bowlers with the wind at their backs extra pace and carry.

The wind also shapes daily life. Beach activities at Summerstrand and Hobie Beach are best in the morning before the wind picks up. The annual Ironman South Africa triathlon, held in Gqeberha each April, is notorious for its wind-affected bike leg along the coastal road.

9am in Gqeberha is 7am in London. The consistent UTC+2 offset, with no DST complications, makes international scheduling straightforward.

Sources

• IANA Time Zone Database - Africa/Johannesburg
• Cricket South Africa
• Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism