Like many of East London's landmarks and suburbs, the Eastern Beach gradually evolved its name. It was originally known as "Panmure Beach" after the village on the eastern bank of the Buffalo River but this term gradually fell into disuse after the formation of a municipality in 1873. The descriptive title of "the eastern beach" began to be used more and more until, by 1900, it had become the official designation for this beach.

The beach, together with the nearby wooded sand dunes, was not originally a part of the municipality but was held as a government reserve. As a result, the municipality had no jurisdiction there. When, for example, the Town Council declared in 1883 that no "native person" would in future be allowed onto the town's beaches, this regulation could not be applied to the Eastern Beach.

Historically, therefore, the Eastern Beach was open to bathing by all races. Although the National Party regime eventually put a stop to that practice through its policy of Grand Apartheid and legal segregation, the

See also: The beachfront homepage Panmure

Eastern Beach would remain a focal point of protest. It was largely for this reason that the beach became the target for invasion during the 1980s, as the Black people of East London claimed back what they regarded as historically their own.

Dr Keith Tankard