South Africa · Eastern Cape · Gqeberha
New Brighton, Gqeberha — Area Guide & Where to Stay
New Brighton is a township within Gqeberha, part of the greater Ibhayi, and the site of the Red Location Museum in the Eastern Cape.
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Where to stay in New Brighton
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
Beds are scarce inside the township itself. Swartkops lies a short way north of New Brighton and is the only other district of Gqeberha the record holds, while the city's own centre lies to the south, which makes a Gqeberha base the practical one for most stays. Ibhayi surrounds the district. Anyone visiting the Red Location Museum or the Mendi Memorial can reach both from a room elsewhere in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, since the distances across Port Elizabeth's built-up ground stay short.
Few places to stay in New Brighton — most visitors book in Gqeberha nearby.
About New Brighton
What are the main landmarks in New Brighton?
Two named sites anchor it. The Red Location Museum stands in New Brighton, and the Mendi Memorial marks the same district, which gives the township two fixed points a visit can be built around. Both sit inside Ibhayi.
Beyond them the file names nothing further, so the Eastern Cape setting and the surrounding streets of the greater township do the rest of the orienting work.
What is the history of New Brighton?
Not one source dates the township's start. New Brighton forms part of the greater township of Ibhayi, and both fall under the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, the authority that governs Port Elizabeth and the ground around it. Two memorial sites carry the rest.
The Mendi Memorial and the Red Location Museum both stand in New Brighton, and between them they hold whatever commemorative record the township keeps within Gqeberha.
Where is New Brighton?
New Brighton lies north of the centre of Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, inside the greater township of Ibhayi, with Swartkops a short way further north.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in New Brighton?
Gqeberha: a full room supply south of New Brighton.
More areas in Gqeberha
Updated September 2026