Malgas

Malgas
Malgas Show map of Western Cape Malgas Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 34.3°S 20.583°E / -34.3; 20.583
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
District	Overberg
Municipality	Swellendam
Area [1]
• Total	0.77 km^2 (0.30 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	44
• Density	57/km^2 (150/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	11.4%
• Coloured	50.0%
• White	38.6%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Afrikaans	74.4%
• English	18.6%
• S. Ndebele	2.3%
• Xhosa	2.3%
• Other	2.3%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)

Malgas (or Malagas^[2]) is a settlement on the right (southwest) bank of the Breede River in the Overberg region of the Western Cape. It is situated 25 kilometres north-west of the Breede River mouth at Witsand, and 30 kilometres south-east of Swellendam.

"Malgas" is the Afrikaans for gannet. The word "malgas" is probably an adaptation of the Portuguese: mangas de velludo, lit. 'velvet sleeves', referring to the Cape gannet (Morus capensis) with its black-tipped wings.^[3] According to the 2011 census, Malgas has a population of 44 people in 20 households.^[1]

Malgas Pont

It is well known for the "pont", a man-hauled pontoon cable ferry across the Breede River, which is the last of its type in South Africa.^[4] The man-hauled ferry has been replaced by a motor driven ferry, a yellow steel pontoon with a massive diesel engine.

Breede River crossing on the Malgas Pont

The old Malgas cable ferry on the Breede River

Boarding the Malgas Pont

References

1. "Main Place Malgas". Census 2011.
2. "Malagas/Malgas and Joseph Barry | The Heritage Portal". www.theheritageportal.co.za. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
3. Raper, P. E. (1987). Dictionary of South African Place Names. Lowry Publishers. pp. 292–293. ISBN 0947042067.
4. Brooke, Simon (18 April 2013). "However you spell it, Malgas is an oasis". Business Day. Times Media (Pty) Ltd. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2018.

External links

• Media related to Malgas at Wikimedia Commons