Malgas

Place in Western Cape, South Africa

34°18′00″S 20°34′59″E / 34.3°S 20.583°E / -34.3; 20.583CountrySouth AfricaProvinceWestern CapeDistrictOverbergMunicipalitySwellendamArea

^[1]

• Total0.77 km² (0.30 sq mi)Population

(2011)^[1]

• Total44 • Density57/km² (150/sq mi)Racial makeup (2011)

^[1]

• Black African11.4% • Coloured50.0% • White38.6%First languages (2011)

^[1]

• Afrikaans74.4% • English18.6% • S. Ndebele2.3% • Xhosa2.3% • Other2.3%Time zoneUTC+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cable ferry across the Breede River, which is the last of its type in South Africa.^[4] The man-hauled ferry has been replaced by a motor driven ferry, a yellow steel pontoon with a massive diesel engine.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

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Main Place Malgas". Census 2011.
^ "Malagas/Malgas and Joseph Barry | The Heritage Portal". www.theheritageportal.co.za. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
^ Raper, P. E. (1987). Dictionary of South African Place Names. Lowry Publishers. pp. 292–293. ISBN 0947042067.
^ 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.