Malgas

Malgas
The Malgas cable ferry on the Breede River
Malgas  Malgas shown within Western Cape
Coordinates: 34°18′00″S 20°34′59″E / 34.3°S 20.583°ECoordinates: 34°18′00″S 20°34′59″E / 34.3°S 20.583°E
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%

Malgas 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. The name "Malgas" is probably an adaptation of the Portuguese mangas de velludo, "velvet sleeves", referring to the Cape gannet (Morus capensis) with its black-tipped wings.^[2] According to the 2011 census, Malgas has a population of 44 people in 20 households.^[1] 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.^[3]

References

1. "Main Place Malgas". Census 2011.
2. Raper, P. E. (1987). Dictionary of South African Place Names. Lowry Publishers. pp. 292–293. ISBN 0947042067.
3. Brooke, Simon (19 April 2013). "However you spell it, Malgas is an oasis". Business Day. Retrieved 20 April 2014.