Margate, KwaZulu-Natal

Margate is a seaside resort town on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, about 20 kilometres southwest of Port Shepstone. The river which flows into the sea at Margate is called "Nkhongweni" (place of entreaty) because the original inhabitants were reputed to be so mean that travellers had to beg for hospitality.

Margate
Margate's main beach
Margate
Margate
Coordinates: 30°51′00″S 30°22′00″E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceKwaZulu-Natal
DistrictUgu
MunicipalityRay Nkonyeni
Area
 • Total29.21 km2 (11.28 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total26,785
 • Density920/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African47.3%
 • Coloured2.2%
 • Indian/Asian3.1%
 • White46.9%
 • Other0.6%
First languages (2011)
 • English35.8%
 • Xhosa22.5%
 • Afrikaans19.8%
 • Zulu18.4%
 • Other3.5%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
4275
PO box
4275
Area code039

History

In 1908, Henry Richardson, an English surveyor laid out the town and named it Margate after another seaside resort on the northern coast of the county of Kent, in the United Kingdom.

Margate hit the world headlines in 1922 (although this date is often disputed and stated as 1924) when an enormous, white, furry creature (dubbed "Trunko" due to it having an elephantine trunk) was washed up on the beach. The "Margate monster" was too decomposed to be identified accurately.

Geography

Margate is situated on the Indian Ocean coastline about 15 km south-west of Port Shepstone and 127 km southwest of Durban. It is situated between Uvongo and Ramsgate in which Uvongo lies north and Ramsgate lies south.[2][3]

Tourism
Margate Central Business District

With Margate being a major seaside resort, majority of its economy comes from tourism. Signs of this can be found on the coastline where hotels and holiday accommodation apartments lie.

Reputable hotels and holiday accommodation in Margate include the Margate Hotel, Margate Sands, Seagull Holiday Flats and the Desroches Hotel.[4][5][6][7]

It features Blue Flag Beaches for swimming, snorkelling, and surfing. Many apartment buildings offer accommodation for residents and visitors. It also contains a shopping street and many restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs, Margate is a spot where many South Africans and foreign visitors spend their vacation. [8]

Margate is busiest during school and public holidays when inland residents travel to the coast. Christmas and Easter are especially busy times, with Margate's main street often clogged with heavy traffic during these times.

Margate is one of the most visited tourist destinations in South Africa and had the third highest inflow of new visitors in December 2019 in South Africa after Plettenberg Bay and Mossel Bay in the Western Cape Province. This means that Margate had the highest inflow of new visitors in December 2019 in KwaZulu-Natal.[9]

Buildings and infrastructure

Margate is served by Margate Airport with flights to Johannesburg offered by CemAir.

It has one hospital, Netcare Margate Hospital, a police station and four main malls, Margate Mall, Hibiscus Mall, Margate Centre, Margate Rank mall.

See also

References
  1. "Main Place Margate". Census 2011.
  2. "Distance Margate, Ugu, Kwazulu-Natal, ZAF > Durban, EThekwini, Kwazulu-Natal, ZAF - Air line, driving route, midpoint". www.distance.to. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  3. "Distance Margate, Ugu, Kwazulu-Natal, ZAF > Port-Shepstone, Ugu, Kwazulu-Natal, ZAF - Air line, driving route, midpoint". www.distance.to. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  4. "Self Catering Accommodation South Coast | Margate Beach Hotels". First Margate Sands. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  5. "The Margate Hotel". Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  6. "DESROCHES HOTEL - Prices & Lodge Reviews (Margate, South Africa)". Tripadvisor. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  7. "Seagull Holiday Apartments". www.safarinow.com. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  8. Lodge, Margate Beach (2017-11-03). "South Coast hosts 5 of the 6 Blue Flag beaches". Margate Beach Lodge. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  9. "These are the beach towns South Africans flock to for seaside holidays". The South African. 2020-02-26. Retrieved 2020-06-14.

Margate (KwaZulu-Natal) travel guide from Wikivoyage

See also
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