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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Malgas

Malgas (or Malagas) 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. According to the 2011 census, Malgas has a population of 44 people in 20 households.

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. The man-hauled ferry has been replaced by a motor driven ferry, a yellow steel pontoon with a massive diesel engine.