Kei Mouth (
Afrikaans: ''Keimond'') is a
resort town
A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...
on the southeast coast of
South Africa, situated in the
Wild Coast region of the
Eastern Cape Province, situated 94 kilometres from the city of
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
. The town is situated on the
Indian Ocean coast, on the western bank of the
Great Kei River, and has one of the country's three remaining car transporting pontoon river ferries.
History
The town of Kei Mouth was created by the British after the 8th Frontier War, as part of the frontline of a buffer zone aimed at protecting
British Kaffraria
British Kaffraria was a British colony/subordinate administrative entity in present-day South Africa, consisting of the districts now known as Qonce and East London. It was also called Queen Adelaide's Province.
The British Kaffraria was establish ...
from the warring Xhosa tribes.
Huberta, the famous Hippo, took up residence in the Kei River just above third cave in 1930. She was eventually chased off and continued her journey southward once more.
Sports
Bowls and Golf are favoured pastimes in Kei Mouth. The Kei Mouth Country Club has a 12-hole Golf Course and there is a bowling green and a squash court adjacent to the campsite.
Other sporting activities include
mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...
,
horse riding and water sports such as
surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
,
swimming,
fishing, boating and
windsurfing.
Tourism
The economy of Kei Mouth revolves largely around tourism due to its location at the southern entrance to the erstwhile
Transkei region. Whilst many of the residents are retirees, a large portion of homes are holiday homes owned by families from the interior. There are several accommodation establishments, a municipal campsite, two restaurants and bars, two small supermarkets and a service station.
Nearby resort towns include:
Qolora Mouth
Qolora Mouth is a town in Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the ...
,
Morgan's Bay,
Haga Haga
Haga Haga is a village on the Eastern Cape Wild Coast of South Africa, 60 km east of East London.
The village has been declared a conservancy owing to a number of rare indigenous species found in the area, such as the Cape clawless otte ...
and
Chintsa
Demographics
The main languages spoken in Kei Mouth are
English,
Xhosa and
Afrikaans. The town is home to a large number of retirees, thanks to the mild climate and holiday atmosphere.
References
Populated places in the Great Kei Local Municipality
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