Maloti (formerly named Maluti) is a middle-class township of Matatiele Local Municipality in

Alfred Nzo District Municipality The Alfred Nzo District Municipality () is one of the 6 Districts of South Africa, districts of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The seat is Mount Ayliff. The majority of its 801,344 residents speak Xhosa language, isiXhosa. The district ...

in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. Maloti, once a village, is now a rapidly developing township. The township comprises

Sotho Sotho may refer to: *Sotho people (or ''Basotho''), an African ethnic group principally resident in South Africa, Lesotho and southern Botswana *Sotho language (''Sesotho'' or ''Southern Sotho''), a Bantu language spoken in southern Africa, an offi ...

, Hlubi,

Phuthi Phuthi (''Síphùthì'') is a Nguni Bantu language spoken in southern Lesotho and areas in South Africa adjacent to the same border. The closest substantial living relative of Phuthi is Swati (or ''Siswati''), spoken in Eswatini and the Mpuma ...

and small

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

groups. Most residents in the area are either bilingual or multilingual. The township comprises many sections, namely Tholang, Motsekoa, Ramohlakoana, Protea, Hardingberg, Malubaluba and Donald's Drift. Maloti is highly admired for the mountain ranges that surround it.

History

There is very little history recorded about Maloti. Maloti started as a small village that gradually grew during the Apartheid era when it was zoned to house the black inhabitants of

Matatiele Matatiele is a town located in the northern part of the Eastern Cape, Eastern Cape Province of Provinces of South Africa, South Africa. According to the South African National Census of 2011, its 12,466 residents (1,113.44 per km²) and 4,107 h ...

Development

Maloti was already developing during Apartheid, but it saw even greater development in the 2000s. The township has facilities like a petrol station, hotels, shops, schools, a civic center, a hall, a library, a post office, a clinic, a police station, a magistrates court and municipal offices that make it self-sufficient and independent from Matatiele. Affluent black families send their children to the Model C schools in Matatiele. The township once had a fully functional university, the

University of Transkei The University of Transkei was a university in Umtata in the former bantustan of Transkei in South Africa. It was founded in 1976 as a branch of the University of Fort Hare and after the Transkei gained nominal independence in 1977, it became th ...

( Maluti College of Education) The old university buildings have been converted into district offices.

Culture

Traditional culture is slowly phasing out within Maloti as it gentrifies. Maloti's culture is heavily influenced by Western culture, in line with the rest of South Africa.

References

{{Alfred Nzo District Municipality Populated places in the Matatiele Local Municipality