Margate is a coastal resort town in the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

province, about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south-west of

Port Shepstone Port Shepstone is a large town situated on the mouth of the Mzimkhulu River, the largest river on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast of South Africa. It is located halfway between Hibberdene and Margate, KwaZulu-Natal, Margate and is positioned 120&nbs ...

and 127 kilometres (78.9 mi) south-west of

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

. The river which flows into the sea at Margate is called "Nkhongweni" ''(place of entreaty)'' as the original inhabitants of the area were reputed to be so mean resulting in travellers begging for hospitality. Located on the Hibiscus Coast, part of the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, Margate is one of the major hubs for tourists who are looking to visit the eastern coastline of South Africa.

History

In 1908, Henry Richardson, an English surveyor laid out the town and named it

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

after another seaside resort on the northern coast of the county of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. 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 Trunko is the nickname for a large unidentified lump of flesh or a decomposed sea creature, a so-called "globster", reportedly sighted in Margate, KwaZulu-Natal, Margate, South Africa on 25 October 1924. The initial source for Trunko was an ar ...

" due to it having an elephantine trunk) was washed up on the beach. The "Margate monster" was too decomposed to be identified.

Geography

Topography

Margate’s terrain is relatively undulating, rising westward to its highest point at Margate Airport (152 m/499 ft). The town is bordered by Manaba Beach to the north and

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...

to the south, forming a continuous coastal stretch.

Suburbs

The 2011 census divided the urban area of Margate into 14 “sub places” including: *Beacon Rocks *Lawrence Rocks * Manaba Beach *Margate (Proper) ** also encompasses Margate Ext. 3 and Ext. 7, Gayridge Agricultural Holdings and the KwaMasinenge Informal Settlement *Margate Beach *Margate North Beach *

*Ramsgate Beach *Ramsgate South * Shelly Beach * St Michael's-on-sea * Uvongo *Uvongo Beach *Windsor-on-Sea

Economy

Retail

Shopping centres

* Emoyeni Centre * Hibiscus Mall – primary shopping centre in Margate * Margate Centre * Margate Mall (also known as Shoprite Centre) For a wider variety, residents often visit Shelly Beach, home to two of the South Coast's largest malls: Shelly Centre and Southcoast Mall.

Tourism

Margate is largely a tourist town, owing to its subtropical climate, beaches, and hospitality industry with the bulk of the town's earnings coming from

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. There is a wide range of holiday accommodation in the area including hotels such as Margate Hotel and Desroches Hotel, holiday apartments along the coast, self-contained units and holiday houses for rent. Margate is popularly known for its good beaches, especially its main beach, which is accredited with the international Blue Flag status. The Margate Central Business District (CBD) situated between the main road, Marine Drive and the main beach is a lively area filled with many restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs. Margate is busiest during school and

public holidays A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...

when inland residents travel to the coast.

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

and

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

are especially busy times, with Marine Drive 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 Plettenberg Bay, nicknamed Plett, is the primary town of the Bitou Local Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. According to the census of 2001, the town had a population of 29,149. It was originally named Bahia Formosa ("Be ...

and

Mossel Bay Mossel Bay () is a harbour town of about 170,000 people on the Garden Route of South Africa. It is an important tourism and farming region of the Western Cape Province. Mossel Bay lies 400 kilometres east of the country's seat of parliament, Ca ...

, both in the

Western Cape Province The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabi ...

meaning that Margate had the highest inflow of new visitors in December 2019 in the

KwaZulu-Natal Province KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

Education

Public Schools

* Hibiscus Primary School * Margate Middle School * Margate Primary School

Private Schools

* South Coast Academy *Hibiscus International Academy

Healthcare

Private healthcare

Established in 2001, Netcare Margate Hospital is the main healthcare facility serving the Margate community. As part of Netcare Limited, one of South Africa’s largest private healthcare providers, it offers 24-hour emergency services. Conveniently situated on Wartski Drive, it lies just a short distance from the CBD.

Public healthcare

Margate Clinic is a government-funded municipal clinic operated by the

Ugu District Municipality The Ugu District Municipality () is one of the 11 districts of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. ''Ugu'' is isiZulu for "coast". It governs the KZN South Coast and its seat is Port Shepstone. The majority of its 722,484 inhabitants spok ...

, located near the Margate CBD. For public hospitals, residents of Margate usually use the Port Shepstone Regional Hospital in

Transport

Air

Margate Airport, located in Margate Ext. 3 on the town’s western outskirts is a small, regional airport with easy and quick access. It offers a scheduled domestic route to

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

operated by CemAir. For broader travel options,

King Shaka International Airport King Shaka International Airport , abbreviated KSIA, is the primary international airport serving Durban, South Africa. It is located in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal, approximately north of the city centre of Durban. The airport opened its doors ...

near Durban is approximately 166 kilometres (103 mi) north-east of Margate.

Roads

Margate is mainly accessed via the R61 (future N2 Wild Coast Toll Route) linking the town to

in the north and Port Edward in the south. The main arterial route is the R620 (Marine Drive), connecting Margate to Uvongo to the north and

to the south. Additionally, the P200 (Izotsha Road) provides a link to Gamalakhe and Izotsha to the north-west.

Sport

The Margate Country Club is an 18-hole golf course, par 71 course designed by Peter Matkovich which is set high on the western outskirts of Margate overlooking the Indian Ocean from a distance.

References

External links

Margate, South Coast Accommodation and Adventure Guide

360 degree Virtual Tour of Margate Beach