Macassar, Western Cape

Macassar is a small town in South Africa, close to Strand and Somerset West, with an approximate population of 33,225. Administratively it is a suburb of the City of Cape Town.[2]

Macassar
Sheikh Yusuf's tomb in Macassar
Macassar Show map of Western Cape Macassar Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 34°04′S 18°46′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
Municipality	City of Cape Town
Area [1]
• Total	28.85 km2 (11.14 sq mi)
Elevation	4 m (13 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	33,225
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	8.9%
• Coloured	88.3%
• Indian/Asian	0.5%
• White	1.2%
• Other	1.1%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Afrikaans	85.2%
• English	7.5%
• Xhosa	5.0%
• Other	2.4%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	7130
PO box	7134

Macassar’s history is closely tied to the Strand, whose inhabitants first settled this area. The kramat (shrine) of Sheikh Yusuf (Tuanta Salamaka) of the Sultanate of Gowa, in present-day Makassar in Indonesia, is a holy place to South Africa's Muslim community. The Sheikh, who was exiled by the Dutch in 1694, came to the Strand area and made it his final resting place; although his followers, who were mainly fishermen, found the sea of Macassar rather uninviting and moved further along the coast to Strand’s Mosterds Bay. After Yusuf died, his followers named the area after his birthplace, spelling it with "c" in place of "k".

The Macassar Dunes Conservation Area forms part of the vital coastal dune system, one of the biodiversity hotspots of the Western Cape. These dunes have been impacted by conflicting activities such as cattle grazing and 4X4 vehicle use.

Macassar is a predominantly Coloured community close to the Macassar Dunes, whose workers historically are in the fishing and boatmaking industry. Unlike its neighbour Mitchells Plain, it is not ravaged by crime and drug abuse which is so prevalent amongst other underprivileged communities in the Western Cape.