Malgas

Malgas 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. When split into two words, "mal gas" means mad guest in Afrikaans, so the local hotel opted to adopt the name "Malagas" instead. The word "malgas" is probably an adaptation of the Portuguese mangas de velludo, "velvet sleeves", referring to the Cape gannet (Morus capensis) with its black-tipped wings.[2] According to the 2011 census, Malgas has a population of 44 people in 20 households.[1] 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.[3]

Malgas
The Malgas cable ferry on the Breede River
Malgas Show map of Western Cape Malgas Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 34.3°S 20.583°E / -34.3; 20.583
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
District	Overberg
Municipality	Swellendam
Area [1]
• Total	0.77 km2 (0.30 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	44
• Density	57/km2 (150/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	11.4%
• Coloured	50.0%
• White	38.6%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Afrikaans	74.4%
• English	18.6%
• S. Ndebele	2.3%
• Xhosa	2.3%
• Other	2.3%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)