Sterkspruit

Sterkspruit is a town in the Senqu Local Municipality in the Joe Gqabi District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

Sterkspruit
Bridge over the Orange River near Sterkspruit
Bridge over the Orange River near Sterkspruit
Sterkspruit is located in Eastern Cape
Sterkspruit
Sterkspruit
Sterkspruit is located in South Africa
Sterkspruit
Sterkspruit
Sterkspruit is located in Africa
Sterkspruit
Sterkspruit
Coordinates: 30.524°S 27.370°E / -30.524; 27.370
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceEastern Cape
DistrictJoe Gqabi
MunicipalitySenqu
Government
 • CouncillorChief Magadla
Area
[1]
 • Total4.02 km2 (1.55 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total1,893
 • Density470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
 • Black African96.2%
 • Coloured0.9%
 • Indian/Asian2.1%
 • White0.4%
 • Other0.4%
First languages (2011)
[1]
 • Hlubi73.5%
 • Sotho14.2%
 • English4.3%
 • Afrikaans1.0%
 • Other7.0%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
9762
PO box
9762
Area code051

The town is located about 45 km south-east of Zastron, 80 km north-east of Aliwal North, and 24 km from the Lesotho border.[2] It takes its name from the Sterkspruit, the watercourse on which it is situated. The name is Afrikaans and means ‘strong stream’.[3]

Health

The town houses the Empilisweni District Hospital, a public government-funded and managed district hospital. It is a level 1 hospital with 93 usable beds. As it is situated close to Lesotho and Free State borders, it also renders health services to cross-border citizens visiting Sterkspruit.

Water quality has been a problem, with 140 babies dying in 2008 after drinking contaminated water.[4]

Protests

In 2013, the town was shut down for two weeks in protests led by the Sterkspruit Civic Association, with the goal of forming its own, separate, municipality.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Main Place Sterkspruit". Census 2011.
  2. "Saexplorer.co.za".
  3. "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 416.
  4. "Why Sterkspruit wants to secede". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  5. "Sterkspruit protests condemned". News24. Retrieved 29 December 2021.


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