Tarkastad | |
|---|---|
    Clockwise from top: The main street in Tarkastad in 2012,Dutch Reformed Church, Tarkastad, Nature around Tarkastad, World War I Memorial. | |
  Tarkastad  Tarkastad | |
| Coordinates:32°00′27″S26°15′36″E / 32.00750°S 26.26000°E /-32.00750; 26.26000 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| District | Chris Hani |
| Municipality | Enoch Mgijima |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,604 |
| Racial Makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 54.0% |
| • Coloured | 29.9% |
| • White | 14.5% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.5% |
| First Languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 44.9% |
| • Xhosa | 41.6% |
| • English | 10.0% |
| • Others | 2.5% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 5370 |
| PO box | 5370 |
Tarkastad is aKaroo semi-urban settlement situated on the banks of Tarka River in theEastern Cape province ofSouth Africa. Tarkastad is on a plain to the north of theWinterberg mountain range on theR61 betweenCradock andKomani and only three hours fromGqeberha. The name Tarkastad is believed to come from theKhoi-Khoi wordTraka (meaning women) or theCeltic wordTarka (meaning otter) and theAfrikaans wordStad (meaning city). The fact that the town is overlooked by Martha and Mary; two peaks which look like two women resting after a hard day's work, also lends to the name.[1]
The first people to occupy the area around Tarkastad were the San who left an abundance of rock art paintings in Grootvlei just north of the town.[2] The first farmers settled in Tarkastad in 1795 who built watermills, inns and both a Dutch Reformed and Presbyterian Church.[2] TwoGreat Trek leaders,Andries Potgieter andPiet Retief, farmed here for a short while. After the Dutch farmers decided to accompany their leaders on the Great Trek,[3] the English 1820 settlers moved in, and in 1862 Tarkastad was established as a church centre and became a municipality in 1864.[2] Elands River Poort, a mountain pass located on the Karoo, 24 km to the NNW of Tarkastad,[4] where theBattle of Elands River (1901) was fought during theSecond Boer War.[5] The grave of Lt. Sheridan, cousin ofWinston Churchill, who was killed in the Battle of Elands River can be found on the Modderfontein farm just outside Tarkastad.Victorian cast iron lamp posts, old water mills and broekie lace adornments indicate the British colonial influence.[1]
Tarkastad's first Municipal Manager after apartheid was Mr Smilo Dayi an ex-political prisoner. The first mayor after apartheid was Mr Ntsikelelo Sampempe.
A family house in Tarkastad was the birthplace of anti-Apartheid activist andAfrican nationalist,Steve Biko.
Scientists have stated that Tarkastad has one of the healthiest climates in the world.[3] Winters are cold with frequent snowfalls on high lying mountain tops, while summers are hot and dry. Tarkastad which is situated at an elevation of 1,304 metres normally receives about 335mm of rain per year, with most rainfall occurring mainly during summer.[6]
Surrounded by commercial farms, which specialize in crop, animal farming (Merino sheep, goats and cattle) and game farming, Tarkastad caters for the surrounding villages in Ntabethemba such as Tentergate, Khwezi and Khayalethu.[3] Although no longer the capital of the Tsolwana Local Municipality which has been absorbed into theEnoch Mgijima Local Municipality, the town still offers public and administrative services for surrounding villages.
The following statistics describing Tarkastad are from the2011 census.[7]
| Gender | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 742 | 46.26% |
| Female | 862 | 53.74% |
| Race | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Coloured | 480 | 29.93% |
| Black African | 866 | 53.99% |
| White | 232 | 14.46% |
| Indian orAsian | 8 | 0.50% |
| Other | 19 | 1.18% |
| First language | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Afrikaans | 667 | 44.89% |
| isiXhosa | 618 | 41.59% |
| English | 148 | 9.96% |
| Sesotho | 4 | 0.27 |
| Setswana | 2 | 0.13 |
| Sign language | 2 | 0.13 |
| isiZulu | 3 | 0.20 |
| isiNdebele | 10 | 0.47 |
| Sepedi | 6 | 0.40% |
| Other | 25 | 1.68% |
| Not applicable | 118 |
Municipalities and communities ofChris Hani District Municipality,Eastern Cape | ||
|---|---|---|
District seat:Queenstown (Komani) | ||
| Intsika Yethu | .svg) | |
| Enoch Mgijima | ||
| Engcobo |
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| Emalahleni |
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| Inxuba Yethemba | ||
| Sakhisizwe | ||
