Strandfontein, Cape Town

Seaside suburb of Cape Town, in Western Cape, South Africa
Place in Western Cape, South Africa
Strandfontein
The Village
34°04′34″S 18°34′23″E / 34.076°S 18.573°E / -34.076; 18.573
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceWestern Cape
MunicipalityCity of Cape Town
Main PlaceCape Town
Area
 • Total8.22 km2 (3.17 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total758
 • Density92/km2 (240/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African7.7%
 • Coloured88.4%
 • White1.6%
 • Other2.4%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans69.5%
 • English21.9%
 • Xhosa4.7%
 • Other4.0%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
7798
PO box
7788

Strandfontein is a seaside resort 8 km east of Muizenberg and just west of Michells Plain, on the northern shore of False Bay in the City of Cape Town municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

It was laid out in 1962. The name is Afrikaans for ‘beach fountain’.[2]

9 miles Surfing Club

During the Apartheid, only white surfers were allowed to use Muizenberg beach, the colored surfers were chased off the beach. They then had to walk nine miles from there to Strandfontein Pavilion where they could enjoy surfing and where they started the 9 Miles Surfing Club Project.[citation needed]

Homeless camp during COVID-19 Lockdown

The beach town is best known as the location of the camp where the City of Cape Town interned homeless people for over a month during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. It has been controversial because of claims that the City forced people into these camps and because of the lack of physical distancing and the failure of the camp to address the basic needs of people held at the camp.[3][4] Its existence has also been heavily criticised by independent monitors linked to the South African Human Rights Commission.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Sub Place Strandfontein". Census 2011.
  2. ^ "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 419.
  3. ^ "Strandfontein homeless site more a prison than a place of safety — Human rights report". Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Blindness: How the Strandfontein camp was set up to fail". Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Independent Report submitted to the South African Human Rights Commission concerning the City of Cape Town's COVID-19 Shelter For Street-based People — Strandfontein, Cape Town" (PDF). Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Natural environment
Bays
Beaches
Hills
Mountains
Islands
Headlands
Rivers and wetlands
Climate and weather
World heritage sites
Biodiversity
of Cape Town
Vegetation
types
Parks and
gardens
Nature reserves
Communities
Atlantic Seaboard
Blaauwberg
Cape Flats
(Klipfontein district)
Khayelitsha
Mitchells Plain
City Bowl
Helderberg
Northern Suburbs
Southern Suburbs
South Peninsula
Neighbourhoods
Built environment
Skyscrapers
Government
National government
Provincial government
City of Cape Town
Fortifications
Monuments and memorials
Lists of heritage sites
Historical buildings
Culture
Cuisine
Performance
art
Events and
festivals
Museums and
art galleries
Iziko Museums
Public art
Religion
Secular
architecture
Media
Companies based
in Cape Town
Hotels and resorts
Shopping areas,
malls and markets
Exhibition centres
Restaurants and cafés
Tourism
Air transport
Maritime transport
Road transport
Rail transport
Soccer
Rugby
Cricket
Other
Cape Town Tigers (basketball)
Sports events
Sports venues
Libraries
Universities
Colleges
Private
schools
Public schools
Alternative schools
Former schools
Art & Music schools
Not yet allocated
Services
Hospitals
Lighthouses
Western Cape
Water Supply System
Electrical power generation
Emergency services
Cape Town Outline