Witsand

34°23′42″S 20°50′28″E / 34.395°S 20.841°E / -34.395; 20.841CountrySouth AfricaProvinceWestern CapeDistrictGarden RouteMunicipalityHessequaArea • Total2.71 km² (1.05 sq mi)Population • Total321 • Density120/km² (310/sq mi)Racial makeup (2011) • Black African9.7% • Coloured2.2% • White87.2% • Other0.9%First languages (2011) • Afrikaans72.3% • English26.0% • Other1.6%Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)PO boxArea code028

Witsand, Western Cape, South Africa, is a small coastal town, situated on the banks of the Breede River estuary. Witsand (Western Cape) is home to 4 kilometers of clean, sandy beaches, surrounded by a magnificent variety of Cape Fynbos species and the Breede River. The town is known as the Whale Nursery of South Africa due to the high concentration of whales in the bay between June and November. Witsand is an authentic water-sport and adventure destination with kite-surfing, surfing, standup paddle boarding and fishing as top visitor experiences. The town is located in the Hessequa region, which is branded as the Explorer's Garden Route.

Witsand has seen some of the largest bull sharks caught in the Breede River, although no shark attacks on people have been recorded to date.

The town serves as the finish line for the annual Vlakte Marathon, which is hosted in November.

Water supply

A solar-powered desalination plant is under development in Witsand, owned and funded by the government of France and the government of Western Cape Province, on a 50/50 basis. Witsand Solar Desalination Plant was budgeted at approximately ZAR:9 million (about US$700,000) and was expected to produce 100,000 liters of potable water daily.^[2]