Lusikisiki is a town in the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The name is onomatopoeic, derived from the rustling sound of reeds in the wind,[2] named by the local Mpondo people. Lusikisiki is 45 kilometres (28 mi) inland from and north of Port St Johns. The town is positioned along the R61 (future N2 Wild Coast Toll Route) leading to Mthatha to the west and Port Shepstone to the north-east.
Lusikisiki | |
|---|---|
 Main road of Lusikisiki Town. | |
  Lusikisiki  Lusikisiki | |
| Coordinates: 31°22′05″S 29°34′34″E / 31.368°S 29.576°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| District | O.R. Tambo |
| Municipality | Ingquza Hill |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.09 km2 (1.58 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 4,028 |
| • Density | 980/km2 (2,600/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 94.0% |
| • Coloured | 1.9% |
| • Indian/Asian | 1.8% |
| • White | 0.7% |
| • Other | 1.6% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Mpondo | 81.3% |
| • English | 8.3% |
| • Zulu | 2.2% |
| • Other | 8.2% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 4820 |
| PO box | 4820 |
| Area code | 039 |
History
editPre-colonial era
editIn this era, the AmaMpondo King's kraal occupied what is now the present town village.
Colonial era
editBy 1894 European settlers started settling in Lusikisiki after Mpondoland was annexed by the Cape Colony and a magistrate took up residence there with a military camp established as well.[3][4]
Apartheid era
editIn 1953 the South African Apartheid government made attempts to persuade the people of Lusikisiki to accept the rule of Bantu authorities which they had established. The government worked with Paramount Chief King Botha Sigcau to attempt to start a rehabilitation scheme in Pondoland.[5] The scheme was presented to the Lusikisiki community but was rejected. A few days later, the police entered the area.[6] A man called Mngqinga led a large local group to attack the police. This was later known as the Lusikisiki Revolt.
Climate
editLusikisiki receives high levels of rainfall, ranging between 874–1,060 mm (34–42 in) of rain per annum.[7] Rainfall is considered unseasonal, although Lusikisiki receives the majority of its rainfall during summer.[8] Winter temperatures reach their lowest in July, averaging 8 °C (46 °F) Celsius at night. The area lies within Forest and Indian Coastal Thicket biomes, and White Milkwood (Sideroxylon inerme) are common.
Attractions around Lusikisiki
editThe Magwa Waterfall lies in the middle of the 1,800-hectare (4,400-acre) Magwa tea plantation, South Africa's last remaining tea estate just outside Lusikisiki. The curtain of the Magwa Waterfall falls 144 metres (472 ft) and drops into a narrow canyon.
Other points of interest include the Mkambati Nature Reserve which includes the Mzamba Fossil Beds estimated to be about 60 million years old, the Ntsubane Forest and Lupatana Nature Reserve.[9]
Notable people
edit- Khotso Sethuntsa – Sangoma
- King Botha Sigcau – 1st president of the Bantustan of Transkei
- Princess Stella Sigcau – 1st female prime minister of the Bantustan of Transkei & South African national minister
- Prince Nkosi Ntsikayezwe Sigcau – traditional leader of Lwandlolubomvu Traditional Council.
- Simphiwe Dana – musician
- Mpho Mbiyozo – rugby union player
- H.H.T.N Bubu - Minister of Education Republic of Transkei
Crime
editAs of 2021, Lusikisiki has ranked number 1 in South Africa in terms of the national crime rate; these crimes include domestic robbery and sexual harassment.[10]
On September 28th 2024, two mass shootings took place in Lusikisiki, killing 18 people and injuring 5 others.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Main Place Lusikisiki". Census 2011.
- ^ RE Raper - HSRC. Dictionary of Southern African Place Names.
- ^ catholickokstad.mariannhillmedia.org http://catholickokstad.mariannhillmedia.org/lusiki/. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)[title missing] - ^ "Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, South Africa".
- ^ Thembela Kepe (2005) Magwa Tea Venture in South Africa: Politics, Land and Economics, Social Dynamics, 31:1, 261-279, DOI: 10.1080/02533950508628704
- ^ tinashe (10 June 2011). "Lusikisiki and Bizana". South African History Online. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "Climate Lusikisiki: Temperature, Climograph, Climate table for Lusikisiki - Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "Lusikisiki climate". www.saexplorer.co.za. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "Lusikisiki Travel Information".
- ^ "Lusikisiki again a hotspot for rape incidences". Dispatch LIVE. 22 February 2021.
- ^ "South Africa shooting: Manhunt underway as 17 people killed in Eastern Cape village attack". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 29 September 2024.