Malgas Pont
Location: Western Cape, Witsand
Malgas is where that you will find the last hand-operated ‘pont’ (ferry) in the country; a vital link between the east and west bank communities of the Breede River.
Malagas was an 'inland port' for steamboats transporting provisions to the Swellendam area. Today Malgas is famous for its 'man drawn' pontoon across the Breede River - a service begun in 1860 and still operational today.
The pont is the last working example in South Africa. Vehicles and pedestrians are manually hauled across the river, with special rates for lifestock. This service operates from sun up to sun down. A trip on the pontoon conjures up visions of bygone days when it was a life-saving form of transport for produce, cattle and residents.
The Malgas pontoon has been slightly upgraded with rails to ensure that neither people nor vehicles fall overboard.
Malgas was originally named Malagas (probably a reference to Malagassy, or Madagascar, from where many slaves to the Cape originated from). As a result of problems with mail landing up in Malaga, Spain, the name was officially changed to Malgas, which is incidentally the Afrikaans name for the island-breeding Cape Cormorant.
The area is renowned for all kinds of watersport. Swimming, surfing, windsurfing, deep sea and river fishing, rock, boat & fly fishing, river cruises, canoeing, sailing, spear-fishing, snorkeling and skiing are all to be enjoyed.
http://www.encounter.co.za/malgas-pont.htmlThe Pont at Malgas
Before traveling from Cape Town was made easier by road, Malagas was an inland port for steamboats transporting provisions to the Swellendam area. Malagas was the name of a Hottentot chief, whose kraal was situated near the site of the Malagas village . The name of the village was changed to Malgas because in the early days of the Postal services, post for the village ended up in Malaga Spain! But today the village is not known for the steamboats, the Hottentot Chief, or even the port but rather from the man drawn pontoon across the Breede River. The pont was a service which was started in 1860 and is still in operation today as the last working example in South Africa. The pont runs from sunrise to sunset and hauls vehicles, pedestrian and livestock across the river.
Why not take a drive and experience a service from a bygone era.
http://www.wheretostay.co.za/information/topic/4348Have you ever crossed a river by pontoon? Could it be that many Overbergers have never experienced the old
romanticism of bygone days? The last pontoon which is still in operation in South Africa, is in the Overberg across the
Breede River at Malgas.
Dutch travellers and expeditions came to many rivers they could not cross. They built floats and sometimes used a boat
which they took with them knowing of a river ahead. Abraham de Haan built the first pontoon across the Berg River in the
eighteenth century. The farm in that vicinity is called Oudepont (Old pontoon). Farmers in the area contributed to the
upkeep of the pontoon which was in use for at least a century. There was a pontoon across the Little Brak River as well.
In the Overberg there were quite a few pontoons in use, such as the one across the Palmiet River — a difficult
river when in flood. In 1885, a pontoon named Fredericka, was built across the Sonderend River between Stormsvlei and
Swellendam. Another across the same river, was at the farm Vrede belonging to the Humans. They now have a guest
house in the old Pont House where tourists can reminisce of days gone by.
Swellendam had a pontoon across the Breë River in the middle of the eighteenth century. A certain Gideon van Zyl
operated crossings and the payment was by bartering farm produce. During the Barry reign, a strong pontoon was built
at Malgas. The Barry stores were on the banks of the Breë River, which enabled their clients to bring their wagons right
up to the counter, after the pontoon-crossing. James Holman, a blind traveller, used the pontoon one day and described
it as a floating bridge 15 metres long and 4 metres wide. It was pulled across the river with ropes.
Sometimes accidents occurred when a wagon slipped off the pontoon and landed in the river. But this was not as bad as
when a car would slip off and cause the owner many problems. The Malgas pontoon is now made safe with rails around
the edges. The pontoon operator who served for decades, was Moxie Dunn. He stopped working only recently. The
pontoon is one of our popular tourist attractions and is in operation from sunrise to sunset. Travelling from Witsand at the
mouth of the Breede River, to Malgas and the N2 National Road, tourists can themselves experience this crossing of the
river by pontoon.
http://www.overberg.co.za/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=86
