Welcome to the
South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Your Town-to-Town Information Guide for Tourists & Visitors

Umdoni Coast
Umkomaas
Widenham
Clansthal
Scottburgh
Umzinto
Park Rynie
Kelso
Pennington
Sezela
Bazley
Ifafa Beach
Elysium
Mtwalume
Hibiscus Coast
Hibberdene
Umzumbe
Pumula
Mellville Beach
Banana Beach
Anerley
Sunwich Port
Southport
Sea Park
Umtentweni
Port Shepstone
Oslo Beach
Shelly Beach
St Michaels
Uvongo
Manaba Beach
Margate
Ramsgate
Southbroom
Marina Beach
Trafalgar
Palm Beach
Munster
Glenmore
Leisure Bay
Port Edward
Inland Areas
Harding
Izotcha
Kokstad
Oribi Gorge
Umtamvuna

Kokstad South Coast Kwazulu Natal, Southcoast KwaZulu Natal South Africa

KOKSTAD

Kokstad is named after the Griqua chief Adam Kok III who settled here The original settlement of 1863 can be visited about 5Km from town off the Swartberg road. In the 1860s the Griqua tribe which lived in Griquatown split and under the leadership of Adam Kok III, descendent of the ex-cook who established the tribe, one section first moved to Philipolis, then across the Drakensberg to the vicinity of the modern Kokstad. They named the mountain where they settled Mount Currie after Sir Walter Currie who gave support to their effort to settle here. The Griquas settled on the steep mountain slope, living in mud huts. When, in 1869, the Reverend William Dower was asked by the Griqua to establish a mission, he agreed on condition that they resettle in a more suitable place on the banks of the Mzimhlava River. The town was built at this location. The first hotel in town, the Royal, was opened by an Afro-American who also started a newspaper (Kokstad Advertiser) in 1881. Kokstad became a municipality in 1892.