Cofimvaba is a town in Chris Hani District Municipality in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Location

The village is 79 km east of Queenstown on the route to Butterworth, in

Thembuland Thembuland, , is a natural region in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Its territory is the traditional region of the abaThembu. It was formerly also known as "Tamboekieland" or "Tambookieland". The area of Thembuland proper includes pre ...

History

The village of Cofimvaba was probably established in 1877 when the magisterial seat for

, (which had originally been located at St Marks), was transferred to a more accessible location. Chris Hani was born in Cofimvaba. In September 2022, more than nine people were murdered in and around this small town, within a 30-day period, in which people suspected to be "mapara paras" (thugs) were killed by a group of locals, claiming a lack of policing by the

South African Police Service The South African Police Service (SAPS) is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1,154 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the Provinces of South Africa, provincial borders, and a Provincial Commis ...

. It has been claimed that the suspects were killed for offences such as stealing television sets, assault and other petty and more serious infractions.

Name origin

Probably named after the nearby stream which, after rains, froths turbulently and resembles milk. The name is also said to be derived from , "press", , "milk-bag" (of goat-skin), done to break lumps of sour milk. Another explanation is that the sound of the water gurgling over the rocks is reminiscent of the splashing of milk in the bag when shaken.

Features

There is a hospital in Cofimvaba called Cofimvaba Hospital. There are also two high schools in town, St. James High School and Cofimvaba High School.

Notable people

* Hani, Chris, former leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of

uMkhonto we Sizwe uMkhonto weSizwe (; abbreviated MK; ) was the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress (ANC), founded by Nelson Mandela in the wake of the Sharpeville massacre. Its mission was to fight against the South African government to brin ...

, the armed wing of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

(ANC)

References

Populated places in the Intsika Yethu Local Municipality {{EasternCape-geo-stub