Cofimvaba is a town in

Chris Hani District Municipality Chris Hani is a landlocked district situated in the centre of the Eastern Cape and is made up of eight local municipalities. Most of the communities live in rural areas. The landscape ranges from moist uplands and grassland hills to the arid Ka ...

in the Eastern Cape province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

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

Thembuland Thembuland, af, Temboeland, is a natural region in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Its territory is the traditional region of the abaThembu, one of the states of the Xhosa nation. It was formerly also known as "Tamboekieland" or "Tam ...

. Probably named after the nearby stream which, after rains, froths turbulently and resembles milk. The name is also said to be derived from cofa, ‘press’, mvaba, ‘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. 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 Chris Hani (28 June 1942 – 10 April 1993), born Martin Thembisile Hani , was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He was a fierce ...

was born in Cofimvaba. 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, the armed wing of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

(ANC) * Maxwell Xolani Rani, professional African dancer and choreographer

References

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