Another look at the origins of a South African place name in how popular
How the Dorp Got Its Name series.
How Kommetjie Got Its Name
(Editor's confession: I live near Kommetjie and I only discovered why it is called by that name when I looked it up today for this blog post!)
Herewith, Wikipedia:
"Kommetjie (Afrikaans for "small basin," approximately pronounced commey-key) is a suburb of Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It lies about half way down the west coast of the Cape Peninsula, at the southern end of the long wide beach that runs northwards towards Chapman's Peak and Noordhoek.
The village is situated around a small, natural and rocky inlet that resembles a basin. There is some evidence that this basin was used as a fish trap by prehistoric peoples."
About Kommetjie
Kommetjie is a popular surfing spot with strong waves. It is also renowned for crayfishing although daily quotas are strict.
Thanks to the massive kelp forests off shore, the beach is often strewn with piles of washed up kelp which, on a hot day, can give rise to a pungent smell!
A walk along Kommetjie beach towards Noordhoek brings you to the remains of the steamship SS Kakapo which ran aground in 1900. Some of the metal plates were later used as a barricade to protect the railway line, others were removed during World War II to be recycled into armaments.
The towering Slangkop (snake peak) lighthouse at the far end of Kommetjie is the tallest cast iron tower on the South African Coast - 100 feet from base to balcony.
