The Macassar beach is just across the road from the Helderberg suburb of Macassar on the Cape Flats and is located on the wind-blown, rough coastal road that travels from Cape Town to Somerset West along the coast. The beach, which is on False Bay’s eastern shore, receives very little protection from the Cape Peninsula. The fact that the waves crash straight on the sand makes them large and especially well-liked by kites and windsurfers. There aren’t many places that can match the beauty of the beach on the right days when the weather is nice, especially during the week when only fishermen detract from the impressive scenery.
The Strand had a significant impact on Macassar’s history because it was home to the city’s earliest settlers. One of the most sacred locations for the Muslim population in South Africa is the kramat (shrine) of Sheik Yussaf of Bantam in Macassar. Although his followers, who were primarily fishermen, found the sea off Macassar to be rather uninviting, the Sheik, who was exiled by the Dutch in 1694, chose Macassar as the location of his final resting place. His followers eventually moved further along the coast to Strand’s Monsters Bay.
One of the Western Cape’s ecological hotspots is the coastal dune system, which includes the Macassar Dunes Nature Reserve on Baden Powell Drive. Conflicting activities like livestock grazing and 4X4 vehicle use have put these dunes in grave danger.
However, tensions between conservation and development are being addressed, and local efforts have led to the creation of numerous projects, including an annual weed buster day where primary school students learn about invasive alien plants, water conservation, and fynbos and grow to appreciate the natural resource right on their doorstep.