Ixopo Stuartstown
SAR Class NG G11 no. NG55 arriving at Ixopo station
Ixopo Show map of KwaZulu-Natal Ixopo Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 30°09′26″S 30°03′53″E / 30.15722°S 30.06472°E / -30.15722; 30.06472
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
District	Harry Gwala
Municipality	Ubuhlebezwe
Area [1]
• Total	10.85 km2 (4.19 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	12,461
• Density	1,100/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	90.6%
• Coloured	5.6%
• Indian/Asian	1.9%
• White	1.4%
• Other	0.5%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Zulu	74.8%
• English	10.6%
• Xhosa	7.6%
• Sotho	2.2%
• Other	4.8%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	3276
PO box	3276
Area code	039

Ixopo, also known as Stuartstown, is a town situated on a tributary of the uMkhomazi River along the R56 highway in the midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Background

The town was laid out in 1878 and named after M Stuart, Resident Magistrate of the surrounding district, who was killed at the Battle of Ingogo in 1881.^{[2][3]: 256} Its name is derived from the Zulu onomatopoeic word, eXobo, describing the sound made as cattle squelch through mud.^[3]: 256 The 'x', in Zulu, is pronounced as a lateral click.

The town is most famously described by Alan Paton in the opening lines of Cry, The Beloved Country: "There is a lovely road which runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it."^[3]: 256

Until the mid-1980s, Ixopo was served by a railway station on the 610 mm (2 ft 0 in) narrow gauge Umzinto - Donnybrook narrow gauge railway.^[3]: 256

Notable people

• Thabo Nodada (Footballer)
• Purity Nomthandazo Malinga (Bishop)
• Ray Zondo (Chief Justice, Constitutional Court of South Africa)

References

3. R56 information Route 56 - Ixopo