Barkly East, written as Barkly-Oos in Afrikaans, is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, situated at the intersection of the R58 Provincial Route and the R396 Regional Route, approximately 116 km south-east of Aliwal North (officially renamed Maletswai) by road and 60 km south-west of Rhodes.
The lies in the mountainous area just south of Lesotho, at the southern tip of the Drakensberg on the Langkloofspruit, a tributary of the Kraai River, which, in turn, is a tributary of the Orange River at an elevation of 1,790 meters (5,873 feet) above sea level. Barkly East is generally characterized by rugged mountains and green valleys.
Barkly East falls within the Senqu Local Municipality, which is part of the Joe Gqabi District Municipality. Barkly East is the main town and administrative centre/seat of the Joe Gqabi District Municipality.
During winter, snow falls in Barkly East, and the town is one of the few areas in South Africa where winter sports are pursued. In summer, fly fishing for Rainbow trout and indigenous Smallmouth yellowfish, trail running, mountain biking, rock paintings by the San people, tennis, and the magnificent scenery attract tourists to the district.
Xhosa and Afrikaans are spoken by most of the residents, while English and some Sesotho are also spoken. The primary economic base of the district is sheep farming.
History
Like Barkly West, the town is named after Sir Henry Barkly, governor of the Cape Colony from 1870 to 1877.
On 14 December 1874, the then-Governor, Sir Henry Barkly, proclaimed that a town could split from Wodehouse.
