Sterkspruit is a rural town situated along the R392 Regional Route and the Sterkspruit River in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, approximately 84 km north-east of Aliwal North (officially renamed Maletswai), 50 km south-east of Zastron, and 24 km from the Lesotho border.
The town was named after the Sterkspruit River, the watercourse on which it is situated. The name is Afrikaans and means ‘strong stream’.
Sterkspruit falls within the Senqu Local Municipality, which is part of the Joe Gqabi District Municipality.
Health
Sterkspruit has one public hospital, the Empilisweni District Hospital, that is funded by the Provincial Government and managed by the District Municipality. It is a level 1 hospital with 93 usable beds. As it is situated close to the Free State and Lesotho borders, it also renders health services to cross-border citizens visiting Sterkspruit.
Water quality has been a problem, with 140 babies dying in 2008 after drinking contaminated water.
Protests
In 2013, Sterkspruit town was shut down for two weeks in protests led by the Sterkspruit Civic Association to form its own, separate municipality.
