| Macassar | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Western Cape#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -34.0667°N 64°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Western Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | City of Cape Town |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 28.85 |
| Elevation M: | 4 |
| Population Total: | 33225 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 8.9% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 88.3% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.5% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 1.2% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 1.1% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 85.2% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 7.5% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 5.0% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 2.4% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 7130 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 7134 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
Macassar is a small town in South Africa, close to Strand and Somerset West, with an approximate population of 33,225. Administratively it is under City of Cape Town[2] Eastern Suburbs zone.
Macassar’s history is closely tied to the Strand, whose inhabitants first settled this area. The kramat (shrine) of Sheikh Yusuf (Tuanta Salamaka) of the Sultanate of Gowa, in present-day Makassar in Indonesia, is a holy place to South Africa's Muslim community. The Sheikh, who was exiled by the Dutch in 1694, came to the Strand area and made it his final resting place; although his followers, who were mainly fishermen, found the sea of Macassar rather uninviting and moved further along the coast to Strand’s Mosterds Bay. After Yusuf died, his followers named the area after his birthplace, spelling it with "c" in place of "k".
The Macassar Dunes Conservation Area forms part of the vital coastal dune system, one of the biodiversity hotspots of the Western Cape. These dunes have been impacted by conflicting activities such as cattle grazing and 4X4 vehicle use.
Macassar is a predominantly Coloured community close to the Macassar Dunes, whose workers historically are in the fishing and boatmaking industry.