KOKSTAD, DIOCESE OF. — In the Union of South Africa. By a decree of 8 April 1935, the south-western region of the Apostolic Vicariate of Mariannhill was erected as the Apostolic Prefecture of Mount Currie, bounded on the north by the Apostolic Vicariates of Basutoland and Mariannhill and the Indian Ocean, and on the south and west by the Apostolic Vicariate of Umtata. On 11 July 1939 it was raised to the status of an Apostolic Vicariate under the name of K. from the seat of the Ordinary. On 11 January 1951, with the establishment of the ecclesiastical hierarchy in the Union of South Africa, it was elevated to the rank of a diocese.
Kömesis – Covers of the Evangelion in ivory. Byzantine art (12th–13th century) – Ravenna, Museum.
It has an area of 15,000 sq. km. and a population of approximately 375,000, of whom only 6,500 are Europeans. There are 1,435 Catholics, 656 catechumens, 100,000 Protestants, and 260,000 pagans. The mission is served by 14 Franciscan Minor missionaries, 4 brothers, and 68 sisters. There are 46 catechists, 11 primary stations, 70 secondary stations, 8 churches, 10 chapels, and 1 hospital with 63 beds. There are 29 elementary schools with 2,235 pupils, 9 middle schools with 172 pupils, and 2 high schools with 9 pupils. The African Catholic Union and other associations for teachers, farmers, and laypeople are well developed.