Ndlambe Local Municipality

Ndlambe Municipality (Xhosa: uMasipala wase Ndlambe; Afrikaans: Ndlambe Munisipaliteit) is a local municipality within the Sarah Baartman District Municipality, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Its capital is Port Alfred. It is a predominantly rural area with agriculture and tourism dominating the economy.^[4]

Ndlambe
Local municipality
Seal
Location in the Eastern Cape
Coordinates: 33°36′S 26°53′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Eastern Cape
District	Sarah Baartman
Seat	Port Alfred
Wards	10
Government [1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	Khululwa Ncamiso (ANC)
• Speaker	Nonkululeko Vivian Maphaphu (ANC)
• Chief Whip	Andile Marasi (ANC)
Area
• Total	1,841 km2 (711 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]
• Total	87,797
• Density	47.69/km2 (123.5/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2022) [2]
• Black African	68.2%
• Coloured	7.6%
• Indian/Asian	0.4%
• White	23.0%
First languages (2011) [3]
• Xhosa	72.9%
• English	12.5%
• Afrikaans	11.9%
• Other	2.7%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	EC105

It encompasses the towns of Kenton-on-Sea, Boknesstrand, Bathurst, Boesmansriviermond, Alexandria, and Cannon Rocks.^[5]

Politics

Main article: Ndlambe Local Municipality elections

The municipal council consists of twenty members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Ten councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in ten wards, while the remaining ten are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 1 November 2021 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of eleven seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.^[6]

Party		Ward			List			Total seats
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	9,602	52.66	8	9,545	52.55	3	11
	Democratic Alliance	5,519	30.27	2	5,501	30.29	4	6
	Economic Freedom Fighters	2,658	14.58	0	2,688	14.80	3	3
	African Christian Democratic Party	424	2.33	0	378	2.08	0	0
	African Transformation Movement	30	0.16	0	51	0.28	0	0
Total		18,233	100.00	10	18,163	100.00	10	20
Valid votes		18,233	98.89		18,163	98.51
Invalid/blank votes		205	1.11		275	1.49
Total votes		18,438	100.00		18,438	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		33,201	55.53		33,201	55.53

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:^[7]

Place	Code	Area (km2)	Population	Most spoken language
Alexandria	20501	3.84	3,087	Afrikaans
Bathurst	20502	8.45	600	English
Boknesstrand	20503	1.09	216	Afrikaans
Cannon Rocks	20504	1.79	209	English
Ekuphumleni	20505	1.10	3,619	Xhosa
Kasuka	20506	1.17	96	Xhosa
Kenton-on-Sea	20507	7.45	5,266	Xhosa
Kleinemonde	20508	5.74	18	Xhosa
Kwanonqubela	20509	0.81	4,626	Xhosa
Nkwenkwezi	20511	3.35	14,673	Xhosa
Nolukhanyo	20512	1.22	4,961	Xhosa
Port Alfred	20513	19.02	6,287	English
Remainder of the municipality	20510	1,945.79	11,833	Xhosa

Corruption and financial mismanagement

The municipality is one of the few in the Eastern Cape not to have been flagged for audit irregularities. However, the Hawks are investigating allegations of corruption, and the municipality has been flagged by the Public Protector for poor service delivery, including unfixed potholes, unusable toilets, and braai areas in poor condition, with the municipality claiming to have insufficient funds. In December 2023, the council awarded a R700,000 contract for a one-day music festival, with the local residents association expressing shock at the expense.^[8]