The Amathole District Municipality (Xhosa: uMasipala weSithili sase Amathole) is one of the 7 districts of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The seat is East London. As of 2011, over 90% of its 892,637 inhabitants spoke isiXhosa. The district code is DC12. Amathole means "calves", the name of the mountain range and forest which forms the northern boundary of the district.[3]
Amathole Amatola District | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
.svg) Location in South Africa | |
| Coordinates: 32°30′S 27°30′E / 32.500°S 27.500°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| Seat | East London |
| Local municipalities | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Khanyile Maneli (ANC) |
| • Deputy Mayor | Nomfusi Winnie Nxawe (ANC) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 21,595 km2 (8,338 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 892,637 |
| • Density | 41/km2 (110/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 97.2% |
| • Coloured | 1.5% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.1% |
| • White | 1.0% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Xhosa | 93.6% |
| • English | 2.3% |
| • Afrikaans | 2.1% |
| • Other | 2% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Municipal code | DC12 |
Government
The Executive Mayor of Amathole District Municipality since 2016 is Khanyile Maneli, the Deputy Mayor is Nomfusi Winnie Nxawe and the Municipal Manager is Thandekile Themba Mnyimba.
Geography
Neighbours
Amathole is surrounded by:
- Chris Hani District (DC13) to the north
- OR Tambo District (DC15) to the north-east
- the Indian Ocean to the south-east
- Sarah Baartman District (DC10) to west
Local municipalities
The district contains the following local municipalities:
| Local municipality | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Mnquma | 252,390 | 28.27% |
| Mbhashe | 254,909 | 28.56% |
| Amahlathi | 122,778 | 13.75% |
| Ngqushwa | 72,190 | 8.09% |
| Great Kei | 38,991 | 4.37% |
| Raymond Mhlaba | 151,379 | 16.96% |
Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality, following amalgamation of Nxuba (24,264; 2.72%) and Nkonkobe (127,115; 14.24%)] municipalities.
Demographics
The following statistics are from the 2011 census.
Languages
| Language | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Xhosa | 817,395 | 93.62% |
| English | 19,647 | 2.25% |
| Afrikaans | 18,230 | 2.09% |
| Sign language | 5,164 | 0.59% |
| Zulu | 2,637 | 0.30% |
| Other | 2,391 | 0.27% |
| Sotho | 2,069 | 0.24% |
| Northern Sotho | 1,741 | 0.20% |
| Ndebele | 1,691 | 0.19% |
| Tswana | 1,167 | 0.13% |
| Venda | 401 | 0.05% |
| Swati | 345 | 0.04% |
| Tsonga | 250 | 0.03% |
Gender
| Gender | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 473,389 | 53.03% |
| Male | 419,247 | 46.97% |
Ethnic group
| Ethnic group | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Black African | 868,017 | 97.24% |
| Coloured | 13,133 | 1.47% |
| White | 8,949 | 1.00% |
| Indian/Asian | 1,126 | 0.13% |
Age
| Age | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| 000 - 004 | 147,098 | 8.84% |
| 005 - 009 | 192,361 | 11.56% |
| 010 - 014 | 216,586 | 13.01% |
| 015 - 019 | 208,995 | 12.56% |
| 020 - 024 | 146,750 | 8.82% |
| 025 - 029 | 115,632 | 6.95% |
| 030 - 034 | 99,327 | 5.97% |
| 035 - 039 | 96,666 | 5.81% |
| 040 - 044 | 92,560 | 5.56% |
| 045 - 049 | 77,430 | 4.65% |
| 050 - 054 | 59,027 | 3.55% |
| 055 - 059 | 47,029 | 2.83% |
| 060 - 064 | 53,352 | 3.21% |
| 065 - 069 | 38,858 | 2.33% |
| 070 - 074 | 31,716 | 1.91% |
| 075 - 079 | 18,830 | 1.13% |
| 080 - 084 | 15,262 | 0.92% |
| 085 - 089 | 4,022 | 0.24% |
| 090 - 094 | 2,026 | 0.12% |
| 095 - 099 | 559 | 0.03% |
| 100 plus | 173 | 0.01% |
Politics
Election results
Election results for Amathole in the South African general election, 2004.
- Population 18 and over: 979,166 [58.83% of total population]
- Total votes: 630,953 [37.91% of total population]
- Voting % estimate: 64.44% votes as a % of population 18 and over
| Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| African National Congress | 523,630 | 82.99% |
| United Democratic Movement | 50,559 | 8.01% |
| Democratic Alliance | 32,467 | 5.15% |
| Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 7,627 | 1.21% |
| African Christian Democratic Party | 4,492 | 0.71% |
| Independent Democrats | 3,680 | 0.58% |
| New National Party | 2,600 | 0.41% |
| Freedom Front Plus | 795 | 0.13% |
| Inkhata Freedom Party | 785 | 0.12% |
| Azanian People's Organisation | 765 | 0.12% |
| SOPA | 740 | 0.12% |
| United Christian Democratic Party | 625 | 0.10% |
| EMSA | 407 | 0.06% |
| Peace and Justice Congress | 400 | 0.06% |
| UF | 293 | 0.05% |
| National Alliance | 269 | 0.04% |
| Christian Democratic Party | 257 | 0.04% |
| TOP | 236 | 0.04% |
| Keep It Straight and Simple Party | 132 | 0.02% |
| New Labour Party | 109 | 0.02% |
| Minority Front | 85 | 0.01% |
| Total | 630,953 | 100.00% |
Maladministration
As of January 2024, the municipality is under administration, one of 32 in the country, and three in the Eastern Cape where the provincial executive has intervened due to maladministration[4]