Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the eastern region of the Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B4 (mostly rural) |
| Province: | Eastern Cape |
| District: | Chris Hani |
| Municipal code: | EC137 |
| Seat: | Engcobo |
| Number of wards: | 20 |
| Total area: | 2,484 km² (959 square miles) |
| Population: | 132,799 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Siyabulela Zangqa |
About
The Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality is geographically located in the eastern part of the Chris Hani District Municipality.
In June 2022, the municipality changed its name from Engcobo Local Municipality to Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality in honour of Alfred Bitini Xuma, OLG, commonly referred to by his initials as AB Xuma.
The name Ngcobo is an isiXhosa word for a sweet grass found in the area.
AB Xuma was an activist, a leader, and president-general of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1940 to 1949. He was also the first black South African to become a medical doctor.
The Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality comprises 20 wards and covers an area of 2,484 km² (959 square miles), making it the second-smallest of six local municipalities in the Chris Hani District.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality is in Engcobo.
The Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Intsika Yethu Local Municipality to the west
- Sakhisizwe Local Municipality to the north and northwest
- Elundini Local Municipality in the Joe Gqabi District Municipality to the northeast
- Mhlontlo Local Municipality in the OR Tambo District Municipality to the northeast
- King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in the OR Tambo District Municipality to the east
- Mbhashe Local Municipality in the Amathole District Municipality to the south
- Mnquma Local Municipality in the Amathole District Municipality to the southwest
The Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality has the highest poverty levels, unemployment, and youngest population in the Chris Hani District Municipality.
On a large scale, the Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality has some noticeable features: it is a peripheral area in terms of the national economy, it has a low-density rural settlement environment, it has a fragmented settlement pattern, it is greatly underdeveloped, and its resource base is under immense pressure.
On the scale of urban development, the municipality’s main town, Engcobo, is classified as a Sub-District Development Node by the Chris Hani District Municipality (that is to say, it is among a group of towns considered to be on a second tier below the dominant district node of Komani). This means that Engcobo is perceived to have an influence (reach or catchment population) beyond its local area and that it draws people to the town to access goods and services from a broader area (that is to say, in some cases even from neighbouring municipalities).
However, Engcobo may also currently be described as a low-density urban environment. Despite its low density and intensity of development, Engcobo’s business centre is flourishing, though it does not function in the best way due to overcrowding and insufficient facilities serving both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
The town’s businesses rely on commuters (rural consumers), and there is no mass of resident consumers.
This limits the range of commercial and social facilities that the private sector provides in town and inhibits the development of a more vibrant urban character.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality has a population of 132,799 people, compared to 162,014 in 2016 and 155,513 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of -1.53%.
According to the 2022 Census, 33.8% of the population is under the age of 15, 57.1% is between 15 and 64, and 9.2% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 99.6% of the population in Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 0.1% as White, 0.1% as Coloured, and 0.1% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 94.7% of the population speaks isiXhosa as their first language, 2% speak English, and 3.3% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality are tourism, agriculture, trade, and forestry.
Municipal council and management
The Dr AB Xuma municipal council is comprised of 39 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Twenty councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 20 wards, while the remaining 19 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 32 seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 32 – EFF: 2 – UDM: 2 – ATM: 1 – DA: 1 – PAC: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Siyabulela Zangqa |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | n/a |
| Speaker | Mandilakhe Kondile |
| Chief Whip | Nobuntu Mgidi |
| Other Council Members | n/a |
| Municipal Manager | Khathutshelo Lucky Mulaudzi |
| Chief Financial Officer | N Nontobeko |
| Senior Management | – N Matiwane (Director: Community Services) – S Mkhondweni (Acting Director: Technical Services) – M Siqaza (Director: Corporate Services) |
| Communications Officers | Lusizo Ntshinka |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality.
- Engcobo
Contact details
The contact details of Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | PO Box 24, Engcobo, 5050 |
| Physical Address: | 58 Union Street, Engcobo |
| Telephone: | 047 548 5600 |
