Ezibeleni is a township situated on the eastern side of Komani (formerly Queenstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Ezibeleni township falls within the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality and the Chris Hani District Municipality.
It was established in the 1960s and officially recognised in 1974, when black South Africans were not allowed to live, but only to work, in the white-dominated Queenstown (officially renamed Komani).
To pursue the policy of separate development, the apartheid-era government of the time dictated that, due to its location on the map and the predominant Xhosa ethnicity of its people, Ezibeleni would belong to Transkei, one of ten fragmented Bantustans, or homelands, scattered across South Africa.
Ezibeleni is the largest township in the Queenstown area. Its original name was Queensdale, named after Queenstown. It is divided into zones (1, 2, 3, Chancele & Themba), with the new units, known as Kwamabuyaze (RDP houses), which are still expanding.
Komani River flows near or through various towns in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, including Ezibeleni. The Great Fish River is a significant watercourse in the region, and its proximity to Ezibeleni has environmental and cultural importance for the local community.
The majority of people resident in Ezibeleni live below the living wage according to government economic classifications. There are approximately 12 schools in the area: 4 lower primary schools, 3 senior primary schools, 3 lower high schools, and 2 senior high schools.
The township is known for being a home to some of the best local and school music choirs in the country, Siyaphakama Adult Choir and Bulelani Senior Secondary School, to name but a few. Bulelani has represented the Eastern Cape in the school’s music competitions many times in the last 2 decades and has won many of the South African National Schools’ Choir Competitions.
There is a vibrant social life with many church denominations and other social activities.
However, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Ezibeleni township still has a very high unemployment rate.
