Makana Local Municipality is a Category B municipality in the eastern region of the Sarah Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B2 (large town) |
| Province: | Eastern Cape |
| District: | Sarah Baartman |
| Municipal code: | EC104 |
| Seat: | Makhanda |
| Number of wards: | 14 |
| Total area: | 4,376 km² (1,690 square miles) |
| Population: | 97,815 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Yandiswa Vara |
About
Makana Local Municipality is geographically located in the eastern region of the Sarah Baartman District Municipality on the south eastern seaboard of South Africa.
The municipality is named after a Xhosa warrior and prophet, Makana (also spelt Makhanda by his descendants).
Makana Local Municipality covers an area of 4,376 km² (1,690 square miles), making it the fourth-largest of seven local municipalities in the Sarah Baartman District.
The municipality comprises 14 wards, of which 3 are found in the rural areas of the Municipality.
The municipality governs the town of Makhanda and the surrounding areas in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
Makana Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Blue Crane Route Local Municipality to the northwest and west
- Sundays River Valley Local Municipality to the west and southwest
- Ndlambe Local Municipality to the south and southeast
- Ngqushwa Local Municipality in the Amathole District Municipality to the east
- Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality in the Amathole District Municipality to the north
The town of Makhanda (previously known as Grahamstown) is the administrative headquarters/seat and hub of Makana Local Municipality, and has more than 70 declared National Heritage Sites. One of these sites is the St Michael and St George Cathedral, which has the highest church spire in South Africa.
Makhanda was founded in 1812 and is entrenched in historical events, from the 1820 Settlers to a university that is 100-plus years old.
The Makana Municipality also hosts some of the oldest schools in South Africa. It is the seat of Rhodes University and other prominent and internationally acclaimed primary and high schools, which are found in the town of Makhanda.
The municipality is the home of the National Arts Festival, which brings Makhanda town to life with activity every year. Visitors get the chance to see performances from national artists, get a taste of indigenous cuisines and culture, and experience the local markets.
With the cities of Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth) 120 kilometres to the west and East London 180 kilometres to the east, Makana Local Municipality is strategically situated between two of Eastern Cape’s largest industrial centres. Well-equipped container ports serve both of these coastal cities and have major airports linking them to Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban.
The Makana Local Municipality has nearly a million hectares devoted to game. A range of private and public nature reserves are spread in the municipal area, from the world-famous Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the west to the magnificent Kwandwe and Double Drift Game Reserves in the east.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Makana Local Municipality has a population of 97,815 people, compared to 82,060 in 2016 and 80,390 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 1.9%.
According to the 2022 Census, 21.9% of the population is under the age of 15, 69.8% is between 15 and 64, and 8.2% is over 65.
Racial Makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 69.8% of the population in Makana Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 12.5% as Coloured, 11.3% as White, and 0.9% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 71.5% of the population speaks isiXhosa as their first language, 14.8% speak Afrikaans, 10.5% speak English, and 3.2% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Makana Local Municipality are government, trade, finance and business services, manufacturing, agriculture, transport and communication, and construction.
Municipal Council and Management
The municipality is under S139 administration, effective from January 2019.
The Makana municipal council is comprised of 27 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Fourteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 14 wards, while the remaining 13 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 14 seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 14 – DA: 5 – MAKANA: 5 – EFF: 2 – INDEPENDENT: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Yandiswa Vara |
| Speaker | Mthuthuzeli Mabhuti Matyumza |
| Chief Whip | n/a |
| Other Council Members | – Andile Hoyi (Chairperson: Finance) – Gcobisa Mene (Chairperson: Engineering and Infrastructural Services) – Mzwabantu Nkwentsha (Chairperson: LED Planning and Tourism Industries) – Thandolwethu Vayo (Chairperson: Public Safety and Community Service) – Rumsell Xonxa (Chairperson: Corporate and Shared Services) |
| Municipal Manager | Pumelelo Maxwell Kate |
| Chief Financial Officer | Nomfundo Ntsangani |
| Senior Management | – Reynhardt Brittnell (Acting Director: Engineering and Infrastructural Services) – Natasha Khoahla (Director: LED) – Chumisa Mtshazi (Manager: Internal Audit) – Ntombesizwe Notyeke (Director: Public Safety and Community Services) – Pumla Qezu (Manager: Human Resources) – N Santi (Manager: Speaker’s Office) – Vukile Wali (Strategic Manager: Office of the Executive Mayor) |
| Communications Officers | – A Mjekula (Assistant Communications Officer) – Yoliswa Ramokolo (Communication Officer) |
Municipal Administration
On 28 August 2014, the Makana Local Municipality was placed under administration in response to financial and infrastructural crises. The interim administration order, made in terms of section 139(1)(b) of the South African Constitution, was expected to be reviewed after three months.
Shortly after the administration order was announced, news of a damning forensic report – the Kabuso report – naming several municipal officials purported to be involved in financial impropriety was made public.
Dissolution
In 2014, the city council was placed under administration by the courts for three months. This was due to its financial instability and inability to provide basic services. This intervention was unsuccessful, and on 14 January 2020, the Eastern Cape High Court dissolved the municipal council.
The Makhanda High Court made legal history by ordering the Makana Municipal Council to be dissolved. The court ruled that its failure to provide services to the residents of Makhanda was unconstitutional.
Residents of Makhanda widely welcomed a high court ruling that the Makana Municipal Council was supposed to be dissolved over its unconstitutional failure to provide services. It was the first such order by a court in South Africa. “This judgment sparks hope. We couldn’t live like this anymore. We are very happy,” said Ayanda Kota, the founder of the Unemployed People’s Movement, the organisation that brought the application.
Maladministration
As of January 2024, Makana Local Municipality was again under administration, one of 32 in the country, and three in the Eastern Cape Province, where the provincial executive intervened due to maladministration.
Friendship Co-operation Agreement
In February 2011, Makana Local Municipality entered into a “Friendship Co-operation Agreement” with Raseborg Municipality in Finland. The project, which lasted three years, sought to facilitate information sharing in the fields of economic development, arts & culture, women’s development, youth development, and education.
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Makana Local Municipality.
- Alicedale
- Makhanda (formerly known as Grahamstown)
- Riebeek East
- Sidbury
Contact Details
The contact details of Makana Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | P.O. Box 176, Makhanda, 6140 |
| Physical Address: | City Hall, High Street, Makhanda, 6139 |
| Telephone: | 046 603 6111 |
| Fax: | 046 622 9488 |
| Email: | info@makana.gov.za |
| Website: | www.makana.gov.za |
