Ngqeleni is a rural town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, situated on the banks of the Ngqeleni River.
Ngqeleni is located in West Pondoland, approximately 31 km south-east of Mthatha (formerly Umtata) and 60 km north-west of Coffee Bay.
The town’s name, Ngqeleni, is derived from the Xhosa ngqele, ‘cold’ or ‘frost’. Coldstream, which flows past the town, may have a name translated from Ngqeleni, ‘at the cold’.
Ngqeleni falls within the Nyandeni Local Municipality, which forms part of the OR Tambo District Municipality.
