Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the southeastern part of the Alfred Nzo District Municipality in the Wild Coast Region of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B4 (mostly rural) |
| Province: | Eastern Cape |
| District: | Alfred Nzo |
| Municipal code: | EC443 |
| Seat: | Bizana |
| Number of wards: | 32 |
| Total area: | 2,415 km² (932 square miles) |
| Population: | 350,000 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Daniswa Mafumbatha |
About
The Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality (formerly Mbizana Local Municipality) is geographically located in the southeastern part of the Alfred Nzo District Municipality on the R61 road connecting the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast boundary to the N2 highway.
The municipality stretches between the Umtamvuna and Mtentu Rivers, with pristine beaches and scenic estuaries. This coastline is part of the famous Wild Coast and Pondoland centre, which boasts valuable flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world.
The municipality is named after Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, an anti-apartheid activist and wife of President Nelson Mandela. Winnie was born in the region in Mbhongweni village.
The Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality was formerly part of the OR Tambo District Municipality, but was transferred to the Alfred Nzo District Municipality after the 2011 municipal elections.
The Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality covers an area of 2,415 km² (932 square miles), making it the third-largest of four local municipalities in the Alfred Nzo District.
The administrative headquarters/seat of the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality is in Bizana.
The municipality is divided into 32 wards.
The Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality is bordered by:
- The uMuziwabantu Local Municipality in the Ugu District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province to the north
- Greater Kokstad Local Municipality in the Harry Gwala District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province to the northwest
- Umzimvubu and Ntabankulu Local Municipalities to the northwest
- Ingquza Hill Local Municipality in the OR Tambo District Municipality to the west and south
- The Indian Ocean to the southeast
- Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality in the Ugu District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province to the east
The Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality prides itself on a cultural diversity that comprises a variety of tribes such as the Ngunis, Mpondos, Sothos, and Xhosas. However, the population is dominated by the Mpondo tribe, which has its own unique dialect, isiMpondo, a soft mixture of isiXhosa and isiZulu.
Natural resources provide a strong base for basic survival in the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality because most households are rural, and therefore, the residents turn to subsistence farming for their livelihoods.
The municipality faces a huge unemployment crisis as a big portion of its population still struggles to secure formal employment.
The Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality is also the birthplace and home of Oliver Reginald Tambo, an anti-apartheid politician, the longest-serving President of the African National Congress (from 1967 to 1991), and one of the greatest sons of Africa. Oliver Tambo was born in Nkantolo village in Bizana.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality has a population of 350,000 people, compared to 319,948 in 2016 and 281,905 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 2.1%.
According to the 2022 Census, 38.2% of the population is under the age of 15, 56.6% is between 15 and 64, and 5.2% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 99.6% of the population in the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 0.2% as Coloured, 0.1% as White, and 0.1% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 93.8% of the population speaks isiXhosa as their first language, 2% speak English, 1.5% speak isiZulu, and 2.7% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality are forestry and agriculture.
Municipal council and management
The Winnie Madikizela-Mandela municipal council comprises 64 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Thirty-two councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 32 wards, while the remaining 32 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 48 seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 48 – ATM: 5 – EFF: 4 – SPSA: 2 – ACU: 1 – AIC: 1 – DA: 1 – SRWP: 1 – UDM: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Daniswa Mafumbatha |
| Speaker | Simphiwe Magini |
| Chief Whip | Makhosandile Mpetshwa |
| Other Council Members | – NE Cengimbo – N Dlamini – Y Govana – N Madikizela – PB Majava – L Makhoosa – LG Mcambalala – NM Njomi |
| Municipal Manager | Luvuyo Mahlaka |
| Chief Financial Officer | Zakhele Alex Zukulu |
| Senior Management | – Z Gwala (Manager: Corporate Services) – N Mafumbatha (Development Planning) – Sinothando Mtshengu (Manager: Community Services) – S Sako (Engineering Services) |
| Communications Officers | TS Cwibi |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality.
- Bizana
- Mbhongweni
- Nkantolo
Contact details
The contact details of the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | P.O. Box 12, Bizana, 4800 |
| Physical Address: | 51 Winnie Madikizela Mandela Street, Bizana |
| Telephone: | 039 251 0230 |
| Fax: | 039 251 0917 |
| Email: | mbizanalm@mbizana.gov.za |
| Website: | www.winniemmlm.gov.za |
