Ezibeleni is a township in the

Eastern Cape Province The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. 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. In order 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 Transkei ( , meaning ''the area beyond Great Kei River,

he river The He River is a tributary of the Xi River in Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it ...

Kei''), officially the Republic of Transkei (), was an list of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa f ...

, one of ten fragmented batustans, 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 is still expanding.

Komani River The Komani River, is a river part of the Great Kei River system in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is a short river originating north of Queenstown and joining up with the Klaas Smits River, just south of the same town. The Bongolo Dam, i ...

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 have environmental and cultural importance for the local community. The majority of people resident in Ezibeleni live below the living

wage A wage is payment made by an employer to an employee for work (human activity), work done in a specific period of time. Some examples of wage payments include wiktionary:compensatory, compensatory payments such as ''minimum wage'', ''prevailin ...

according to government economic classifications. There are about 12 schools in the area, 4 lower primary, 3 senior primary, 3 lower high 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 an
Bulelani Senior Secondary School
to name but a few

has represented

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

in the school's music competitions many times in the last 2 decades and has won many of th
South African National School's Choir Competitions.
There is a vibrant social life with many church denominations and other social activities. However, according to

Statistics South Africa Statistics South Africa (officially the Department of Statistics South Africa, and often shortened to Stats SA) is the national statistical service of South Africa. The Department has the goal of producing timely, accurate and official statistics ...

, the area still has a very high unemployment rate. Resources are limited. The Buffalo City Metro, according to a report by Cogta MEC Zolile Williams, has 17 fire trucks of which seven are operational. The municipality needs an additional five firetrucks.

Notes

References

History of Queenstown and Surrounds

SA Education Department
{{Chris Hani District Municipality Populated places in the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality Townships in the Eastern Cape 1974 establishments in South Africa