Ndlambe Local Municipality covers the Sunshine Coast of the Sarah Baartman District, Eastern Cape. The 2022 census recorded 87,797 people over 1,840 km². Port Alfred is the seat.
Towns and Villages in Ndlambe
| Town | Type | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Port Alfred | Seat town | 30,981 (2011) |
| Kenton-on-Sea | Town | 13,539 (2011) |
| Alexandria | Town | 12,084 (2011) |
| Bathurst | Village | 7,630 (2011) |
Smaller coastal settlements recorded by the national gazetteer:
- Bellcrest
- Boesmansriviermond
- Boknes
- Cannon Rocks
- Clumber
- Dorset
- Fish River Mouth
- Forest Downs
- Glenretha
- Glenview
- Kasouga
- Kleinemonde
- Kleinmonde
- Locke Moore
- Lombards Post
- Nkwenkwezi
- Ouplass
- Piffway
- Rietrivier
- Seafield
- Shenstone
- Westview Heights
Geography
Ndlambe runs along the Indian Ocean between the Kowie and Fish river mouths, taking in the resort towns of Kenton-on-Sea and Port Alfred. It borders Makana and Sundays River Valley within Sarah Baartman District, and reaches inland toward Alexandria’s citrus country.
Demographics
Population grew from 61,176 at the 2011 census to 87,797 in 2022, one of the district’s fastest-growing municipalities on the strength of coastal retirement and holiday-home migration.
Economy and Local Life
Agriculture and tourism dominate the economy. Pineapple, chicory and dairy farming continue around Alexandria and Bathurst, while Port Alfred and Kenton-on-Sea run on holidaymakers, fishing charters and retirees drawn to the coast.
History
The municipality is named after Ndlambe kaRharhabe, a Xhosa chief who fought British and Boer forces along the eastern frontier in the early 19th century. Bathurst was laid out in 1820 as an administrative centre for the British 1820 Settlers, whose arrival reshaped the whole Eastern Cape frontier, and the town still holds an annual agricultural show tracing back to that settlement. Port Alfred grew as a harbour town at the Kowie River mouth, once used for coastal shipping before the harbour silted and tourism took over.
Getting There
The R72 coastal road links Port Alfred west to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), about 145 km away, and east to East London. The R67 connects Port Alfred inland to Makhanda. Gqeberha’s airport is the nearest with scheduled flights.
Kenton-on-Sea and Bathurst both sit a short drive off the R72, and Alexandria lies further inland on the R67 corridor toward Makhanda, adding roughly 20 minutes to journeys from the coast.
Port Alfred’s population swells sharply over the December holiday season, when the Sunshine Coast draws inland visitors to its beaches and the Kowie River estuary. Alexandria and Bathurst remain more agricultural in character, serving the pineapple and dairy farms that ring the two coastal resort towns.
FAQ
What is the seat of Ndlambe Local Municipality? Port Alfred.
What is the population? 87,797 people at the 2022 census.
How big is Ndlambe? 1,840 km².
Which district is it in? Sarah Baartman District Municipality.
What are the main towns? Port Alfred, Kenton-on-Sea, Alexandria and Bathurst.
Why is Ndlambe called the Sunshine Coast? Its stretch of Eastern Cape coastline between Kenton-on-Sea and Port Alfred is marketed under that name for its beaches and mild climate.
What crop is Alexandria known for? Pineapples, historically a major regional export alongside chicory and dairy.
What district is Ndlambe part of? Sarah Baartman District Municipality.
How far is Port Alfred from Gqeberha? About 145 km southwest along the R72 coastal road.
Is Kenton-on-Sea a separate town from Port Alfred? Yes — a smaller resort town roughly 20 km east of Port Alfred, at the Bushmans and Kariega river mouths.
What district is Ndlambe’s seat in? Port Alfred, the seat, sits within Sarah Baartman District Municipality along with the rest of Ndlambe.
What are Kleinemonde and Boknes? Two smaller coastal hamlets between Port Alfred and Kenton-on-Sea, popular for holiday homes.
Is Ndlambe named after a person or a place feature? A person — the 19th-century Xhosa chief Ndlambe kaRharhabe.