Ingquza Hill Local Municipality (formerly Qaukeni) lies in the OR Tambo District of the Eastern Cape, on the Wild Coast. The 2022 census recorded 354,573 people across 2,477 km². Flagstaff is the seat.
Towns and Villages in Ingquza Hill
| Town | Type | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Flagstaff | Seat town | 12,280 (2011) |
| Lusikisiki | Town | 7,396 (2011) |
The municipality has 31 wards, almost all rural. The national gazetteer records these settlements:
- Balasi
- Bhala
- Bhungeni
- Bodweni
- Buhlanyanga
- Bukazi
- Bumazi
- Buziba
- Cane
- Cutweni
- Dangwani
- Dumasi
- Fahla
- Fokoxo
- Gangeni
- Hillside
- Hiwahlwazi
- Hlabati
- Hlabatini
- Hlapabomvu
- Hlwahlwazi
- Holy Cross Mission
- Kanya
- Kilroe Beach
- Klondyke
- Ku-Dupu
- Ku-Gwexintaba
- Ku-Masadala
- Ku-Mate
- Ku-Ndlazi
- Ku-Nikwe
- Ku-Nkongolo
- KuMate
- Kwa-Bala
- Kwa-Bhumbuta
- Kwa-Cita
- Kwa-Coka
- Kwa-Dick
- Kwa-Gqwaru
- Kwa-Magcude
- Kwa-Mbokotwebomvu
- Kwa-Ndovelana
- Kwa-Njeya
- Kwa-Ntambula
- KwaBhushula
- KwaCoka
- KwaDlambula
- KwaHome
- KwaManci
- KwaZulu
- Lingeni
- Lugongqozo
- Lujecweni
- Lukahlambeni
- Lundini
- Lupatana
- Lutsheni
- Lwandlana
- Madotyeni
- Magqabasini
- Maliwa
- Mandabeleni
- Mantusini
- Maramzeni
- Mateku
- Mavaleleni
- Mawotsheni
- Mbotyi
- Mcatuve
- Mcelu
- Mcizanyetshe
- Mcoboti Mission
- Mcobotini
- Mdikisweni
- Meni
- Mfinizweni
- Mfundeni
- Mgodini
- Mgume
- Mhlanga
- Mhlumba
- Mhlwazini
- Mjelweni
- Mjombela
- Mkambati
- Mkamela
- Mkankomo
- Mkata
- Mncane
- Mneketshe
- Mount Hope
- Mount Nelson
- Mpolweni
- Mpondombini
- Mpumaze
- Mreshaneni
- Mseleni
- Msikaba
- Mtonjeni
- Mtontsasa
- Mtshekelweni
- Mtwaku
- Mvimvane
- Mxotyelwa
- Ndindini
- Ngcweleni
- Ngobozana
- Ngojini
- Ngpandulo
- Ngqeleni
- Ngqwabeni
- Ngucini
- Nkunzimbini
- Nqaqumbe
- Ntentula
- Ntlavukazi
- Ntontela
- Ntsubane Bosboustasie
- Nxuze
- Nyareni
- Nzimankulu
- Palmerton
- Port Grosvenor
- Puffadder
- Qamangeni
- Qawukeni
- Qolora
- Rombityi
- Rwantsana
- Sicwenza
- Sihlahleni
- Sikolweni
- Sipaqeni
- Sipezini
- Sizindini
- South Sand Bluff
- Tanga
- Tembeni
- Tembukazi
- The Vlei
- Tina
- Tshandtshe
- Tsweleni
- Twazi
- Upper Mkata
- Xokozweni
- Xopozo
- Zadungeni
History
The municipality takes its current name from Ngquza Hill, site of a 1960 clash during the Pondoland Revolt in which police killed a number of protesters resisting apartheid-era tribal authority structures — one of the era’s major rural uprisings. It was earlier known as Qaukeni, after a Mpondo royal house, and like the rest of the former Transkei it was administered as a Bantustan until reincorporation into South Africa in 1994.
Geography
Ingquza Hill covers a stretch of the Wild Coast north of Lusikisiki, taking in the Mkambati Nature Reserve and the Msikaba and Mzimvubu gorges. It borders Port St. Johns and Mhlontlo within OR Tambo District, and adjoins KwaZulu-Natal to the north.
Demographics
Population grew from 278,481 at the 2011 census to 354,573 in 2022. Xhosa is the first language of 94.6% of residents, across 31 wards.
Economy and Local Life
Subsistence farming and social grants support most rural households. Flagstaff and Lusikisiki serve as the district’s trading towns, and the Mkambati Nature Reserve on the coast draws a small but growing eco-tourism trade.
Getting There
The N2 passes near Lusikisiki, linking the municipality to Kokstad to the north and Mthatha, about 90 km southwest. Mthatha Airport is the nearest with scheduled flights.
Flagstaff and Lusikisiki between them hold only a small share of the municipality’s overall population, with the great majority of residents spread across the 31 wards’ rural villages. Coastal settlements near the Mkambati Nature Reserve remain especially remote, with limited road access compared with the inland trading towns.
FAQ
What is the seat of Ingquza Hill Local Municipality? Flagstaff.
What is the population? 354,573 people at the 2022 census.
How big is Ingquza Hill? 2,477 km².
Which district is it in? OR Tambo District Municipality.
What was the municipality previously called? Qaukeni.
How many wards does Ingquza Hill have? 31, almost all rural.
What language do most residents speak? Xhosa, the first language of about 95% of residents.
Which district is Ingquza Hill part of? OR Tambo District Municipality, Eastern Cape.
How far is Flagstaff from Mthatha? About 100 km northeast, via the N2 and connecting roads.
What nature reserve lies within the municipality? Mkambati Nature Reserve, on the Wild Coast.
What is the biggest town, Flagstaff or Lusikisiki? Flagstaff, the seat, with around 12,280 people at the 2011 census against Lusikisiki’s roughly 7,400.