Mhlontlo Local Municipality lies in the OR Tambo District of the Eastern Cape, seat of the AmaMpondomise Kingdom. The 2022 census counted 186,391 people across 2,880 km². Qumbu is the administrative seat.
Towns and Villages in Mhlontlo
| Town | Type | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Qumbu | Seat town | 5,904 (2011) |
| Tsolo | Town | 6,860 (2011) |
| Cala | Village | — |
The municipality is otherwise made up of rural villages. The national gazetteer records these settlements:
- Balatsi
- Beledale
- Belekence
- Bhubesi
- Bokwana
- Caba
- Caba Vale
- Ceka
- Cokomfini
- Culunca
- Elujecweni
- Enca
- Etyeni
- Gabazi
- Gaduka
- Godini
- Godzi
- Gongo
- Gotyibe
- Gqogqora
- Gqukunqa
- Gqwesa
- Gugwini
- Gura
- Hlabati
- Hukwini
- Inxu Drift
- Jengce
- Junction Ferry
- Khalankomo
- Killarney
- Ku-Goeyana
- Ku-Madukuda
- Ku-Nomadolo
- Ku-Ntabo Sigogo
- Ku-Ntlotshe
- Ku-Qudu
- Ku-Tikitiki
- KuBhukazi
- KuDlabhane
- KuNgcoti
- Kumajaba
- Kwa-Beja
- Kwa-Dumba
- Kwa-Dunjane
- Kwa-Madiba
- Kwa-Magqadazeni
- Kwa-Mampengeni
- Kwa-Ngcanasa
- Kwa-Ngxabane
- Kwa-Notaza
- Kwa-Nozizityana
- Kwa-Ntiskwe
- Kwa-Nyabeni
- Kwa-Nyembezi
- Kwa-Nyokana
- Kwa-Qala
- KwaNgcanase
- Kwam
- Lalini
- Lotana
- Lower Tyira
- Ludlameni
- Lujecweni
- Luqolweni
- Lutshini
- Machibini
- Madokodeni
- Madwaleni
- Magezimeni
- Magontsini
- Magqubeni
- Magutywa
- Magxeni
- Mahlungulu
- Majodini
- Makuleni
- Maladini
- Malepelepe
- Mangwaneni
- Mangxamfu
- Manxelene
- Maqanyeni
- Marambeni
- Marwatini
- Maswabantwana
- Matyeba
- Mavaleleni
- Mavundleni
- Mbebe
- Mbizeni
- Mbokotwana
- Mbombo
- Mdabukweni
- Mdeni
- Mditshwa
- Mhlabamnyana
- Mhlangala
- Mhlani
- Middle Mjika
- Mjika
- Mjikweni
- Mjilana
- Mjilikazi
- Mmangonkone
- Mmangweni
- Mngceleni
- Mnqunyana
- Moorespost
- Mpendle
- Mpetsheni
- Mphehla
- Mpindweni
- Mpumaze
- Mqandanto
- Mtozelo
- Mvumelwano
- Mzembe
- Mzuzanto
- Ncalukeni
- Ncolosi
- Ncoti
- Ncumbe
- Ndakana
- Ndakeni
- Ndezebe
- Ngcepeni
- Ngcolokeni
- Ngele
- Ngowaneni
- Ngqubusini
- Ngqwaneni
- Ngundani
- Ngwemnyama
- Ngxakolo
- Nkamasana
- Nkungwini
- Nogeya
- Nomhala
- Noziyongwana
- Nqadu
- Ntabelanga
- Ntsheleni
- Ntshigo
- Ntsimbini
- Ntsukandihlale
- Ntwenka
- Nyanisweni
- Qhankqu
- Qhotira
- Qotira
- Qwelana
- Rockdale
- Saint Cuthbert’s
- Sangqu
- Sapompolo
- Shawbury
- Shukuna
- Sidwadweni
- Sikobeni
- Singeni
- Sisuza
- Sithaleni
- Sithangameni
- Sivivane
- Sulenkama
- Swazini
- Tabase
- Thembeni
- Tina
- Tina Bridge
- Tina Falls
- Tintwa
- Toleni
- Tsitsa
- Tsitsa Bridge
- Tyira
- Upper Mjika
- Upper Roza
- Xabane
- Zilandana
- Zingcuka
- Zinyosini
- eLundi
History
The municipality is named after Mhlontlo, a 19th-century king of the AmaMpondomise, who led an uprising against colonial authority in 1880 after the killing of the British magistrate Hamilton Hope near Sulenkama — a defining episode of Transkei resistance to colonial rule. Qumbu and Tsolo developed afterward as colonial administrative towns, and the area remained part of the Transkei Bantustan until 1994.
Geography
Mhlontlo sits on the middle reaches of the Tsitsa and Tina rivers in the former Transkei highlands. It borders King Sabata Dalindyebo, Nyandeni, Ingquza Hill and Port St. Johns within OR Tambo District.
Demographics
Population fell from 190,745 at the 2011 census to 186,391 in 2022. Xhosa is the first language of 94.9% of residents.
Economy and Local Life
Subsistence agriculture, migrant-labour remittances and welfare income support most households. The Lambasi Nature Reserve initiative has aimed to supplement farming and welfare income through conservation-linked tourism. Qumbu and Tsolo function as the main trading towns.
Getting There
The R61 links Qumbu and Tsolo to Mthatha, about 60 km away, and on to the N2. Mthatha Airport is the nearest with scheduled flights.
Qumbu and Tsolo remain the only two towns of any size, and together account for a small fraction of the municipality’s overall population, which is spread across a large number of rural villages. Cala, in the municipality’s western reaches, functions as a smaller local trading point for surrounding farms and homesteads.
FAQ
What is the seat of Mhlontlo Local Municipality? Qumbu.
What is the population? 186,391 people at the 2022 census.
How big is Mhlontlo? 2,880 km².
Which district is it in? OR Tambo District Municipality.
What is Mhlontlo known for? Seat of the AmaMpondomise Kingdom.
What language do most residents speak? Xhosa, the first language of about 95% of residents.
What district is Mhlontlo part of? OR Tambo District Municipality, alongside four other local municipalities.
How many hospitals serve Mhlontlo? Three, according to municipal records.
How far is Qumbu from Mthatha? About 60 km by the R61, roughly an hour’s drive.