Ngqushwa is a local municipality in the Amathole District Municipality, Eastern Cape. The 2022 census counted 68,300 people across 2,112.5 km², up from 64,422 in 2011. Peddie is the seat.
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| District | Amathole District Municipality |
| Seat | Peddie |
| Area | 2,112.5 km² |
| Population (2022) | 68,300 |
Towns and Villages in Ngqushwa
Peddie is Ngqushwa’s largest town and administrative seat. Wesley, Hamburg and Glenmore are the next-largest settlements; Hamburg sits at the mouth of the Keiskamma River and is a small fishing village. Beyond these, the municipality is made up of 111 recorded villages and localities, most of them rural homesteads and farm settlements.
| Place | Type | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Peddie | Main town / seat | 5,580 |
| Wesley | Town | 1,957 |
| Hamburg | Town | 1,615 |
| Glenmore | Town | 1,491 |
The fuller list of villages and localities:
- Begha Mouth
- Bell
- Bodiam
- Breakfast Vlei
- Celetyuma
- Chisirha
- Crossroads
- Dadeni
- Damdam
- Daninge
- Dube Location
- Durban Mission Location
- Etempen
- Fairview
- Feni
- Gibralter
- Glassridge
- Goodhope
- Goodi Location
- Gqora
- Hercules
- Hopewell
- Horton
- Jokwenus Location
- Kalana Location
- Kaulela Location
- Kings Lynn
- Kingscofe
- Klipplaat
- Komhlulu
- Komkulu
- Kraal
- KuMapiko
- Kwa Lubilo
- Kwa-Hoyi
- Kwa-Hoza
- Kwa-Lutiko
- Kwa-Maqosha
- Kwa-Mkontwana
- Kwa-Ndaba
- Kwa-Pikoli
- KwaGwalani
- KwaJaji
- KwaLibalele
- KwaMhlekwa
- KwaMpeko
- KwaMvemve
- KwaNcwane
- KwaNgquwa
- KwaTuba
- Lalini
- Lewuswood
- Mabofolweni
- Mabongo Location
- Magqazeni
- Maitland
- Majamanini
- Mangweni
- Masela
- Matomelas Location
- Mdolomba
- Melton
- Melville Park
- Menziwe Location
- Mgwalana
- Mgwalana Mouth
- Mpeko
- Mpekweni
- Msintsini
- Mthonjeni
- Mtombe Location
- Mtyolo
- Mywashu Location
- Newtondale
- Ngqowa
- Nobumba
- Nooitgedacht
- Nquntsi
- Ntloko
- Ntsikizini
- Nyanisos
- Nyatyora Location
- Pato’s Kop Location
- Pera II
- Posini
- Qaga
- Qamnyana
- Qeto
- Quakeni Location
- Riverbend
- Rode
- Rura
- Sentse
- Tamara
- Tuku
- Tuwa
- Tyata
- Umtati
- Woodlands
- Worthing
- Zalara
- eDrayini
- eLalini
- eLuqolweni
- eMabaleni
- eMablubini
- eMxaxa
Geography
Ngqushwa lies on the Eastern Cape coast between the Great Kei and Buffalo City metro areas, with the Keiskamma River forming part of its eastern boundary and reaching the sea near Hamburg. Within Amathole District it borders Great Kei and Raymond Mhlaba, with Buffalo City Metro to the south-east. The terrain runs from a rugged, indented coastline inland to rolling grassland and Eastern Cape thicket vegetation, with the Peddie plateau forming the municipality’s higher central ground. Rainfall is moderate and seasonal, supporting extensive rather than intensive grazing across most of the interior.
Demographics
The population grew from 64,422 in the 2011 census to 68,300 in 2022, a rise of about 6%. Xhosa is the first language of nearly 95% of residents, and Black African residents make up over 99% of the population. Peddie itself accounts for the largest single concentration of residents, with the remainder spread thinly across small rural villages and coastal settlements.
Economy and Local Life
Ngqushwa is largely rural, with subsistence and communal cattle farming across the interior. The coastal villages of Hamburg and Wesley depend on fishing and small-scale tourism; Glenmore and the Peddie area support crop and livestock farming, and public-sector and municipal services are the main formal employer around Peddie itself. Historically the Peddie district was a key mission and settler frontier town in the 19th-century Eastern Cape, and that history still shapes the mix of Xhosa homesteads and older mission-era settlements found across the municipality today.
Getting There
Peddie sits on the R72 coastal route between East London and Port Alfred, giving the municipality direct road access to Buffalo City’s airport and port about an hour’s drive to the south-east. Minor roads branch off the R72 toward the coastal villages of Hamburg and Wesley, while the interior settlements are reached mainly by gravel district roads linking back to Peddie.
FAQ
What is the seat of Ngqushwa Local Municipality?
Peddie is the seat.
How many villages does Ngqushwa have?
GeoNames records 111 settlements and localities, led by Peddie, Wesley, Hamburg and Glenmore.
What is the population of Ngqushwa?
68,300 people at the 2022 census, up from 64,422 in 2011.
Which district does Ngqushwa fall under?
The Amathole District Municipality, Eastern Cape.
What language is mainly spoken in Ngqushwa?
Xhosa, spoken by nearly 95% of residents.