Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality lies in Alfred Nzo District, Eastern Cape, with 350,000 people counted in the 2022 census across 2,415.5 km². The seat is Bizana.
The municipality was formerly named Mbizana. It was renamed to honour the anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, and moved from OR Tambo District to Alfred Nzo District after the 2011 municipal election.
Towns and Villages in Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
| Place | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bizana | Seat | Administrative and trade centre |
Other recorded settlements and localities:
- Betshawawini
- Bhokweni
- Bhungweni
- Bolorhweni
- Buttville
- Cibini
- Clarkville
- Dudumeni
- Ebenezer
- eNcenjane
- Envis
- Fort Donald
- Gabheni
- Goxe
- Gumzana
- High View
- Kanyayo
- Ku-Mankenkeza
- KuCitwayo
- KuGwabeni
- KuMabula
- KuNdayingana
- KuNkundla
- KuNtlamvukazi
- KuSiwisa Halt
- Kwa-Qeda
- KwaBipa
- KwaGiniswayo
- KwaHlati
- KwaKati
- KwaMbiba
- KwaMkololwana
- KwaMpisi
- KwaNgutyana
- KwaNikwe
- KwaQungebe
- Ludeke
- Lukanyisweni
- Luna
- Lupilisweni
- Lutambeko
- Mabofu
- Madada
- Madadana
- Magombeni
- Magusheni
- Mahlaba
- Majavu
- Makwanteni
- Malongwana
- Mampondweni
- Manlatini
- Mapheleni
- Marambeni
- Mazeni
- Mbandana
- Mbhongweni
- Mbobeni
- Mbobheni
- Mbutweni
- Mceleni
- Mcwati
- Mdikisweni
- Mejela
- Mgunga
- Mianyelwa
- Mkandlwini
- Mlambondaba
- Mnambiti
- Mngomane
- Mngungundlovu
- Mount Zion
- Mpeni
- Mqeni
- Mtayise
- Ndlovu
- Ndunge
- Ngwelombaso
- Nkantolo
- Nkantsweni
- Nkantswini
- Nomlacu
- Nqabeni
- Ntabezulu
- Nthlahlane
- Ntlamvukazi
- Ntlenzi
- Ntloselo
- Ntsingisi
- Nyokweni
- Qabangeni
- Qasa
- Redoubt
- Rockville
- Sea View
- Sidanga
- Sigodlweni
- Sikelo
- Sisele
- Spes Bona
- Swane
- Swani Ridge
- Topiya
- Tsawana
- Wofisi
- Xolobeni
- Zangotsho
- Zibukweni
- Zilangwe
- Zizityaneni
Geography
The municipality sits in the far south of KwaZulu-Natal’s border zone, drained by the Mtamvuna River which separates it from KwaZulu-Natal to the north-east. The land here rolls from coastal grassland near the Wild Coast border toward higher, wetter hill country further inland, with numerous small streams feeding the Mtamvuna and Mzimvubu catchments. It falls under Alfred Nzo District Municipality, alongside Umzimvubu, Ntabankulu and Matatiele.
Demographics
Population grew from 281,905 in 2011 to 350,000 in 2022, one of the larger increases recorded across Alfred Nzo District. Most residents speak isiXhosa, and the municipality remains predominantly rural, with Bizana the only settlement classed as urban.
Economy and Local Life
Communal farming and livestock keeping support most rural households, with maize, beans and cattle the main sources of subsistence income away from the seat town. Bizana serves as the retail and government-services hub for the wider area, hosting banks, a hospital and weekly markets that draw shoppers from villages across the municipality. Migrant labour to Durban and Gauteng remains an important source of household income for many families, a pattern common across the former Transkei region since the mining and manufacturing boom of the mid-20th century drew workers away from rural homesteads.
History
Bizana grew as a trading and mission centre serving the surrounding Mpondo communities, and the municipality was long known as Mbizana before its 2016 renaming in honour of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the anti-apartheid activist and former wife of Nelson Mandela. The municipality’s move from OR Tambo District to Alfred Nzo District after the 2011 election reflected a wider provincial reorganisation of district boundaries across the former Transkei region.
Getting There
Bizana lies on the N2 national road between Kokstad and Port Edward, giving it direct access to both the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal coasts. Margate, on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, has the nearest regional airport, roughly 70 km away.
The municipality is one of four making up Alfred Nzo District, alongside Matatiele, Umzimvubu and Ntabankulu, and shares the district’s mainly rural, agriculture-and-remittance economy.
FAQ
What is the seat of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality?
Bizana.
What was this municipality called before?
Mbizana Local Municipality, renamed after the anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
What district is it in?
Alfred Nzo District Municipality, Eastern Cape.
What is the population?
Roughly 350,000 people (2022 census), up from 281,905 people in 2011.
How many local municipalities does Alfred Nzo District have?
Four in total — Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Matatiele, Umzimvubu and Ntabankulu.