Matatiele | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
.svg) Location in the Eastern Cape | |
| Coordinates: 32°10′S 28°35′E / 32.167°S 28.583°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| District | Alfred Nzo |
| Seat | Matatiele |
| Wards | 26 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Sonwabile Mngenela (ANC) (ANC) |
| • Speaker | Nomasomi Mshuqwana (ANC) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,352 km2 (1,680 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 203,843 |
| • Density | 47/km2 (120/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 98.1% |
| • Coloured | 0.9% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.3% |
| • White | 0.7% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Xhosa | 57.4% |
| • Sotho | 33.3% |
| • English | 2.9% |
| • Zulu | 1.9% |
| • Other | 4.5% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Municipal code | EC441 |
Matatiele Municipality (Xhosa: uMasipala wase Matatiele; Sotho: Masepala wa Matatiele) is a local municipality within the Alfred Nzo District Municipality, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It adjoins Lesotho to the north, Elundini to the south-west, and Greater Kokstad to the east and its 4,352 km² makes the Matatiele Municipality largest of four municipalities in the district at almost half of its geographical area. According to the South African National Census of 2011, its 203,483 (46.84 per km²) residents and 49,527 (11.38 per km²) households makes Matatiele Municipality the second largest populated area in the Alfred Nzo District Municipality behind Mbizana.
Once dominated by dinosaurs, wetlands and marshes, Matatiele derives its name from a portmanteau word of the Sesotho words matata, meaning "wild ducks", and ile, meaning "gone", and the Phuthi language words mati meaning "water" and ayile meaning "dried out". When taken together, Matatiele conveys a message that "ducks have flown" because of a "dried out wetlands and marshes". [2] In Phuthi, the municipality is pronounced as Matatiyela. The common informal name in any of the languages mentioned, including English, is "Matat".
Today, the Matatiele Municipality is home to quaint towns, fertile farmlands, and rural villages scattered along its sparkling streams snuggled in the shadows of the Drakensberg Mountains. Route 56, known as the shortest and most scenic route between Cape Town in the Western Cape and Durban (South Africa's third largest city) in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, is the major arterial trade route that cuts through the heart of the Matatiele Municipality in an east-west direction.
Its main economic secotrs include community services (66.4%), trade (8.9%), finance, and agriculture.
- ^ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.