# Ndlambe Local Municipality

Ndlambe Municipality (Xhosa: uMasipala wase Ndlambe; Afrikaans: Ndlambe Munisipaliteit) is a local municipality within the Sarah Baartman District Municipality, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Its capital is Port Alfred. It is a predominantly rural area with agriculture and tourism dominating the economy.
It encompasses the towns of Kenton-on-Sea, Boknesstrand, Bathurst, Boesmansriviermond, Alexandria, and Cannon Rocks.

## Politics

The municipal council consists of twenty members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Ten councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in ten wards, while the remaining ten are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 1 November 2021 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of eleven seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 9,602 | 52.66 | 8 | 9,545 | 52.55 | 3 | 11 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 5,519 | 30.27 | 2 | 5,501 | 30.29 | 4 | 6 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 2,658 | 14.58 | 0 | 2,688 | 14.80 | 3 | 3 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 424 | 2.33 | 0 | 378 | 2.08 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Transformation Movement | 30 | 0.16 | 0 | 51 | 0.28 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 18,233 | 100.00 | 10 | 18,163 | 100.00 | 10 | 20 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 18,233 | 98.89 | | 18,163 | 98.51 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 205 | 1.11 | | 275 | 1.49 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 18,438 | 100.00 | | 18,438 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 33,201 | 55.53 | | 33,201 | 55.53 | | |

## Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:
| Place | Code | Area (km$^2$) | Population | Most spoken language |
| Alexandria | 20501 | 3.84 | 3,087 | Afrikaans |
| Bathurst | 20502 | 8.45 | 600 | English |
| Boknesstrand | 20503 | 1.09 | 216 | Afrikaans |
| Cannon Rocks | 20504 | 1.79 | 209 | English |
| Ekuphumleni | 20505 | 1.10 | 3,619 | Xhosa |
| Kasuka | 20506 | 1.17 | 96 | Xhosa |
| Kenton-on-Sea | 20507 | 7.45 | 5,266 | Xhosa |
| Kleinemonde | 20508 | 5.74 | 18 | Xhosa |
| Kwanonqubela | 20509 | 0.81 | 4,626 | Xhosa |
| Nkwenkwezi | 20511 | 3.35 | 14,673 | Xhosa |
| Nolukhanyo | 20512 | 1.22 | 4,961 | Xhosa |
| Port Alfred | 20513 | 19.02 | 6,287 | English |
| Remainder of the municipality | 20510 | 1,945.79 | 11,833 | Xhosa |

## Corruption and financial mismanagement

The municipality is one of the few in the Eastern Cape not to have been flagged for audit irregularities. However, the Hawks are investigating allegations of corruption, and the municipality has been flagged by the Public Protector for poor service delivery, including unfixed potholes, unusable toilets, and braai areas in poor condition, with the municipality claiming to have insufficient funds. In December 2023, the council awarded a R700,000 contract for a one-day music festival, with the local residents association expressing shock at the expense.