South Africa has eight metropolitan municipalities. Buffalo City in the Eastern Cape was declared a metro municipality after the 2011 local elections.
Buffalo City metropolitan municipality is in the Amathole District of the Eastern Cape. It consists of the towns of East London, King William’s Town, Mdantsane, Zwelitsha, and Bhisho.
The municipality – named after the Buffalo River which flows through East London – was established as a local municipality in 2000 after South Africa’s reorganisation of municipal areas.
In May 2011, it was separated from the Amathole District Municipality and converted into a metropolitan municipality.
History was made in Buffalo City when the City elected its first female mayor in March 2006.
Population
By 2011, Buffalo City boasted a total population of 755 198. The Metro registered a population growth rate of 0.7% between 2001 and 2011.
Census 2011 data reveals that Black Africans make up 85.1% of the metro’s population, Whites 7.7%, Coloureds 6%, and Indian/ Asians 0.8%. The gender ratio in the metro is 52.5% female and 47.5%, male.
Between 2001 and 2011, Buffalo City experienced population a population growth of 0.36%.
Languages
IsiXhosa is spoken by 76.9% of residents as their mother tongue, while English accounts for 10.7% and Afrikaans 7%.
Unemployment rate
Main towns
Beacon Bay, Berlin, Bisho, Breidbach, Dimbaza, East London, Kidd’s Beach, King William’s Town, Mdantsane, Phakamisa, Potsdam, Zwelitsha.
Main economic sectors
Community services (25%), finance (24%), manufacturing (24%), trade (12%), and transport (12%).
Council’s seats
The Current council composition 100 seats: ANC 60, DA 24, EFF 8, AIC 4, ACDP 1, COPE 1, PAC 1, UDM 1
The executive mayor of Buffalo City metro is Mr Xola Pakati.
Source: Municipalities.co.za
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