In keeping with mayor Nyaniso Nelani’s dream of turning Mthatha into another Kigali, the King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) municipality is buying 100 additional dustbins for the Eastern Cape town. Though many Mthatha streets already have dustbins, residents and businesses have called for more to keep the town centre clean.
Nolubabalo Mzayiya’s life story will always be intertwined with the history of one of Mthatha’s most famous landmarks, the Kwa-Ntozonke Market Centre. As a young girl, she and her four siblings would often join their mother who sold vegetables and fruit at the historic facility back in the 1970s.
Under-fire King Sabata Dalindyebo municipal bosses have admitted that 50% of the buildings in Mthatha were not compliant with health and safety regulations and standards. And despite several buildings going up in smoke under mysterious circumstances since 2021, the municipality has also admitted it does not have a bylaw on fire prevention.
Despite the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality boasting the third-largest economy in the Eastern Cape, it has been branded “currently financially and administratively dysfunctional”. The municipality also has a low population density and limited economic development and comprises about 90% traditionally rural areas.
In a bid to ignite economic activities in Mthatha and surrounding areas, the Eastern Cape government has announced it is forging ahead with the establishment of a Wild Coast special economic zone.