Emalahleni Local Municipality (EC136) -Eastern Cape

Description: The Emalahleni Local Municipality is a Category B municipality situated in the north-eastern part of the Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape. It is one of six municipalities in the district.
The municipality was established during 2000 and comprises three rural towns, with more than 200 villages.

Much of the municipal area was formerly in the Transkei. The quality of life in the rural villages is generally poor, marked by poverty and lack of access to services and amenities. Unemployment is high, and most households rely on social grants and remittances from family members working elsewhere.

Agriculture is limited to low-level subsistence farming, producing enough maize for personal use, traditional livestock farming and sorghum production, which is formalised and produced for the market. Wool production is one of the upcoming sources of income in the area for the emerging communal farmers.