Page 32 - SCAT Rural Voice II - 35 Stories for 35 Years

Access to Justice
sIYANAKeKeLA
commUnitY deveLopment
Matatiele is a mid-sized town on the border between the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu- Natal, 233km from Mthatha and 20km from the southern frontier of Lesotho.1 The name Matatiele is said to be based on the sesotho phrase “matata-a-ile”, meaning “the ducks have flown”. 2 The town was established in 1874 and attained municipal status in 1904. Matatiele town serves as a service centre and the main economic hub for Matatiele Municipality. census 2011 records the total population of Matatiele as 12,466 comprising people who identify as Black African 83.5%, coloured 9.5%, Indian/Asian 2.6% and White 4.1%. The languages spoken are isiXhosa 48.3%, sesotho 23.5% and english 14.3%.3
The Matatiele Local Municipality is located on the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains. It adjoins the World Heritage site along its western boundary and was included in the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier conservation and Development Project. The predominantly rural Matatiele municipal area includes the commercial farmlands surrounding the service centre of Matatiele, the town of cedarville and the township of Maluti.4 The main economic activities of the district are dairy farming, community services and trade.
since 2005, when the municipality was moved from the KwaZulu-Natal province to the Eastern Cape as part of the Twelfth Amendment of the Constitution of South Africa, there has been a dispute between national government and the community of Matatiele who want to be returned to KwaZulu-Natal. Legally Matatiele was confirmed as part of eastern cape province under the 13th amendment of the constitution.5
siyanakekela is a developing local development agency based in Matatiele. It offers home based care services, paralegal services, community outreach and awareness projects. siyanakekela also assists community members to establish credit and savings clubs.
1. Matatiele Local Municipality - Overview. (2019) Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://municipalities.co.za/overview/1001/ matatiele-local-municipality
2. Raper, P. (1987). Dictionary of southern African Place Names (Vol. 46). https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2015.1113434
3. Frith, A. (2019). census 2011: Main Place: Matatiele. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://census2011.adrianfrith.com/
place/295171
4. Matatiele Local Municipality - Overview. (2019) Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://municipalities.co.za/overview/1001/
matatiele-local-municipality
5. Government Gazette (2007). constitution Thirteenth Amendment Act [No 23 of 2007].
FAsT facts
NaMe: siyanakekela community Development
LeD By: sekumpana shabalala
MaiN cHaLLeNGes faceD By tHe coMMuNity: Late birth registrations, crime and theft, asylum seekers.
MaiN actiVities: Paralegal support; home-based care; labour disputes aDDress: Ward 12, Kotsoana Village, Matatiele
coNtact: cell: 086 247 4101
Email: sekumpana@webmail.co.za ; sekumpana651@gmail.com
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