About
Ezibeleni is a township in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It was established in the 1960s and officially recognised in 1974, when black South Africans were not allowed to live, but only to work, in the white-dominated Queenstown. In order to pursue the policy of separate development, the apartheid-era government of the time dictated that, due to its location on the map and the predominant Xhosa ethnicity of its people, Ezibeleni would belong to Transkei, one of ten fragmented bantustans, or homelands, scattered across South Africa. Ezibeleni is one of the largest towns in the Komani area. Its original name was Queensdale, named after Queenstown (today: Komani). It is divided into zones (1, 2, 3, Chancele & Themba), with the new units; known as Kwamabuyaze (RDP houses) which is still expanding. Komani River flows near or through various towns in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, including Ezibeleni. The Great Fish River is a significant watercourse in the region, and its proximity to Ezibeleni have environmental and cultural importance for the local community.