About
Queenstown, officially Komani, is a town in the middle of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, roughly halfway between the smaller towns of Cathcart and Sterkstroom on the N6 national route. The town was established in 1853 and is currently the commercial, administrative, and educational centre of the surrounding farming district. It is administered by the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, part of the regional Chris Hani District Municipality, which has become infamous for corruption, failures of governance, infrastructural decay, and financial collapse. The majestic Town Hall (built in 1882) and central Post Office burnt down in a mysterious 2022 fire which destroyed Municipal records and left the buildings in a vandalised ruin.. The town's amenities and famous Hexagon are in a shabby and derelict condition, reducing the town's former appeal to visitors and tourists. Service collapse has led to capital flight and deindustrialisation, worsening already-massive unemployment as significant formal economic activity declines.