Mount Ayliff

Mount Ayliff eMaxesibeni
Mount Ayliff Show map of Eastern Cape Mount Ayliff Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 30°48′33″S 29°22′01″E
Country	South Africa
Province	Eastern Cape
District	Alfred Nzo
Municipality	Umzimvubu
Area [1]
• Total	3.32 km^2 (1.28 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	5,367
• Density	1,600/km^2 (4,200/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	98.2%
• Coloured	0.8%
• Indian/Asian	0.4%
• White	0.4%
• Other	0.3%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Xhosa	91.5%
• English	2.9%
• Zulu	1.4%
• Other	4.2%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	4735
PO box	4735
Area code	039

Mount Ayliff, officially eMaxesibeni,[2] is a small town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, near that province's border with KwaZulu-Natal.

Mount Ayliff is located in the Umzimvubu Local Municipality, which is part of the Alfred Nzo District Municipality; it is the location of the headquarters of the latter.[3]

Xesibeland, the traditional region of the Xesibe people, was located around Mount Ayliff. The Xesibe was led by Chief Jojo; Jojo today is the royal family and still the leading family in EmaXesibeni.

History

It was possibly named in 1878 after either William Ayliff, a Cape government official for native affairs or John Ayliff, a mission station founder.[4]

1999 tornado

On 18 January 1999, a number of tornadoes hit the town and surrounding areas. Twenty five people were killed and over 500 were injured; the tornadoes destroyed around 95% of the homes in the area leaving most people homeless making it the most destructive tornado recorded in South Africa.[5]

Mount Ayliff Christmas Day Massacre

Main article: Mount Ayliff Christmas Day Massacre

The town was the scene of a mass shooting incident between a group of Mpeni and Nokhatshile men on Christmas Day 2020 in-which at least seven people died and at least six were injured. Following a search for suspects led by the South African National Defence Force, seven people, all injured in the incident, were arrested. The incident was the result of a conflict between competing mini-bus taxi operators in the area.[6][7][8]

Geography

Mount Ayliff is located in a mountainous valley, hence the word "Mount". It is located just 26 km south-west of the KwaZulu-Natal border and is also located 34 km south of Kokstad and 144 km north-east of Mthatha. The nearest city to Mount Ayliff is Durban which is 283 km north-east of the town.[9][10][11]

Demographics

In the census of 2011, its population was recorded as being 5,367 people, of whom 98% described themselves as "Black African", and 91.5% spoke Xhosa as their first language.[12]

References

1. "Main Place Mount Ayliff". Census 2011.
2. "WATCH | Crossing rickety bridge a daily nightmare for EC villagers | eNCA".
3. "Contact information: Alfred Nzo District Municipality". Government Communication and Information System. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
4. Erasmus, B. P. J. (1995). On Route in South Africa. Internet Archive. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball Publishers. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-86842-026-1.
5. Cowan, Kyle (24 November 2014). "Top 5 worst tornadoes in South African history". Newcastle Advertiser. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
6. Mthethwa, Cebelihle. "Mount Ayliff killings: Accused in court for Christmas Day attack where 7 died". News24. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
7. Mthethwa, Cebelihle. "Mount Ayliff Christmas unrest: SANDF joins search for killers after 'taxi violence' leaves 7 dead, 6 injured". News24. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
8. Seleka, Ntwaagae. "Mount Ayliff killings: Six people arrested for deadly Christmas Day clash between rival groups". News24. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
9. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
10. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
11. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
12. "Mount Ayliff". Census 2001. Retrieved 17 January 2014.