OR Tambo District Municipality
district municipality of South Africa
The OR Tambo District Municipality (Xhosa: uMasipala weSithili sase OR Tambo) is one of the seven districts of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is within the Wild Coast Region. The seat is Mthatha. As of 2011, the vast majority (94%) of its 1,364,943 inhabitants spoke isiXhosa. The district is named after Oliver Tambo. The district code is DC15.
Geography
Neighbours
OR Tambo is surrounded by:
Alfred Nzo District (DC44) to the north
the Indian Ocean to the south-east
Amatole District (DC12) to the south-west
Chris Hani District (DC13) to the west
Joe Gqabi District (DC14) to the north-west
Local municipalities
The district contains the following local municipalities:
After the 2011 municipal election, OR Tambo District shrunk, with Mbizana and Ntabankulu local municipalities being transferred to Alfred Nzo District Municipality.
Demographics
The following statistics are from the 2011 census.
Gender
Ethnic group
Age
Politics
Election results
Election results for OR Tambo in the South African general election, 2004.
“OR Tambo District Municipality” enters the record as district municipality of South Africa. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Tambo, District and Municipality can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“OR Tambo District Municipality” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Tambo, District and Municipality provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2007299. Authority coordinates are -31.567, 28.767. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2011 and 2004.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “OR Tambo District Municipality”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow OR Tambo District Municipality primary sources, OR Tambo District Municipality archive and Tambo research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “OR Tambo District Municipality”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “OR Tambo District Municipality” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.