Mbizana is made up of a main town and surrounding villages, located in the Eastern Cape Province on the R61 road connecting
KwaZulu Natal South Coastal Boundary to the N2 highway.

With a population of approximately 246 516 living in 46 730 households occupying an area of roughly 2 806 km2, Mbizana prides itself on cultural diversity which includes a variety of tribes such as Xhosa’s, Mpondo’s, Sotho’s and Nguni’s. However, the population is dominated by the Mpondo tribe, which has its own unique dialect, isiMpondo a soft mixture of isiXhosa and isiZulu. A female dominated society, as men only account for 46% of the population, the municipality makes efforts to integrate and incorporate women in key decision making roles within the institution, to reflect this demographic.

The majority of households in Mbizana are of a rural nature as close to 95% of the population resides in the surrounding villages, with the rest living in the urban area. This results in natural resources proving a strong base for basic survival as those living in rural areas turn to subsistence farming for their livelihoods.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), in partnership with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) received a contribution from Global Affairs Canada to implement “The Building Inclusive Green Municipalities (BIGM)” program for 51 months (4.3 years). The aims is to improve the capacity of South African municipal governments to support effective service delivery, inclusive local green economic growth and enhanced climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. The program will pilot local economic development initiatives to promote job creation, poverty reduction, and enhanced well-being, while empowering women, youth and vulnerable groups, and ensuring their inclusion as decision makers and beneficiaries. The BIGM program is improving municipal-level plans and policies targeting climate change adaptation and mitigation, including asset management policies and practices