Mount Ayliff


EmaXesibeni is a small town in the eastern Eastern Cape province of South Africa, near that province's border with KwaZulu-Natal. 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.
EmaXesibeni 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.
Xesibeland, the traditional region of the Xesibe people, was located around EmaXesibeni. The Xesibe was led by Chief Jojo; Jojo today is the royal family and still the leading family in EmaXesibeni.

1999 tornado

On 18 January 1999 a number of tornadoes hit the town and surrounding areas. Twenty five people were killed and over five hundred thousand 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.