The Cacadu District covers approximately one third of the Eastern Cape’s land area, however it only houses 5.4% of the provinces’ population, with an average distribution of seven people per square kilometer. Population concentrations are in Makana, Kouga and Ndlambe, with more than 50% of residents in the District residing within these municipal areas. The remaining Municipalities all have less than 50 000 inhabitants per municipal area. This is due to the variation in land types, agricultural practices and associated income generating opportunities that are characteristic of Cacadu’s inland and coastal areas. In 2008 statistics were acquired from the Global Insight Group which estimated the population to be 412 956.

 

According to the information received from Global Insight, the average growth rate of the Cacadu District is estimated at 1.1%, which is higher than the Provincial growth rate, estimated at 0.3% and slightly lower than the National growth rate of 1.2%.

The Cacadu District Municipality is a land mass that is dominated by a semi-desert Karoo landscape. The area is characterised by a narrow low-lying land strip along the coast from the west (Storms River) to the east (Port Alfred). Prominent mountains and catchment areas include the Kouga Mountains in the south and the Snow Mountains north of Graaff-Reinet. The central district is characterised by typical Karoo plains between Steytlerville, Jansenville and Rietbron which is periodically subject to drought conditions. The average annual rainfall is 300mm. Main drainage features include the great Fish River, Sunday’s River, Gamtoos River and Krom River, generally draining the area to the south and east.