[3] Xesibeland, the traditional region of the Xesibe people, was located around Mount Ayliff.

[5] 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 nearest city to Mount Ayliff is Durban which is 283 km north-east of the town.

[9][10][11] 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.