Kamiesberg Local Municipality

Kamiesberg
Local municipality

Seal

Location in the Northern Cape
Coordinates: 33°20′S 18°0′E / 33.333°S 18.000°E / -33.333; 18.000Coordinates: 33°20′S 18°0′E / 33.333°S 18.000°E / -33.333; 18.000
Country South Africa
Province Northern Cape
District Namakwa
Seat Garies
Wards 4
Government[1]
 • Type Municipal council
 • Mayor Martin Klasae
Area
 • Total 14,210 km2 (5,490 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 10,187
 • Density 0.72/km2 (1.9/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 5.3%
 • Coloured 85.6%
 • Indian/Asian 0.5%
 • White 8.1%
First languages (2011)[3]
 • Afrikaans 97.0%
 • Other 3%
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code NC064

Kamiesberg Local Municipality is in South Africa.

Population

In 2007 an estimated 12,117 persons lived in Kamiesberg;[4] however, this estimate is very rough. The majority of Kamiesberg's people are coloured (mixed race).

Kharkams village represents, in many ways, the typical village in Kamiesberg: the average education level is 6.7 years; electricity reached the village in 1999; water is available in nearly every house; villagers have access to health care once a week.

Sheep and goats are kept on villager-owned land between Kamiesberg's eleven villages.

Topography and climate

Kamiesberg municipality spans three topographic zones. The area stretches from the sandy coastal lowlands (Sandveld) to the mountainous central Kamiesberg escarpment (Hardveld), and to the eastern plateau of Bushmanland. There are no perennial rivers in the area. Water is obtained from subterranean sources. Some of the water is pumped up by windmills, but most of the water to the communal areas is from natural springs. Many of these springs are semi-perennial, and the salt content of the water can vary from year to year, causing problems. In 2003 the rainfall was 131 mm (5 in) in Springbok (100 km (62 mi) north of Kamiesberg). Rainfall has on average decreased from 1970 to 1994.

Soils and vegetation

Four main types of vegetation are found in the area: Mountains Renosterveld, Succulent Karoo, False Succulent Karoo and Namaqualand Broken Veldt. However, overall plant life is in a deteriorating state, and non-edible, undesirable and poisonous vegetation is taking over.

Sources of household income in Kamiesberg

A survey (2003) of three communal villages in Kamiesberg (only 74 saailande owners) showed the following sources of household income: wage labour (49%), government transfers (28%), small business (11%), remittances (6%), livestock income (3%) and farm income (3%).

Communal institutions

Like every other municipality in Namaqualand, Kamiesberg is governed by formal institutions. The most important formal institutions are: Kamiesberg Municipality located in Garies, the Common Management Committee (Meentcommetee), the Old Local Council and Transitional Local Councils (TLCs).

Main places

The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[5]

Place Code Area (km2) Population
Garies 365016 69.4 2,105
Hondeklip Bay 365009 22.7 543
Kamassies 365001 0.9 341
Kamieskroon 365007 8.8 893
Karkams 365011 30.3 1,439
Kheis 365014 0.9 488
Klipfontein 365015 0.8 466
Koingnaas 365005 46.9 105
Leliefontein 365008 0.7 616
Lepelsfontein 365017 28.7 233
Nourivier 365006 0.3 460
Paulshoek 365013 0.7 415
Rooifontein 365003 0.7 332
Soebatsfontein 365004 0.4 276
Spoegrivier 365010 0.3 513
Tweerivier 365012 0.3 252
Remainder 365002 13,997.5 709
Total 14,210.2 10,187

Politics

The municipal council consists of seven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Four councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in four wards, while the remaining three are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 18 May 2011 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of four seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.[6][7]

Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
African National Congress 2,701 2,705 5,406 54.3 2 2 4
Democratic Alliance 1,705 1,719 3,424 34.4 2 0 2
Congress of the People 572 548 1,120 11.3 0 1 1
Total 4,978 4,972 9,950 100.0 4 3 7
Spoilt votes 72 72 144

References

  1. ↑ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Municipal Demarcation Board South Africa
  5. ↑ "Kamiesberg Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  6. ↑ "Results Summary – All Ballots: Kamiesberg" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail: Kamiesberg" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/17/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.