Matzikama Local Municipality

Matzikama
Local municipality

Seal

Location in the Western Cape
Coordinates: 31°15′S 18°30′E / 31.250°S 18.500°E / -31.250; 18.500Coordinates: 31°15′S 18°30′E / 31.250°S 18.500°E / -31.250; 18.500
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District West Coast
Seat Vredendal
Wards 8
Government
 • Type Municipal council
 • Mayor TBD
Area
 • Total 12,981 km2 (5,012 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 67,147
 • Density 5.2/km2 (13/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
 • Black African 8.5%
 • Coloured 74.7%
 • Indian/Asian 0.6%
 • White 14.8%
First languages (2011)[2]
 • Afrikaans 91.8%
 • Xhosa 3.5%
 • English 1.8%
 • Other 2.9%
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code WC011

Matzikama Local Municipality is a local municipality which governs the northernmost part of the Western Cape province of South Africa, including the towns of Vredendal, Vanrhynsdorp, Klawer and Lutzville, and the surrounding villages and rural areas. As of 2011 it had a population of 67,147.[1] It forms part of the West Coast District Municipality, and has municipality code WC011.

Geography

The municipality covers a total area of 12,981 square kilometres (5,012 sq mi) in the northernmost part of the Western Cape province, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the mountains of the Bokkeveld Escarpment in the east. The Olifants River flows through the southern part of the municipal area, while to the north lies the hilly area known as the Knersvlakte. The municipality abuts on the Kamiesberg Municipality to the north, the Hantam Municipality to the east and the Cederberg Municipality to the south.

According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 67,147 people in 18,835 households. Of this population, 74.7% describe themselves as "Coloured", 14.8% as "White", and 8.5% as "Black African". The first language of 91.8% of the population is Afrikaans, while 3.5% speak Xhosa and 1.8% speak English.[3]

The principal town and seat of the council is Vredendal, which is situated in the valley of the Olifants River and has a population (according to the 2011 census) of 18,170. Other large towns in the municipality are Klawer (pop. 6,234) situated upstream from Vredendal, Lutzville (pop. 5,232) situated downstream from Vredendal, and Vanrhynsdorp (pop. 6,272) to the north-east towards the escarpment. In the Olifants River valley there are also smaller agricultural settlements at Ebenhaeser (pop. 1,305) and Koekenaap (pop. 1,551). South of the mouth of the Olifants River are the coastal villages of Doringbaai (pop. 1,260) and Strandfontein (pop. 431). The villages of Bitterfontein (pop. 986), Kliprand (pop. 205), Nuwerus (pop. 650) and Rietpoort (pop. 970) are situated in the sparsely-populated Knersvlakte in the northern part of the municipality.

Politics

The municipal council consists of fifteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Eight councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in eight wards, while the remaining seven 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 3 August 2016 the Democratic Alliance (DA) won a majority of seats on the council, defeating an ANC-lead coalition that previously had controlled the municipality.

The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[4][5]

Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
Democratic Alliance 9,833 9,782 19,615 54.7 7 1 8
African National Congress 6,114 6,212 12,326 34.4 1 4 5
United Democrats 587 559 1,146 3.2 0 1 1
Economic Freedom Fighters 505 514 1,019 2.8 0 1 1
Others 940 836 1,776 4.9 0 0 0
Total 17,979 17,903 35,882 100.0 8 7 15
Spoilt votes 117 122 239

The local council sends two representatives to the council of the West Coast District Municipality: one from the ANC and one from the DA.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Matzikama Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  4. ↑ "Results Summary – All Ballots: Matzikama" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail: Matzikama" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "Political composition of councils" (PDF). Western Cape Department of Local Government. August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.