Laingsburg Local Municipality

Laingsburg
Local municipality

Seal

Location of Laingsburg Local Municipality within the Western Cape
Coordinates: 33°15′S 21°00′E / 33.250°S 21.000°E / -33.250; 21.000Coordinates: 33°15′S 21°00′E / 33.250°S 21.000°E / -33.250; 21.000
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District Central Karoo
Seat Laingsburg
Wards 4
Government[1]
 • Type Municipal council
 • Mayor Willem Theron (DA)
Area
 • Total 8,784 km2 (3,392 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 8,289
 • Density 0.94/km2 (2.4/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 7.0%
 • Coloured 79.0%
 • Indian/Asian 0.2%
 • White 13.3%
First languages (2011)[3]
 • Afrikaans 94.3%
 • English 1.7%
 • Xhosa 1.2%
 • Other 2.8%
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code WC051

Laingsburg Municipality is a municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of 2011 the population is 8,289.[2] Its municipality code is WC051.

Geography

The municipality covers an area of 8,784 square kilometres (3,392 sq mi) on the south-western edge of the Great Karoo. The southern edge of the municipality lies along the Anysberg and Swartberg mountains, while its northern edge is the provincial border with the Northern Cape. It abuts on the Beaufort West and Prince Albert Municipalities to the east, the Kannaland Municipality to the south, the Langeberg, Breede Valley and Witzenberg Municipalities to the west, and the Karoo Hoogland Municipality to the north.

According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 8,289 people in 2,408 households. Of this population, 79.0% describe themselves as "Coloured", 13.3% as "White", and 7.0% as "Black African". The first language of 94.3% of the population is Afrikaans, while 1.7% speak English and 1.2% speak Xhosa.[4]

The principal settlement in the municipality is the town of Laingsburg, which as of 2011 has a population of 5,667. West of Laingsburg is the village of Matjiesfontein, population 422.

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 no party obtained a majority; the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress won three seats each, and the Congress of the People (COPE) won the remaining seat. The DA and COPE formed a coalition to govern the municipality.[5]

The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.[6][7]

Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
Democratic Alliance 1,246 1,254 2,500 40.5 2 1 3
African National Congress 1,164 1,171 2,335 37.8 2 1 3
Congress of the People 280 276 556 9.0 0 1 1
National People's Party 216 213 429 6.9 0 0 0
African Christian Democratic Party 143 142 285 4.6 0 0 0
South African Progressive Civic Organisation 36 35 71 1.1 0 0 0
Total 3,085 3,091 6,176 100.0 4 3 7
Spoilt votes 45 39 84

The local council sends one representative, a member of the Democratic Alliance, to the council of the Central Karoo District Municipality.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Laingsburg Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Political composition of councils" (PDF). Western Cape Department of Local Government. August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Results Summary – All Ballots: Laingsburg" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail: Laingsburg" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
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