Hessequa Local Municipality

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Hessequa
Local municipality
Official seal of Hessequa
Seal
Location of Hessequa Local Municipality within the Western Cape
Location of Hessequa Local Municipality within the Western Cape
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Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District Eden
Seat Riversdale
Wards 8
Government[1]
 • Type Municipal council
 • Mayor Emor Nel (DA)
Area
 • Total 5,733 km2 (2,214 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 52,642
 • Density 9.2/km2 (24/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 7.4%
 • Coloured 68.5%
 • Indian/Asian 0.4%
 • White 23.2%
First languages (2011)[3]
 • Afrikaans 92.4%
 • English 3.6%
 • Xhosa 2.1%
 • Other 1.9%
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code WC042

Hessequa Local Municipality (before 24 June 2005 the Langeberg Local Municipality) is a municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is flanked by the lower Breede River to the west and the Gourits River to the east. As of 2011 the population was 52,642.[2] Its municipality code is WC042. The name Hessequa, meaning "people of the trees", refers to the tribe of Khoikhoi people that used to live in the region.

Geography

The municipality covers an area of 5,733 square kilometres (2,214 sq mi) between the Langeberg mountains and the Indian Ocean, stretching from the Breede River in the west to the Gourits River in the east. It abuts on the Swellendam Municipality to the west, the Kannaland Municipality to the north, the Oudtshoorn Municipality to the northeast, and the Mossel Bay Municipality to the east.

According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 52,642 people in 15,873 households. Of this population, 68.5% describe themselves as "Coloured", 23.2% as "White", and 7.4% as "Black African". The first language of 92.4% of the population is Afrikaans, while 3.6% speak English and 2.1% speak Xhosa.[4]

The largest town in the municipality is Riversdale, which as of 2011 has a population of 16,176. Riversdale, which is the location of the municipal headquarters, is located on the Vet River close to the foothills of the Langeberg. Heidelberg (pop. 8,259) and Slangrivier (pop. 3,011) are to the west of Riversdale, while Albertinia (pop. 6,372) is to the east. Stilbaai (pop. 3,514) is on the coast south of Riversdale at the mouth of the Vet River, with Groot-Jongensfontein (pop. 355) and Melkhoutfontein (pop. 2,533) nearby. Witsand (pop. 321) is on the western edge of the municipality at the mouth of the Breede River, while Gouritsmond (pop. 515) is on the eastern edge at the mouth of the Gourits River.

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 18 May 2011 no party obtained a majority; the Democratic Alliance (DA) took seven seats, the African National Congress took six, and the Congress of the People (COPE) and Civic Independent took one each. 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 9,425 9,434 18,859 47.4 4 3 7
African National Congress 8,038 8,060 16,098 40.5 4 2 6
Congress of the People 1,330 1,301 2,631 6.6 0 1 1
Civic Independent 970 955 1,925 4.8 0 1 1
South African Progressive Civic Organisation 118 115 233 0.6 0 0 0
National Independent Civic Organisation 5 26 31 0.1 0 0 0
Total 19,886 19,891 39,777 100.0 8 7 15
Spoilt votes 153 149 302

The local council sends two representatives to the council of the Eden District Municipality: one from the Democratic Alliance and one from the African National Congress.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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