Bitou Local Municipality
| Bitou | ||
|---|---|---|
| Local municipality | ||
| ||
.svg.png) | ||
| Coordinates: 33°55′S 23°25′E / 33.917°S 23.417°ECoordinates: 33°55′S 23°25′E / 33.917°S 23.417°E | ||
| Country | South Africa | |
| Province | Western Cape | |
| District | Eden | |
| Seat | Plettenberg Bay | |
| Wards | 7 | |
| Government[1] | ||
| • Type | Municipal council | |
| • Mayor | Memory Booysen (DA) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 992 km2 (383 sq mi) | |
| Population (2011)[2] | ||
| • Total | 49,162 | |
| • Density | 50/km2 (130/sq mi) | |
| Racial makeup (2011)[2] | ||
| • Black African | 45.2% | |
| • Coloured | 31.2% | |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.5% | |
| • White | 16.9% | |
| First languages (2011)[2] | ||
| • Afrikaans | 43.4% | |
| • Xhosa | 38.0% | |
| • English | 13.3% | |
| • Other | 5.3% | |
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) | |
| Municipal code | WC047 | |
Bitou Local Municipality (formerly known as Plettenberg Bay Municipality) is a municipality part of Eden District Municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of 2001, its population is 29,149. Its municipality code is WC047.
Geography
The municipality covers an area of 992 square kilometres (383 sq mi) between the Indian Ocean and the Tsitsikamma Mountains around the town of Plettenberg Bay. It is the easternmost municipality on the coast of the Western Cape, with its eastern edge at the Bloukrans River forming the border with the Eastern Cape. It abuts on the Knysna Municipality to the west, the George Municipality to the northwest, and the Kou-Kamma Municipality to the east.
According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 49,162 people in 16,645 households. Of this population, 45.2% describe themselves as "Black African", 31.2% as "Coloured", and 16.9% as "White". The first language of 43.4% of the population is Afrikaans, while 38.0% speak Xhosa and 13.3% speak English.[3]
A majority of residents of the municipality live in the town of Plettenberg Bay, which as of 2011 has a population of 31,804.[4] On the other side of the Keurbooms River mouth from Plettenberg Bay is the coastal resort of Keurboomstrand (pop. 475), while the resort of Nature's Valley (pop. 460) is situated further east at the mouth of the Groot River. The Griqua settlement of Kranshoek (pop. 5,597) is situated west of Plettenberg Bay. In the interior of the municipality are villages at Kurland (pop. 4,033) and Wittedrif (pop. 1,822).
Politics
The municipal council consists of thirteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Seven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in seven wards, while the remaining six 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 six seats each, with the remaining seat going to the Congress of the People (COPE). 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 | 7,950 | 8,552 | 16,502 | 47.6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| African National Congress | 7,825 | 7,955 | 15,780 | 45.5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | |
| Congress of the People | 466 | 473 | 939 | 2.7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Independent | 780 | – | 780 | 2.2 | 0 | – | 0 | |
| African Christian Democratic Party | 295 | 277 | 572 | 1.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Plettenberg Bay Community Forum | 34 | 48 | 82 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Cape Party | 21 | 23 | 44 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 17,371 | 17,328 | 34,699 | 100.0 | 7 | 6 | 13 | |
| Spoilt votes | 249 | 241 | 490 | |||||
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
- ↑ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Local Municipality". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ↑ "Bitou Local Municipality". Census 2011.
- ↑ Sum of the Main Places Bossiesgerf, New Horizons, Kwanokuthula and Plettenberg Bay from Census 2011.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Political composition of councils". Western Cape Department of Local Government. August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ↑ "Results Summary – All Ballots: Bitou". Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
- ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail: Bitou". Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
External links
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=spacer}