Theewaterskloof Local Municipality

Theewaterskloof
Local municipality

Seal

Location in the Western Cape
Coordinates: 34°10′S 19°30′E / 34.167°S 19.500°ECoordinates: 34°10′S 19°30′E / 34.167°S 19.500°E
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District Overberg
Seat Caledon
Wards 13
Government[1]
 • Type Municipal council
 • Mayor Chris Punt
Area
 • Total 3,232 km2 (1,248 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 108,790
 • Density 34/km2 (87/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 26.4%
 • Coloured 62.9%
 • Indian/Asian 0.4%
 • White 9.4%
First languages (2011)[3]
 • Afrikaans 73.6%
 • Xhosa 16.9%
 • English 3.9%
 • Sotho 3.6%
 • Other 2%
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code WC031

Theewaterskloof Municipality is a local municipality located within the Overberg District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2007, the population was 108,790.[2] Its municipality code is WC031. The enormous Theewaterskloof Dam, which provides water for Cape Town and the surrounding areas, is located in this municipality.

Geography

The municipality covers an area of 3,232 square kilometres (1,248 sq mi) in the western interior of the Overberg region. It occupies the area between the Riviersonderend Mountains to the north and the Kogelberg and Kleinrivier Mountains to the south; to the west it stretches as far as the Hottentots-Holland mountains. The western area of the municipality is the Elgin Valley drained by the Palmiet River. The northern part is the valley of the Sonderend River including the Theewaterskloof Dam. The southeastern part is in the Overberg plain, drained by the Bot and Klein Rivers.

According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 108,790 people in 28,884 households. Of this population, 62.9% describe themselves as "Coloured", 26.4% as "Black African", and 9.4% as "White". The first language of 73.6% of the population is Afrikaans, while 16.9% speak Xhosa, 3.9% speak English and 3.6% speak Sotho.[4]

The largest town in the municipality is Grabouw in the Elgin Valley, which as of 2011 has a population of 30,337. However, the municipal headquarters are situated in Caledon (pop. 13,020) on the plain. Between Grabouw and Caledon is Botrivier (pop. 5,505) at the base of the Houwhoek Pass. Villiersdorp (pop. 10,004) is located in the northern part of the municipality close to the Theewaterskloof Dam. Downstream from the dam along the Sonderend River are the villages of Genadendal (pop. 5,663), Greyton (pop. 2,780) and Riviersonderend (pop. 5,245).

Politics

Seats in the council after the 2011 election
  DA (13)
  ANC (9)
  Other parties (3)

The municipal council consists of twenty-five members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Thirteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirteen wards, while the remaining twelve 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 Democratic Alliance (DA) obtained a majority of thirteen seats on the council.

The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.[5][6]

Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
Democratic Alliance 14,091 14,236 28,327 50.0 10 3 13
African National Congress 10,540 10,681 21,221 37.5 3 6 9
Congress of the People 822 791 1,613 2.8 0 1 1
National People's Party 774 700 1,474 2.6 0 1 1
National Independent Civic Organisation 642 604 1,246 2.2 0 1 1
African Christian Democratic Party 499 452 951 1.7 0 0 0
United Democratic Movement 413 402 815 1.4 0 0 0
African Bond of Unity 288 267 555 1.0 0 0 0
Western Cape Community 144 145 289 0.5 0 0 0
Cape Party 25 58 83 0.1 0 0 0
Independent 56 – 56 0.1 0 – 0
Total 28,294 28,336 56,630 100.0 13 12 25
Spoilt votes 399 403 802

The local council sends five representatives to the council of the Overberg District Municipality: three from the Democratic Alliance and two from the African National Congress.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Table: Census 2011 by district council, gender, age in 5 year groups and population group". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "Table: Census 2011 by district council, gender, language and population group". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "Theewaterskloof Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  5. ↑ "Results Summary – All Ballots: Theewaterskloof" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail: Theewaterskloof" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  7. ↑ "Political composition of councils" (PDF). Western Cape Department of Local Government. August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.

External links