Knysna Local Municipality

Knysna
Local municipality

Seal

Location of Knysna within the Western Cape
Coordinates: 34°00′S 23°00′E / 34.000°S 23.000°E / -34.000; 23.000Coordinates: 34°00′S 23°00′E / 34.000°S 23.000°E / -34.000; 23.000
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District Eden
Seat Knysna
Wards 10
Government[1]
 • Type Municipal council
 • Mayor Eleanore Bouw-Spies[2] (DA)
Area
 • Total 1,109 km2 (428 sq mi)
Population (2011)[3]
 • Total 68,659
 • Density 62/km2 (160/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[3]
 • Black African 36.1%
 • Coloured 40.9%
 • Indian/Asian 0.4%
 • White 21.0%
First languages (2011)[4]
 • Afrikaans 51.2%
 • Xhosa 28.4%
 • English 15.4%
 • Other 5%
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code WC048

Knysna Local Municipality is a municipality part of Eden District Municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of 2011 the population is 68,659.[3] Its municipal code is WC048.

Geography

The municipality covers an area of 1,109 square kilometres (428 sq mi) between the Indian Ocean and the Outeniqua Mountains around the town of Knysna. It abuts on the George Municipality to the north and west, and on the Bitou Municipality to the east.

According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 68,659 people in 21,893 households. Of this population, 40.9% describe themselves as "Coloured", 36.1% as "Black African", and 21.0% as "White". The first language of 51.2% of the population is Afrikaans, while 28.4% speak Xhosa and 15.4% speak English.[5]

Most of the residents of the municipality live in the town of Knysna, which as of 2011 has a population of 51,078. Knysna is situated on the shores of the Knysna Lagoon; other coastal settlements are Sedgefield (pop. 8,361) and Buffelsbaai (pop. 71). Away from the coast are agricultural settlements at Rheenendal (pop. 3,936) and Karatara (pop. 880).

Politics

The municipal council consists of twenty-one members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Eleven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in eleven wards, while the remaining ten 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 no party obtained a majority of seats on the council. The Democratic Alliance (with ten seats) formed a coalition with the African Christian Democratic Party (one seat) and an independent councillor.[6]

The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[7][8][9]

Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
Democratic Alliance 12,09812,48924,58749.6%6410
African National Congress 7,7778,15315,93032.1%347
Congress of the People 1,4301,4022,8325.7%101
Independent 1,4621,4622.9%11
Knysna Unity Congress 5355031,0382.1%011
African Christian Democratic Party 4624368981.8%011
Economic Freedom Fighters 4274208471.7%000
Independent Civic Organisation 3503507001.4%000
African Independent Congress 1643365001.0%000
Freedom Front Plus 2091753840.8%000
Ubuntu Party 111521630.3%000
South African Religious Civic Organisation 3636720.1%000
Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners 2544690.1%000
Democratic New Civic Association 49490.1%00
South Africa Civics 1222340.1%000
Total 25,147 24,418 49,565 11 10 21
Valid votes 25,147 24,418 49,565 97.7%
Spoilt votes 287 886 1,173 2.3%
Total votes cast 25,434 25,304 50,738
Voter turnout 25,518
Registered voters 40,014
Turnout percentage 63.8%

The local council sends three representatives to the council of the Eden District Municipality. As of February 2017 this delegation consisted of two councillors from the Democratic Alliance and one from the African National Congress.

History

Joy Cole was first elected mayor under the DA in December 2000 but defected in the September 2004 floor-crossing to become an ANC-aligned independent and reconstituted the council under ANC control. Cole formed a broad-based coalition of the ANC and DA after the March 2006 local government elections when neither party had obtained an outright majority. After Cole resigned in December 2006 to pursue another career, Doris Wakeford-Brown of the DA formed a multi-party coalition. This short-lived coalition collapsed in May 2007 when the Knysna Civic Alliance switched allegiances to the ANC, which brought Eleanore Bouw-Spies in as the new mayor. In the September 2007 floor crossing window the two civic party councillors defected to the ANC, giving the party an outright majority of 9 seats out of 16. Bouw-Spies' term as mayor ended when the DA won an absolute majority in the 2011 election and Georlene Wolmarans was elected mayor. In the 2016 election the DA fell short of an absolute majority, but formed a coalition with the ACDP and an independent councillor. Bouw-Spies, who had crossed to the DA in 2014, returned for a second term as mayor.[10]

Mayors

References

  1. ↑ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  2. ↑ http://www.knysna.gov.za/town-government/council/executive-mayor/
  3. 1 2 3 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Knysna Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  6. ↑ "Political composition of councils February 2017" (PDF). Western Cape Department of Local Government. February 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "Results Summary – All Ballots: Knysna" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail: Knysna" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "Voter Turnout Report: Knysna" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  10. ↑ "DA falls short of a majority in Knysna". The Citizen. ANA. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
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