Richtersveld Local Municipality

Richtersveld
Local municipality

Seal

Location in the Northern Cape
Coordinates: 28°45′S 17°00′E / 28.750°S 17.000°E / -28.750; 17.000Coordinates: 28°45′S 17°00′E / 28.750°S 17.000°E / -28.750; 17.000
Country South Africa
Province Northern Cape
District Namakwa
Seat Port Nolloth
Wards 4
Government[1]
 • Type Municipal council
 • Mayor Richard Leon Ambrosini
Area
 • Total 9,608 km2 (3,710 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 11,982
 • Density 1.2/km2 (3.2/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 13.1%
 • Coloured 76.6%
 • Indian/Asian 0.5%
 • White 8.5%
First languages (2011)[3]
 • Afrikaans 87.0%
 • Xhosa 6.1%
 • English 2.6%
 • Other 4.3%
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code NC061

Richtersveld is an administrative area in the Namakwa District of Northern Cape in South Africa.

The municipality is named after Reverend W Richter, a Dutch missionary of the 20th century who opened a mission station in Koeboes.[4]

History

Richtersveld is part of Little Namaqualand, the part of Namaqualand south of the Garib River. The original inhabitants of Namaqualand were overwhelmingly Khoi Khoi, but also included some San people.[5]

During the 19th century, other people started settling in Little Namaqualand. These included some white Trekboere, and also a number of so-called basters. Missionaries too started showing an interest in Little Namaqualand. The Renisch Mission Society established a mission station under the charge of Reverend Hein at Kuboes during the mid 19th century.[5]

On 23 December 1847 the British Crown, through annexation, extended the northern boundary of the then Cape Province from the Buffels River up to the Garib River. From that date the whole of Little Namaqualand (including the Richtersveld) became subject to British rule.[5]

In 1925 diamonds were discovered near Port Nolloth. In 1927 a particularly rich deposit was found at the mouth of the Garib River at Alexander Bay. Many people moved into the area.[5]

Main places

The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[6]

Place Code Area (km2) Population Most spoken language
Alexander Bay 363007 9.2 1,736 Afrikaans
Eksteenfontein 363008 0.7 531 Afrikaans
Grootderm 363006 3.0 80 Afrikaans
Kuboes 363005 0.9 948 Afrikaans
Lekkersing 363009 0.6 363 Afrikaans
Muisvlakte 363010 4.1 43 Setswana
Port Nolloth 363011 30.3 6,092 Afrikaans
Richtersveld National Park 363003 1,484.1 6 -
Sanddrif 363004 2.7 1,854 Afrikaans
Sendelingsdrif 363001 1.0 192 Afrikaans
Remainder 363002 8,071.1 139 Afrikaans
Total 9,607.7 11,982 Afrikaans

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 3 August 2016 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of four seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.[7][8]

Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
African National Congress 2,297 2,317 4,614 52.7 2 2 4
Democratic Alliance 2,030 2,021 4,051 46.3 2 1 3
Economic Freedom Fighters 47 42 89 1.0 0 0 0
Total 4,374 4,380 8,754 100.0 4 3 7
Spoilt votes 51 47 98

References

  1. ↑ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ↑ South African Languages - Place names
  5. 1 2 3 4 Richtersveld Decision, 22 March 2001, pp. 15-20
  6. ↑ "Richtersveld Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  7. ↑ "Results Summary – All Ballots: Richtersveld" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail: Richtersveld" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
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