Laingsburg Local Municipality

Laingsburg Municipality is a municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of 2011 the population is 8,289.[2] Its municipality code is WC051.

Laingsburg
Local municipality
Seal
Location of Laingsburg Local Municipality within the Western Cape
Coordinates: 33°15′S 21°00′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceWestern Cape
DistrictCentral Karoo
SeatLaingsburg
Wards4
Government
 • TypeMunicipal council
 • MayorWillem Theron (DA)
Area
 • Total8,784 km2 (3,392 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total8,289
 • Density0.94/km2 (2.4/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African7.0%
 • Coloured79.0%
 • Indian/Asian0.2%
 • White13.3%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans94.3%
 • English1.7%
 • Xhosa1.2%
 • Other2.8%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeWC051

Geography

The municipality covers an area of 8,784 square kilometres (3,392 sq mi) on the south-western edge of the Great Karoo. The southern edge of the municipality lies along the Anysberg and Swartberg mountains, while its northern edge is the provincial border with the Northern Cape. It abuts on the Beaufort West and Prince Albert Municipalities to the east, the Kannaland Municipality to the south, the Langeberg, Breede Valley and Witzenberg Municipalities to the west, and the Karoo Hoogland Municipality to the north.

According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 8,289 people in 2,408 households. Of this population, 79.0% describe themselves as "Coloured", 13.3% as "White", and 7.0% as "Black African". The first language of 94.3% of the population is Afrikaans, while 1.7% speak English and 1.2% speak Xhosa.[4]

The principal settlement in the municipality is the town of Laingsburg, which as of 2011 has a population of 5,667. West of Laingsburg is the village of Matjiesfontein, population 422.

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 no party obtained a majority; the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) won three seats each, and the Karoo Ontwikkelings Party (KOP; Karoo Development Party) won the remaining seat. Initially the DA and KOP formed a coalition to govern the municipality, but in March 2017 the KOP broke with the DA and formed a new coalition with the ANC.[5]

The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[6][7][8]

PartyVotesSeats
WardListTotal%WardListTotal
ANC 1,4491,4582,90746.1%123
Democratic Alliance 1,3841,3842,76843.9%303
Karoo Ontwikkelings Party 632212844.5%011
Congress of the People 79771562.5%000
Independent 1511512.4%00
Economic Freedom Fighters 2418420.7%000
Total 3,1503,1586,308437
Valid votes 3,1503,1586,30898.2%
Spoilt votes 63551181.8%
Total votes cast 3,2133,2136,426
Voter turnout 3,213
Registered voters 4,494
Turnout percentage 71.5%

The local council sends one representative to the council of the Central Karoo District Municipality. As of February 2017 that councillor is from the Democratic Alliance.[9]

References
  1. "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  2. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. "Laingsburg Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  5. Koyana, Xolani (23 March 2017). "KOP ousts DA as coalition partner in Central Karoo". EWN. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  6. "Results Summary – All Ballots: Laingsburg" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  7. "Seat Calculation Detail: Laingsburg" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  8. "Voter Turnout Report: Laingsburg" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  9. "Political composition of councils February 2017" (PDF). Western Cape Department of Local Government. February 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
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