Motheo District Municipality

Motheo (Sesotho, meaning "foundation" or "cornerstone") was, until the municipal elections of 18 May 2011, a district of the Free State province of South Africa. At the time of the 2011 elections it was disestablished as a consequence of Mangaung Local Municipality being upgraded to a metropolitan municipality

Motheo District Municipality
Former District municipality
A map of the Free State showing Motheo (red)
Coordinates: 29°07′S 26°13′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceFree State
SeatBloemfontein
Local municipalities
List
Government
 • MayorM. E. Moilwa
 • ManagerMr G. Ramathebane
Area
 • Total13,950.18 km2 (5,386.19 sq mi)
Population
 (2007)[2]
 • Total837,379
 • Density60/km2 (160/sq mi)
Racial makeup
(2007)[2]
 • Black African82.4%
 • White12.8%
 • Coloured4.7%
 • Indian or Asian0.2%
Languages
(2001)[3]
 • Sesotho53.55%
 • Setswana16.57%
 • Afrikaans15.32%
 • IsiXhosa11.01%
 • English1.76%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
District codeDC17
Websitehttp://www.motheo.co.za/

The Motheo District Municipality Head Office was based in Bloemfontein, which also serves as the capital of the Free State Province and as the judicial capital of South Africa.[1]

Disestablishment

The Motheo District was disestablished on 18 May 2011. When this happened, of its three constituent local municipalities, Mangaung was upgraded to become an autonomous metropolitan municipality, Naledi became part of Xhariep, and Mantsopa became part of Thabo Mofutsanyane.[4]

Geography

Neighbours

Motheo was surrounded by:

Local municipalities

The district was divided into three local municipalities: Mangaung, Mantsopa, and Naledi.

Of these, Mangaung Local Municipality — now Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality — is the most densely populated; it features the greatest concentration of well-developed infrastructure and services in the Bloemfontein area, which offers a wide range of amenities to the surrounding rural communities. As of 2007, Mangaung Municipality had a population of 752,906 (roughly 90% of Motheo's total population).

Mantsopa Local Municipality, located to the east of Mangaung, is a mixed agricultural area, with a population of 59,028 (7% of the total).

Naledi Local Municipality, located to the southeast of Mangaung, is largely characterized by livestock-oriented farming, and has a population of 25,445 (3% of the total).[1]

Settlements

In Mangaung Local Municipality:

  • Bloemfontein — Motheo's seat and most prominent urban node; also the capital of the Free State province.
  • Botshabelo — A typical dormitory town created under apartheid legislation to accommodate future urbanisation of the Basotho people.
  • Thaba Nchu — A traditional settlement that serves as a home for the Barolong; it is surrounded by 37 rural villages.

In Mantsopa Local Municipality:

  • Tweespruit — A small rural town approximately 35 km east of Thaba Nchu.
  • Ladybrand — The most eastern urban area in Motheo.
  • Excelsior — A rural town located 35 km north of Tweespruit, along the R709 road.
  • Hobhouse — A rural town located 45 km south of Tweespruit, along the R709 road.
  • Thaba Patchoa — A rural village planned during the apartheid era as a Coloured settlement.

In Naledi Local Municipality:

Demographics

The Black African population group constituted 82.4% of the district's population.[2] Sesotho was the native language of over 50% of the district's residents.[3]

Gender

As of 2007, 52.3% of the population were female, and 47.7% were male.[2]

Age

As of 2007, 27.6% of the population were between the age of 0 and 14; 29.6% were between 15 and 29 years old; 21.4% were between 30 and 44 years old; 13.5% were between 45 and 59 years old; 5.9% were between 60 and 74 years old; and 2.0% were 75 or older.[2]

References
  1. "Integrated Development Plan: 2008/2009 Review" (PDF). Motheo District Municipality. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  2. "Community Survey 2007 interactive data". Statistics South Africa. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  3. Stats SA Census 2001 page Archived August 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Dlodlo, Cathy (4 February 2011). "Mangaung municipality to become metro after elections". The New Age. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
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