Kou-Kamma
Local municipality
Official seal of Kou-Kamma
Seal
Location in the Eastern Cape
Location in the Eastern Cape
Coordinates: 33°57′S 24°17′E / 33.950°S 24.283°E / -33.950; 24.283
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceEastern Cape
DistrictSarah Baartman
SeatKareedouw
Wards6
Government
[1]
 • TypeMunicipal council
 • MayorMpumelelo Samuel Vuso (ANC)
 • SpeakerMpumelelo Samuel Vuso (Mayor and Speaker) (ANC)
 • Chief WhipFuzile Jan Yake (ANC)
Area
 • Total3,593 km2 (1,387 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total40,663
 • Density11/km2 (29/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[2]
 • Black African30.6%
 • Coloured59.8%
 • Indian/Asian0.3%
 • White8.2%
First languages (2011)
[2]
 • Afrikaans73.8%
 • Xhosa19.9%
 • English2.7%
 • Sotho1.1%
 • Other2.5%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeEC109

Kou-Kamma Municipality (Afrikaans: Kou-Kamma Munisipaliteit; Xhosa: uMasipala wase Kou-Kamma) is a local municipality in South Africa. It is situated in the southwest corner of the Sarah Baartman District Municipality along the Indian Ocean coastline, in the southwestern sector of South Africa's Eastern Cape province. To the west lies the Western Cape. Kou-Kamma also borders the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality in the north and the Kouga Local Municipality to the east. The geographical area of the municipality is 12,540 square kilometres.

Its name is a blend of the names of the Kouga (Kou-) and Tsitsikamma (-Kamma) mountains, which in turn were named after the rivers Kouga and Tsitsikamma.[3]

The municipality is a relatively poor area with high unemployment and low levels of literacy. Settlements tend to be scattered, which has posed challenges to the provision of infrastructure and basic services such as water, sanitation, and electricity. The Kou-Kamma Municipality is composed of two distinct regions: the coastal belt (referred to as the Tsitsikamma or the Western Coastal Zone, which includes settlements such as Coldstream, Stormsrivier and Clarkson), and the inland area of the Langkloof (including settlements such as Kareedouw, Tweeriviere, Joubertina and Louterwater). The two areas are separated by the Tsitsikamma Mountains. The nature of the two areas differs vastly. The Coastal Zone is characterised by a diverse and fast-growing economy driven by tourism and agriculture, a fast-growing population linked to the economic opportunities, a good water supply, and a wealth of holiday destinations and indigenous forests. In contrast, employment in the Langkloof is characterised by seasonal agriculture with high labour requirements. The area has greater challenges in terms of sufficient water supply, with additional pressure due to a high population growth related to migrant labour.[4]

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[5]

PlaceCodeArea (km2)PopulationMost spoken language
Boskop209011.03531Xhosa
Coldstream209023.26954Afrikaans
Joubertina209032.68845Afrikaans
Kagiso Height209040.09854Xhosa
Kareedouw209051.67743Afrikaans
Krakeel Rivier209071.231,667Afrikaans
Louterwater209081.032,535Afrikaans
Sandrif209091.631,872Afrikaans
Stormsrivier209101.67598Afrikaans
Thornham209113.851,026Afrikaans
Tsitsikamma National Park2091211.05284Afrikaans
Tweeriviere209130.643,995Afrikaans
Uitkyk209141.212,303Afrikaans
Witelsbos209152.4742Afrikaans
Woodslands209160.351,304Afrikaans
Remainder of the municipality209063,541.3514,729Afrikaans

Politics

The municipal council consists of eleven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Six councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in six wards, while the remaining five 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 1 November 2021 the African National Congress (ANC) won six seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.[6]

PartyWardListTotal
seats
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
African National Congress4,59544.3854,95748.3316
Democratic Alliance2,62925.3903,03229.5633
Patriotic Alliance1,09410.5701,15011.2111
Independent candidates1,28012.3611
Freedom Front Plus2702.6103133.0511
4 other parties4864.6908047.8400
Total10,354100.00610,256100.00612
Valid votes10,35497.7610,25697.40
Invalid/blank votes2372.242742.60
Total votes10,591100.0010,530100.00
Registered voters/turnout20,64551.3020,64551.01

References

  1. ↑ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ↑ Local and district municipality's names, South African Geographical Names System, archived from the original on 12 October 2004
  4. ↑ "Kou-Kamma Municipality – Integrated Development Plan: 2007-2012" (PDF). Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  5. ↑ Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa
  6. ↑ "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Kou-Kamma". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
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