Laingsburg
Local municipality
Official seal of Laingsburg
Seal
Location of Laingsburg Local Municipality within the Western Cape
Location of Laingsburg Local Municipality within the Western Cape
Coordinates: 33°15′S 21°00′E / 33.250°S 21.000°E / -33.250; 21.000
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceWestern Cape
DistrictCentral Karoo
SeatLaingsburg
Wards4
Government
[1]
 • TypeMunicipal council
 • MayorMitchell Smith (Patriotic Alliance)
Area
 • Total8,784 km2 (3,392 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total8,289
 • Density0.94/km2 (2.4/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[2]
 • Black African7.0%
 • Coloured79.0%
 • Indian/Asian0.2%
 • White13.3%
First languages (2011)
[2]
 • Afrikaans94.3%
 • English1.7%
 • Xhosa1.2%
 • Other2.8%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeWC051

Laingsburg Municipality (Afrikaans: Laingsburg Munisipaliteit) is a local municipality located in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2011, the population is 8,289.[2] Its municipality code is WC051.

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.[3]

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.

History

At the end of the apartheid era, the area that is today the Laingsburg Local Municipality formed part of the Central Karoo Regional Services Council (RSC). The town of Laingsburg was governed by a municipal council elected by the white residents while the coloured residents were governed by a management committee subordinate to the white council.

After the national elections of 1994 a process of local government transformation began, in which negotiations were held between the existing local authorities, political parties, and local community organisations. As a result of these negotiations the municipality and the management committee were dissolved, and the Laingsburg Transitional Local Council (TLC) was established to replace them in December 1994.

The TLC was initially made up of members nominated by the various parties to the negotiations, until May 1996 when elections were held. At the time of these elections the Central Karoo District Council was established in place of the Central Karoo RSC, and transitional representative councils (TRCs) were elected to represent rural areas outside the TLCs on the District Council. The area that was to become Laingsburg Local Municipality was covered by the Laingsburg TRC.

At the local elections of December 2000 the TLC and TRC were both dissolved and the Laingsburg Local Municipality was established as a single local authority. At the same election the Central Karoo District Council was dissolved and replaced by the Central Karoo District Municipality.

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 1 November 2021 no party obtained a majority of seats on the council. The African National Congress (ANC) subsequently formed a coalition with the Karoo Democratic Force (KDF) and the Patriotic Alliance to govern the municipality with the PA's Mitchell John Smith voted in as mayor.[4]

The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[5]

Laingsburg local election, 1 November 2021
PartyVotesSeats
WardListTotal %WardListTotal
African National Congress 8618331,69426.3%112
Karoo Democratic Force 7498271,57624.4%011
Democratic Alliance 7817491,53023.7%303
Patriotic Alliance 43346289513.9%011
4 other parties 38137775811.7%000
Total 3,2053,2486,453437
Valid votes 3,2053,2486,45399.1%
Spoilt votes 2635610.9%
Total votes cast 3,2313,2836,514
Voter turnout 3,286
Registered voters 4,770
Turnout percentage 68.9%

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 4 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Laingsburg Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  4. ↑ "Patriotic Alliance claims first ever mayoral victory in Laingsburg Municipality". iol.co.za. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Election Result Table for LGE2021 – Laingsburg". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
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