Mier
Local municipality
Official seal of Mier
Seal
Location in the Northern Cape
Location in the Northern Cape
Coordinates: 26°20′S 20°20′E / 26.333°S 20.333°E / -26.333; 20.333
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceNorthern Cape
DistrictZF Mgcawu
SeatRietfontein
Wards4
Government
[1]
 • TypeMunicipal council
 • MayorSophia Kethrina Coetzee
Area
 • Total22,468 km2 (8,675 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total7,003
 • Density0.31/km2 (0.81/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[2]
 • Black African4.0%
 • Coloured90.4%
 • Indian/Asian0.6%
 • White4.4%
First languages (2011)
[2]
 • Afrikaans97.0%
 • Other3%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeNC081

Mier was a local municipality within the ZF Mgcawu District Municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Its area includes the South African portion of one of the world's largest conservation areas, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The main settlement in the municipality is the town of Rietfontein.

According to the 2011 census Mier has a population of 7,003, which is the smallest of any municipality in South Africa. It is also the most sparsely populated municipality in the country, covering a land area of 22,468 square kilometres (8,675 sq mi) with a population density of 0.31 inhabitants per square kilometre (0.80/sq mi). Mier is the municipality in South Africa with the highest percentage of Afrikaans speakers at 97.1%.

The name Mier is an Afrikaans word that originates from the word "mere" which means "lakes". When German missionaries visited the area a long time ago, they found the pans in the area full of water. They called them "mere". As language changed, the people later pronounced it as "mier".[3]

After municipal elections on 3 August 2016 it was merged with the //Khara Hais Local Municipality to form the Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality.

Main places

The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[4]

PlaceCodeArea (km2)Population
Askham3770083.10
Kalahari Gemsbok National Park3770019,597.7354
Klein Mier3770051.0449
Loubos3770041.5641
Philandersbron3770071.31,081
Rietfontein3770061.82,293
Welkom3770030.5381
Remainder37700212,861.51,803
Total7,003Afrikaans

Other villages and populated places in the municipality include Bokspits, Brsdring, Andriesvale and Tweerivieren.

Politics

The municipal council consisted of seven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Four councillors were elected by first-past-the-post voting in four wards, while the remaining three were chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives was proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 18 May 2011 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of four seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.[5][6]

PartyVotesSeats
WardListTotal %WardListTotal
ANC 1,9771,9213,89852.0314
Democratic Alliance 1,1541,1282,28230.4112
COPE 6366871,32317.6011
Total 3,7673,7367,503100.0437
Spoilt votes 4061101

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. ↑ South African Languages - Place names
  4. ↑ "Mier Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  5. ↑ "Results Summary – All Ballots: Mier" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  6. ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail: Mier" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 November 2013.


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