Hessequa Local Municipality

Hessequa Local Municipality (before 24 June 2005 the Langeberg Local Municipality) is a municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is flanked by the lower Breede River to the west and the Gourits River to the east. As of 2011 the population was 52,642.[2] Its municipality code is WC042. The name Hessequa, meaning "people of the trees", refers to the tribe of indigenous Khoikhoi people.

Hessequa
Local municipality
Seal
Location of Hessequa Local Municipality within the Western Cape
Coordinates: 34°10′S 21°15′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceWestern Cape
DistrictGarden Route
SeatRiversdale
Wards9
Government
 • TypeMunicipal council
 • MayorGrant Riddles (DA)
Area
 • Total5,733 km2 (2,214 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total52,642
 • Density9.2/km2 (24/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African7.4%
 • Coloured68.5%
 • Indian/Asian0.4%
 • White23.2%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans92.4%
 • English3.6%
 • Xhosa2.1%
 • Other1.9%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeWC042

Geography

The municipality covers an area of 5,733 square kilometres (2,214 sq mi) between the Langeberg mountains and the Indian Ocean, stretching from the Breede River in the west to the Gourits River in the east. It abuts on the Swellendam Municipality to the west, the Kannaland Municipality to the north, the Oudtshoorn Municipality to the northeast, and the Mossel Bay Municipality to the east.

According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 52,642 people in 15,873 households. Of this population, 68.5% describe themselves as "Coloured"rem. red , 23.2% as "White", and 7.4% as "Black African". The first language of 92.4% of the population is Afrikaans, while 3.6% speak English and 2.1% speak Xhosa.[3]

The largest town in the municipality is Riversdale, which as of 2011 has a population of 16,176. Riversdale, which is the location of the municipal headquarters, is located on the Vet River close to the foothills of the Langeberg. Heidelberg (pop. 8,259) and Slangrivier (pop. 3,011) are to the west of Riversdale, while Albertinia (pop. 6,372) is to the east. Stilbaai (pop. 3,514) is on the coast south of Riversdale at the mouth of the Vet River, with Groot-Jongensfontein (pop. 355) and Melkhoutfontein (pop. 2,533) nearby. Witsand (pop. 321) is on the western edge of the municipality at the mouth of the Breede River, while Gouritsmond (pop. 515) is on the eastern edge at the mouth of the Gourits River.

Politics

The municipal council consists of seventeen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Nine councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in nine wards, while the remaining eight 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 Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) subsequently formed a coalition to govern the municipality.[4]

The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[5][6][7]

PartyVotesSeats
WardListTotal%WardListTotal
African National Congress 9,93510,04019,97546.1%628
Democratic Alliance 8,8089,59018,39842.5%358
Freedom Front Plus 9871,1152,1024.9%011
Independent 1,359–1,3593.1%0–0
Independent Civic Organisation 5315431,0742.5%000
Economic Freedom Fighters 831242070.5%000
Civic Independent 401401800.4%000
Total 21,74321,55243,2959817
Valid votes 21,74321,55243,29599.0%
Spoilt votes 1193014201.0%
Total votes cast 21,86221,85343,715
Voter turnout 21,863
Registered voters 30,950
Turnout percentage 70.6%

The local council sends two representatives to the council of the Garden Route District Municipality: one from the Democratic Alliance and one from the African National Congress.[8]

In a by-election held on 10 April 2019, a ward previously held by an ANC councillor was won by the DA candidate. The DA now holds an outright majority in the council.[9] Council composition was reconfigured as seen below:

Party WardPR listTotal
Democratic Alliance 459
African National Congress 527
Freedom Front Plus 011
Total 61117
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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. "Hessequa Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  4. "DA bags coalition deals in Prince Albert, Laingsburg and Beaufort West". Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  5. "Results Summary – All Ballots: Hessequa" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  6. "Seat Calculation Detail: Hessequa" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  7. "Voter Turnout Report: Hessequa" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  8. "Political composition of councils February 2017" (PDF). Western Cape Department of Local Government. February 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  9. DA wins ward off ANC and retains two wards in Western Cape by-elections. Retrieved on 11 April 2019.
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