Polokwane Local Municipality

The Polokwane Local Municipality (or simply Polokwane Municipality) is a local municipality located within the Capricorn District in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. It shares its name with the city of Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg).

Polokwane
Local municipality
Seal
Location of Polokwane Local Municipality within Limpopo
Coordinates: 23°54′S 29°26′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Limpopo
District	Capricorn
Seat	Polokwane
Wards	38
Government [1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	Thembi Nkadimeng
Area
• Total	3,766 km^2 (1,454 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	628,999
• Density	170/km^2 (430/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [2]
• Black African	92.9%
• Coloured	0.9%
• Indian/Asian	0.7%
• White	5.2%
First languages (2011) [3]
• Northern Sotho	80.4%
• Afrikaans	5.4%
• English	3.2%
• Tsonga	2.8%
• Other	8.2%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	LIM354

Polokwane Municipality accounts for 3% of the total surface area of Limpopo; however, over 10% of the population of Limpopo resides within its boundaries. The Municipality serves as the economic hub of Limpopo and has the highest population density in the Capricorn district. In terms of its physical composition Polokwane Municipality is 23% urbanised and 71% rural.[4] The largest sector of the community within the municipality resides in rural tribal villages, followed by urban settlements.

Cities and settlements

The municipal spatial pattern reflects that of the historic apartheid city model, characterised by segregated settlement. At the centre of the area is the Polokwane economic hub, which comprises the central business district, industrial area, and a range of social services and well-established formal urban areas servicing the more affluent residents of Polokwane.

Situated on the outskirts in several clusters are less formal settlement areas, which are experiencing enormous influx from rural urban migration trends. These areas are in dire need of upgraded services and infrastructure, both social and engineering, and are struggling to cope with the informal influx of more and more people who want access to an improved quality and standard of living.[4]

Main places

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

Place	Code	Area (km^2)	Population
Bjatladibja Dikolobe	91201	178.93	38,474
Dikgale	91202	169.79	39,966
Ditlou Machidi	91203	79.32	13,351
Ga-Mashashane	91204	2.12	1,667
Maja	91205	75.62	10,795
Makgoba	91206	1.03	906
Mankoeng	91207	117.97	37,996
Mankweng	91208	4.42	11,592
Mixed TA	91209	97.62	0
Mojapelo	91210	1.57	2,336
Molepo	91211	286.00	32,707
Moletji	91212	467.13	103,082
Moloto Solomon Kgabo	91213	0.87	1,019
Mothiba	91214	11.44	15,275
Pietersburg Part 1	91215	128.51	62,089
Pietersburg Part 2	91222	38.44	4,132
Seshego Part 1	91217	21.42	71,290
Seshego Part 2	91223	12.41	548
Thabamoopo	91218	6.05	5,799
Tholongwe	91219	162.63	31,694
Turfloop	91220	1.82	3,189
Remainder of the municipality	91216	1,910.06	20,352

Politics

The municipal council consists of ninety members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Forty-five councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in forty-five wards, while the remaining forty-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 3 August 2016 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of fifty-two seats on the council.

The following table shows the results of the election:[6][7]

Party		Votes				Seats
		Ward	List	Total	%	Ward	List	Total
	African National Congress	92,434	92,549	184,983	57.2	40	12	52
	Economic Freedom Fighters	45,463	45,838	91,301	28.2	1	25	26
	Democratic Alliance	17,872	17,651	35,523	11.0	4	6	10
	Freedom Front Plus	1,407	1,398	2,805	0.9	0	1	1
	Congress of the People	933	831	1,764	0.5	0	1	1
	Independent	867	–	867	0.3	0	–	0
	Others	2,834	3,527	6,361	2.0	0	0	0
Total		161,810	161,794	323,604	100.0	45	45	90
Spoilt votes		2,519	2,541	5,060

In a by-election held on 9 November 2016, a ward previously held by an ANC councillor was won by the EFF candidate.[8] Council composition was reconfigured as seen below:

Party		Ward	PR list	Total
	African National Congress	39	12	51
	Economic Freedom Fighters	2	25	27
	Democratic Alliance	4	6	10
	Congress of the People	0	1	1
	Freedom Front Plus	0	1	1
Total		45	45	90

Demographics

As of 2007, the Polokwane Local Municipality was home to approximately 561,772 people. Growth figures from 1996 to 2001 showed that the municipal population increased by about 3.27% per year on average. Much of this growth is ascribed to an influx of people from other, more rural, municipal areas into Polokwane, where the perception of more employment and greater economic wealth exists.[4]

79% of its households are using electricity for lighting, 62% for cooking, and 58% for heating.[9]

In 2007, 94.1% of the population was Black African, 4.8% White, 1.1% Coloured, Indian or Asian.[4]

Racial groups

Year	Total population	Percent Black	Percent White	Percentage Other (mostly Coloured or Asian)
2001	508,277	92.41%	6.1%	1.49%
2007	561,772	94.1%	4.8%	1.1%

Education

The Turfloop campus of the University of Limpopo is located in Mankweng and the Tshwane University of Technology has a satellite campus in Polokwane.

Although the municipality's overall level of education has improved slightly in recent years, only 24% of the population have attained a Grade 12 education, and only 5.7% have achieved a tertiary education qualification. As a result of low education levels and a largely unskilled population, large numbers of residents earn very little or no income, and poverty is a major problem in the municipal area.[4]

References

1. "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
2. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
3. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
4. "2007-08 Annual Report" (PDF). www.polokwane.org.za. Retrieved 10-4-09. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
5. Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa
6. "Results Summary – All Ballots: Polokwane" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
7. "Seat Calculation Detail: Polokwane" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
8. "EFF takes Polokwane ward from ANC". TimesLive. 10 November 2016.
9. "Community Survey, 2007 - Basic Results: Municipalities" (PDF). Statistics South Africa. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-25. Retrieved 10-4-09. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

External links

• Polokwane Municipality: Official Website
• "Our City - Our Townships and Suburbs". Polokwane Local Municipality. Retrieved 2009-07-29.