Kannaland Local Municipality

Kannaland
Local municipality

Seal

Location of Kannaland Local Municipality within the Western Cape
Coordinates: 33°40′S 21°15′E / 33.667°S 21.250°E / -33.667; 21.250Coordinates: 33°40′S 21°15′E / 33.667°S 21.250°E / -33.667; 21.250
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District Eden
Seat Ladismith
Wards 4
Government[1]
 • Type Municipal council
 • Mayor Jeffrey Donson (NNP)
Area
 • Total 4,758 km2 (1,837 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 24,767
 • Density 5.2/km2 (13/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 4.7%
 • Coloured 84.6%
 • Indian/Asian 0.3%
 • White 9.9%
First languages (2011)[3]
 • Afrikaans 95.4%
 • English 2.5%
 • Other 2.1%
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code WC041

Kannaland Municipality is a local municipality located within the Eden District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The municipal area is situated in the western part of the Little Karoo and includes the towns of Ladismith, Calitzdorp and Zoar. As of 2011 it has a population of 24,767.[2] Its municipality code is WC041.

Geography

The municipality covers an area of 4,758 square kilometres (1,837 sq mi) in the Little Karoo, stretching from the Swartberg in the north to the Langeberg in the south, and from the Anysberg in the west to the Gamkaberg in the east. It is drained by the Groot River and the Gourits River. It abuts on the Laingsburg and Prince Albert municipalities to the north, the Oudtshoorn Municipality to the east, the Hessequa Municipality to the south and the Swellendam and Langeberg Municipalities to the west.

According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 24,767 people in 6,212 households. Of this population, 84.6% describe themselves as "Coloured", 9.9% as "White", and 4.7% as "Black African". The first language of 95.4% of the population is Afrikaans, while 2.5% speak English.[4]

The largest town and location of the municipal headquarters is Ladismith, which as of 2011 has a population of 7,127.[5] Ladismith is at the foot of the Swartberg, as are Zoar (pop. 4,659) and Calitzdorp (pop. 4,284) to the east. Van Wyksdorp (pop. 833) is further south in the valley of the Groot River.

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.

History

A short-lived coalition led by the Democratic Alliance (DA) took power after the December 2000 local government elections, but it collapsed when the single Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) councillor withdrew his support, and the African National Congress (ANC) took control of the council in March 2001.

An ANC/DA coalition took power after the local government elections in March 2006. This coalition collapsed in August 2006 and was replaced by a coalition between the DA and the Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa (ICOSA). This coalition collapsed in September 2007 when two ICOSA and three ANC councillors crossed the floor to the new National People's Party (NPP), giving that party a majority of five seats in a council which at that time consisted of nine members. The DA refused to recognize the new NPP-led council administration as it alleged that the 2 ICOSA defectors were sacked prior to the floor-crossing window being open, and it challenged the council recomposition in the Western Cape High Court. The former mayor refused to step down pending the outcome of the case.

In 2011 the auditor-general declared that he could not give a clear statement about the financial situation in the municipality because the records are missing and no one seemed to know where they were.[6] After almost a decade of financial problems an attempt to restore order was underway in 2011 [7]

In the election of 18 May 2011 no party obtained a majority; ICOSA won three seats while the ANC and the DA won two each. ICOSA and the ANC formed a coalition to govern the municipality.[8]

Election results

The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.[9][10]

Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
Independent Civic Organisation 3,869 3,872 7,741 42.0 3 0 3
African National Congress 2,524 2,581 5,105 27.7 0 2 2
Democratic Alliance 2,162 2,172 4,334 23.5 1 1 2
Universal Civics of South Africa 402 364 766 4.2 0 0 0
Congress of the People 91 91 182 1.0 0 0 0
Freedom Front Plus 88 81 169 0.9 0 0 0
South African Progressive Civic Organisation 81 71 152 0.8 0 0 0
Total 9,217 9,232 18,449 100.0 4 3 7
Spoilt votes 82 75 157

The local council sends one representative, a member of the Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa, to the council of the Eden District Municipality.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Kannaland Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  5. ↑ Sum of the Main Places Ladismith and Nissenville from Census 2011.
  6. ↑ Die Burger june 8 2011 (in Afrikaans)
  7. ↑ Die Bruger June 8 2011 (in Afrikaans)
  8. 1 2 "Political composition of councils" (PDF). Western Cape Department of Local Government. August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  9. ↑ "Results Summary – All Ballots: Kannaland" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  10. ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail: Kannaland" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
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