Swellendam Local Municipality Explained

Swellendam
Settlement Type:Local municipality
Seal Size:150x100px
Coordinates:-34°N 50°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:South Africa
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Western Cape
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Overberg
Seat:Swellendam
Parts Type:Wards
Parts:5
Government Footnotes:[1]
Government Type:Municipal council
Leader Party:DA
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Francois du Rand
Area Total Km2:3835
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:47,114
Population As Of:2022
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:Racial makeup
Demographics1 Footnotes:[3]
Demographics1 Info1:13.6%
Demographics1 Info2:67.9%
Demographics1 Info3:0.3%
Demographics1 Info4:16.7%
Demographics Type2:First languages
Demographics2 Footnotes:[4]
Demographics2 Info1:85.1%
Demographics2 Info2:6.9%
Demographics2 Info3:4.7%
Demographics2 Info4:%
Demographics2 Info5:3.3%
Timezone1:SAST
Utc Offset1:+2
Blank Name Sec1:Municipal code
Blank Info Sec1:WC034
Blank Name Sec2:HDI (2021)
Blank Info Sec2:0.733[5]

Swellendam Municipality (Afrikaans: Swellendam Munisipaliteit) is a local municipality located within the Overberg District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2022, it had a population of 47,114. Its municipality code is WC034.

Geography

The municipality covers an area of around the lower Breede River Valley, from the confluence of the confluence of the Breede River and Sonderend River downstream to the Breede River mouth on the Indian Ocean. It also extends westwards up the Sonderend River and northwards across the Langeberg mountains into the Little Karoo around the Warmwaterberg. The municipality abuts on the Cape Agulhas Municipality to the south, the Theewaterskloof Municipality to the west, the Langeberg Municipality to the northwest, the Kannaland Municipality to the northeast and the Hessequa Municipality to the east.

The principal town and location of the municipal headquarters is Swellendam, which as of 2011 had a population of 17,537. Suurbraak (pop. 2,252) is situated east of Swellendam at the southern end of Tradouws Pass which cuts through the Langeberg, while Barrydale (pop. 4,156) is at the other end of the pass on the edge of the Little Karoo. Buffeljagsrivier (pop. 1,439) is situated southeast of Swellendam on the river of the same name. Malgas (pop. 44) is located at a pontoon ferry on the Breede River, the last crossing of the river before it reaches the ocean. Infanta (pop. 90) is situated at the mouth of the river on its southern bank.

History

At end of the apartheid era in the early 1990s, there were municipal councils for the towns of Swellendam and Barrydale, and a local council for Infanta. These councils were elected by the white residents of the towns. Coloured residents elected management committees, which were subordinate to the white local authorities, in Railton (Swellendam) and Smitsville (Barrydale). The former mission station of Suurbraak was governed by a management board, and the remaining rural areas fell under the Overberg Regional Services 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, transitional local councils (TLCs) were created for each town and village. In December 1994 the Swellendam TLC was created, replacing the Municipality of Swellendam and the Railton Management Committee. In January 1995 the Barrydale TLC replaced the Barrydale Municipality and the Smitsville Management Committee. In the same month the Suurbraak TLC replaced the Suurbraak Management Board. In Infanta, where there had been no negotiations, the local council remained in place until October 1995 when it was converted into a TLC.

The transitional councils were initially made up of members nominated by the various parties to the negotiations, until May 1996 when elections were held. At these elections the Overberg District Council was established, replacing the Overberg Regional Services Council. Transitional representative councils (TRCs) were also elected to represent rural areas outside the TLCs on the District Council; the area that was to become the Swellendam Municipality included most of the Swellendam TRC as well as small areas of the Bredasdorp, Langeberg and Wynland TRCs.

At the local elections of December 2000 the TLCs and TRCs were dissolved, and the Swellendam Municipality was created as a single local authority incorporating both rural and urban areas. In 2011 rural land to the north and west of Barrydale was incorporated into the municipality when District Management Areas were abolished.

Conservation areas

The most significant conservation areas are:

Politics

See main article: Swellendam Local Municipality elections. The municipal council consists of eleven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Six councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in six wards, while the remaining 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 1 November 2021, the Democratic Alliance (DA) won a majority of six seats on the council.

The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[6]

Swellendam local election, 1 November 2021
Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
6,150 6,219 12,369 52.2% 3 3 6
4,454 4,699 9,153 38.6% 3 1 4
370 368 738 3.1% 0 1 1
277 277 1.2% 0 0
6 other parties544 604 1,148 4.8% 0 0 0
Total11,795 11,890 23,685 6 5 11
Valid votes11,795 11,890 23,685 98.1%
Spoilt votes169 284 453 1.9%
Total votes cast11,964 12,174 24,138
Voter turnout12,186
Registered voters20,647
Turnout percentage59.0%

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Council Members. Swellendam Municipality online. 11 September 2013.
  2. Web site: Swellendam (Local Municipality, South Africa) . Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location . 2022-02-02 . 2024-08-09.
  3. Web site: Swellendam (Local Municipality, South Africa) . Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location . 2022-02-02 . 2024-08-09.
  4. Web site: Statistics by place . Statistics South Africa . 27 September 2015.
  5. Web site: Swellendam Municipality 2021. 13 July 2024.
  6. Web site: Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Swellendam. 2021-11-08. wikitable.frith.dev.