Kouga Local Municipality

Kouga
Local municipality

Seal
Location in the Eastern Cape
Location in the Eastern Cape
Coordinates: 34°02′S 24°46′E / 34.033°S 24.767°E / -34.033; 24.767Coordinates: 34°02′S 24°46′E / 34.033°S 24.767°E / -34.033; 24.767
Country South Africa
Province Eastern Cape
District Sarah Baartman
Seat Jeffreys Bay
Wards 15
Government[1]
 • Type Municipal council
 • Mayor Elza van Lingen (DA)
Area
 • Total 2,670 km2 (1,030 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 98,558
 • Density 37/km2 (96/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 38.8%
 • Coloured 42.6%
 • Indian/Asian 0.2%
 • White 17.6%
First languages (2011)[3]
 • Afrikaans 59.4%
 • Xhosa 30.5%
 • English 6.5%
 • Other 3.6%
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code EC108

The Kouga Local Municipality is located in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, approximately 80 km west of Port Elizabeth, and forms part of the Sarah Baartman District Municipality. Its territory includes the coastal zone between the Van Stadens River in the east and the Tsitsikamma River in the west, and stretches inland towards the Baviaanskloof Mountains in the north.

Regional access to the area is obtained via the N2 National Route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town.

Topography and climate

Causeway over the Seekoei River between Aston Bay and Paradise Beach

The municipality is characterised by 3 main topographical regions:

The four main rivers in the area — the Kromme, Seekoei, Kabeljouws and Gamtoos — are all tidal rivers. The Kromme River and Gamtoos River are significant sources of water supply. Ground water forms another major component of domestic water supply for towns in the Kouga region, especially Humansdorp, Jeffreys Bay, St Francis Bay, Cape St Francis and Oyster Bay. Aquifers are also utilised in the agricultural sector for irrigation of pastures.

There are numerous areas of wetland adjacent to the region's rivers and on the coastal platform. These wetlands are extremely sensitive to disturbances such as agricultural activities and development. The wetlands accommodate high species diversity, and fulfil natural water purification and flood retention roles.

The climate of the Kouga region is subtropical, which makes the area conducive to a range of outdoor activities and various types of agricultural production. Rainfall varies between 650 mm per year (St Francis Bay area) to 400 mm (Gamtoos River Valley). The area is generally described as windy.[5]

Towns and settlements

More than 70% of the population of the Kouga region lives in urban areas.[6] Humansdorp, with over 24,000 residents, has an established infrastructure and acts as a regional service centre, supplying the surrounding agricultural communities and the coastal towns with commodities and services. Commercial and industrial activities of the region are centred in Humansdorp.

The coastal towns of Jeffreys Bay, St Francis Bay, Cape St Francis and Oyster Bay are well-established tourist destinations. Jeffreys Bay has a population of over 40,000 with an annual population growth rate of 2.5% or higher, making it one of the fastest growing towns in South Africa.[6]

The urban areas of Hankey and Patensie, situated in the Gamtoos River Valley, provide important services to the surrounding high-density agriculture industry.

Other settlements in the Kouga region include: Andrieskraal, Aston Bay, Centerton, Gamtoos Mouth, Kruisfontein, Kwanomzamo, Loerie, Ocean View, Oyster Bay, Paradise Beach, Pellsrus, Ramaphoza Village, Sea Vista, Thornhill, Tokyo Sexwale, Umzamowethu and Weston.

Politics

The municipal council consists of twenty-nine members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Fifteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fifteen wards, while the remaining fourteen 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 Democratic Alliance (DA) won a majority of seventeen seats on the council, defeating the ANC, which previously controlled the council.

The following table shows the results of the 2016 municipal election.[7][8]

Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
Democratic Alliance 21,364 21,543 42,907 56.5 7 10 17
African National Congress 15,407 15,409 30,816 40.6 8 4 12
Economic Freedom Fighters 298 431 729 1.0 0 0 0
Freedom Front Plus 274 247 521 0.7 0 0 0
Independent 399 – 399 0.5 0 – 0
African Christian Democratic Party 184 163 347 0.5 0 0 0
Patriotic Alliance 64 95 159 0.2 0 0 0
United Democratic Movement – 72 72 0.1 0 0 0
Total 37,990 37,960 75,950 100.0 15 14 29
Spoilt votes 426 481 907

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[9]

Place Code Area (km2) Population Most spoken language
Aston Bay 208012.12918Afrikaans
Cape St Francis 208022.51165Afrikaans
Hankey 2080320.248,281Afrikaans
Humansdorp 2080435.9415,338Afrikaans
Jeffreys Bay 2080511.2514,775Afrikaans
KwaNomzamo 208071.216,553Xhosa
Loerie 208080.421,824Afrikaans
Oyster Bay 208091.34348Afrikaans
Paradise Beach 208103.79492Afrikaans
Patensie 208116.684,271Afrikaans
St Francis Bay 208127.342,195Afrikaans
Sunnyside 208130.14208Afrikaans
Thornhill 208141.461,294Afrikaans
Weston 208150.681,540Xhosa
Remainder of the municipality 208062,322.2612,489Afrikaans

Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.timeslive.co.za/elections/2016/08/04/Kouga%E2%80%99s-new-mayor-vows-to-%E2%80%98clean-up%E2%80%99-problems-the-ANC-never-took-care-of%E2%80%99
  2. 1 2 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Integrated Development Plan (2007-2012)" (PDF). Kouga Local Municipality. p. 19. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  5. ↑ "Integrated Development Plan (2007-2012)" (PDF). Kouga Local Municipality. p. 20. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  6. 1 2 "Integrated Development Plan (2007-2012)" (PDF). Kouga Local Municipality. p. 22. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  7. ↑ "Results Summary – All Ballots: Kouga" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail: Kouga" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  9. ↑ Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kouga Local Municipality.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/1/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.