Beaufort West Local Municipality is a Category B municipality situated in the northern region of the Central Karoo District Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B3 (small towns) |
| Province: | Western Cape |
| District: | Central Karoo |
| Municipal code: | WC053 |
| Seat: | Beaufort West |
| Number of wards: | 7 |
| Total area: | 21,917 km² (8,462 square miles) |
| Population: | 72,972 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Josias De Kock Reynolds |
About
Beaufort West Local Municipality is geographically situated in the northern part of the Central Karoo District Municipality.
Beaufort West Local Municipality covers an area of 21,917 km² (8,462 square miles) making it the largest local municipality in the Central Karoo District as it covers more than half of its geographical area.
The municipality is divided into 7 wards.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Beaufort West Local Municipality is in Beaufort West.
Beaufort West Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Prince Albert Local Municipality to the south
- Laingsburg Local Municipality to the southwest
- Karoo Hoogland Local Municipality in Namakwa District Municipality of the Northern Cape to the west
- Ubuntu Local Municipality in Pixley ka Seme District Municipality of the Northern Cape to the north
- Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality in Sarah Baartman District Municipality of the Eastern Cape to the east
Beaufort West is where the gorgeous blue sky meets the endless landscape to create one perfect canvas after another.
Beaufort West is the oldest municipality in South Africa. This is true because, on 3 February 1837, a proclamation appeared in the Government Gazette announcing Beaufort as the first municipality in South Africa. The district had been proclaimed in 1818 by the Governor of the Cape Lord Charles Somerset and named in honour of his father, the 5th Duke of Beaufort. To avoid confusion between Fort Beaufort and Port Beaufort, the district was renamed Beaufort West in the 1860s.
Since 1994, the Beaufort West Local Municipality has expanded with the addition of Kwa-Mandlenkosi, as well as the rural towns of Merweville, Murraysburg, and Nelspoort.
The municipality has also cemented its reputation as the centre of the agricultural district, based mainly on sheep farming and meat production. Befittingly so, thus home to the legendary Karoo Lamb.
Beaufort West Local Municipality is the most urbanised area in the Central Karoo District, with about 81.1% of the population residing in the urban areas. The largest urban settlements are Beaufort West (about 38%) and Rustdene(about 16%).
Population
The Beaufort West municipal area is the largest in the District in terms of population.
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Beaufort West Local Municipality has a population of 72,972 residents, compared to 51,080 in 2016, and 49,586 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 3.75%.
Notably, urban areas experienced considerably more population growth than rural areas with the largest increase in Rooivlakte and Beaufort West.
According to the 2022 Census, 27.7% of the population is under the age of 15, 65.8% is between 15 and 64, and 6.5% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 77.5% of the population in Beaufort West Local Municipality describe themselves as Coloured, 15.7% as Black African, 5% as White, and 0.4% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 84.3% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 10.7% speak isiXhosa, 2.5% speak English, and 2.5% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Beaufort West Local Municipality are community services, finance, trade, and transport.
Municipal council and management
The Beaufort West municipal council is comprised of 13 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Seven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 7 wards, while the remaining 6 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, no party won a majority of seats on the council. The African National Congress (ANC) formed a coalition with the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and the Karoo Democratic Force (KDF) to govern Beaufort West Local Municipality.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 4 – DA: 4 – PA: 3 – GOOD: 1 – KDF: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC/PA/KDF Coalition |
| Executive Mayor | Josias De Kock Reynolds |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | Georgina Juliana Duimpies |
| Speaker | Jacob Jeffrey van der Linde |
| Chief Whip | n/a |
| Other Council Members | – Nicholaas Abrahams – Ebeneazer Francois Botha – Castro Luyanda de Bruin – Josias De Kock Reynolds – Sharifa Essop – Lesley Boyce Jason Mdudumani – Schaun Michell Meyers – Thershia Prince – Ralph Skuza – Anna Magdalena Slabbert – Jacob Jeffrey van der Linde |
| Municipal Manager | Derrick Welgemoed |
| Chief Financial Officer | Mehluli Nhlengethwa |
| Senior Management | – Christo de Koker (Manager: Electricians) – Lewellyn Lakay (IDP Coordinator) – Malcolm Lawrence (Manager: Protection Services) – Dons le Roux (Manager: Lines and Construction) – Amos C Makendlana (Director: Corporate Services) – Peggy Mditshwa (Manager: Human Settlements and Land Affairs) – Stephanus Luwatlin Pheiffers (Manager: OHS) – Vuyokazi Ruiters (Manager: Waste Environmental and Facilities Management) – Petrus Strümpher (ICT Officer and Senior Manager: Corporate Services) – Christopher Ben Wright (Senior Manager: Water, Sanitation and PMU) |
| Communications Officers | M Hendricks |
NOTE: The municipality is under S139 administration, effective from August 2021.
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Beaufort West Local Municipality.
- Beaufort West
- Merweville
- Murraysburg
- Nelspoort
Contact details
The contact details of Beaufort West Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | Private Bag X582, Beaufort West, 6970 |
| Physical address: | 112 Donkin Street, Beaufort West |
| Telephone: | 023 414 8100 |
| Fax: | 023 415 1373 |
| Email: | info@beaufortwestmun.co.za |
| Website: | www.beaufortwestmun.co.za |
