Bela-Bela Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the southern region of the Waterberg District Municipality in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B3 (small towns) |
| Province: | Limpopo |
| District: | Waterberg |
| Municipal code: | LIM366 |
| Seat: | Bela-Bela |
| Number of wards: | 9 |
| Total area: | 3,406 km² (1,315 square miles) |
| Population: | 64,306 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Gloria Seleka |
About
The Bela-Bela Local Municipality is geographically located in the southern region of the Waterberg District Municipality.
The municipality lies north of Hammanskraal. It is the only municipality in South Africa that straddles 4 provinces.
The municipality was named Bela-Bela, a Northern Sotho word meaning “boiling-boiling”, referring to the area’s world-famous hot water springs, which were discovered by the Batswana in the 1800s. The Bela-Bela town was previously also known by the name of Warmbaths or Warmbad.
Long before the mineral waters at Bela-Bela were used therapeutically – the curative waters have often been described as nature’s gift to humankind.
The Bela-Bela Local Municipality covers an area of 3,406 km² (1,315 square miles) making it the smallest local municipality in the Waterberg District.
The administrative headquarters/seat of the Bela-Bela Local Municipality is in Bela-Bela.
The municipality is divided into 9 wards.
The Bela-Bela Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Modimolle-Mookgophong Local Municipality to the north
- Thabazimbi Local Municipality to the west
- Moretele Local Municipality in the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality in the North West Province to the west
- The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng Province to the south
- Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality in the Nkangala District Municipality in the Mpumalanga Province to the east
South Africa’s National Route (N1) runs through the municipality and the town’s main Central Business District (CBD) area is only 10 kilometres away from this major route. This puts the municipality’s location within very close proximity of three major cities in South Africa.
Bela-Bela is 144 km from the provincial capital Polokwane (previously Pietersburg), 170 kilometres from Johannesburg, the capital city of Gauteng which is also one of the biggest cities in Africa, and 100 kilometres from the administrative capital of South Africa, Pretoria. The O.R Tambo International Airport is 150 kilometres from Bela-Bela.
The town of Bela-Bela (previously Warmbad), continues to be the central growth point of the municipality, with the potential for further economic growth and development.
With the wealth of inexpensive accommodation on offer as well as several timeshare facilities to choose from, Bela-Bela is becoming an increasingly popular destination.
Offering fun for the whole family and a respite from the pressures of day-to-day living, Bela-Bela is perfect for the weekend or even a one-day getaway.
The town, formerly known as “Warmbaths”, is one of the most popular health and holiday resort towns in South Africa, which owes its origins to the hot mineral springs that bubble out of the earth at about 22,000 l/hr at a temperature of approximately 53 °C. The said natural hot water is rich in minerals such as sodium chloride, calcium carbonate, and other salts that are believed to have healing properties
The pleasantly mild climate during the winter months and an average of 286 sunny days every year add to the popularity of the destination. During the summer months, the temperatures range between 15,7 ° C – 29 ° C and during the winter months the temperature ranges between 6,7 °C – 24,0 °C.
The town is just over an hour’s drive from Gauteng and lies on the Springbok Flats on the highway to the north. Bela-Bela is also a gateway to the southern Waterberg and Thabazimbi.
Bela-Bela serves a thriving tourism and agricultural region. It has some well-stocked game reserves in the area. Most of the resorts offer excellent conference, sports, accommodation, recreation, and restaurant facilities.
Some of the reserves boast the ‘Big Five’ and countless other savannah species against a backdrop of scenic Waterberg countryside.
A visit to Bela-Bela provides a unique and invigorating family holiday in the heart of the Waterberg.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the Bela-Bela Local Municipality has a population of 64,306 people, compared to 76,296 in 2016, and 66,500 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of -0.33%.
According to the 2022 Census, 23.9% of the population is under the age of 15, 67.7% is between 15 and 64, and 8.4% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 84.8% of the population in the Bela-Bela Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 12.9% as White, 1.5% as Coloured, and 0.6% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 38.4% of the population speaks Sepedi as their first language, 16.7% speak Setswana, 13.5% speak Afrikaans, 10.6% speak Xitsonga, and 20.8% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Bela-Bela Local Municipality are tourism and agriculture.
Tourism
The Tourism industry is the main driver of the Local Economy and by far, the largest contributor to the District’s GDP.
In recent years tourism has replaced agricultural activities. Tourism is the main source of income for the Bela-Bela area. Many game farms occupied the land where agricultural farming used to take place.
Bela-Bela which means boiling-boiling is sunny all year round and also a desirable place for pensioners who account for approximately 65% of the town’s white population.
The town is surrounded by hotels, lodges, guesthouses, nature reserves, and game ranches. Since 1830, people have come to Bela-Bela to wallow in the natural mineral baths which contain healing properties and now over a million tourists visit Bela-Bela annually.
The climate is very mild throughout the year with a slight difference between winter and summer. Summer is warm and rainy with hot winds blowing from the northwest. In winter, the weather is dry and cloudless with cool to warm days and cold nights. The average temperature is between 12 and 39.
Some of the major tourist attractions in Bela-Bela include;
- Hot water mineral springs
- Aventura
- Grave of Christina Pretorius
- British Blockhouse
- Carousel Casino and Entertainment World
- Mokopa Reptile Park
- Thaba Kwena Crocodile Farm
- Bela-Bela Dam
- Bela-Bela Waterfront
- 4 x 4 routes
- Game and hunting farms
Tourism is a major contributor to the economy of Bela-Bela Municipality and cognizance must be taken of the environmental uniqueness of the region.
Bela-Bela (Warmbaths) is situated on the main highway from Gauteng to the Limpopo Province and Zimbabwe. It’s famous as a holiday and health resort, owing to the renowned hot minerals which produce 22,000 litres of water hourly at a temperature of 50 ° C. This natural resource is under the management of Aventura Resorts.
The Municipality incorporates wetland areas next to the Bospoort Stream and Klein Kariba River, and south of the Aventura Resort. It also incorporates numerous game and nature reserves that are popular tourists destinations. These include Mabula, the award-winning and internationally acclaimed Mabalingwe, Bonwa Phala, Kunkuru, and Sondela.
Agriculture
The physical conditions comprise temperatures between 20-29° C, with the average rainfall between 520-650 mm per annum. There are black and red clay soils of medium to high potential in the Springbok Flats. Sandy, red soils, and wetlands cover the rest of the area.
Vegetable crops include the following: Squash butternut, Squash Hubbard, Onions, Watermelons, Cabbage assorted, Sweet Corn, Pumpkin Grey, Pumpkin White, Beetroot, Carrots, and Peppers.
Fruit types include the following: Grapes, Citrus, and Peaches. Other crops include: Maize, Cotton, Millet, Tobacco, Lucerne, Cowpeas, Groundnuts, Wheat, Jugebeans, Chinabeans, and Sunflower.
In terms of the livestock in Bela-Bela Local Municipality, there are three livestock projects occupying 19,841 hectares of land. As it stands currently, agriculture is gradually declining due to changing from traditional farming and crop planting to game farming. This has left a large number of people without jobs. There are however still agricultural activities taking place within Bela-Bela 31 Municipal area.
These farms are mostly white-owned. Blacks are still the main source of labour for these farms. There is a need for transformation and several opportunities exist in this regard. Farm workers can acquire ownership of land and work for themselves or with the white farmers.
Mining
The contribution of the mining sector towards local economic development in Bela-Bela is insignificant. Although diamond resources are sufficiently available, there is an inadequate 32 supply of precious metals, particularly gold.
Other metals are found on a limited scale and include manganese, copper, tin, and cobalt. The supply of calcite, refractory clay, and fluorspar is sufficient. The distribution of limestone industrial minerals is small, with a medium-scale supply of sandstone in the area.
Municipal council and management
The Bela-Bela municipal council is comprised of 17 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Nine councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 9 wards, while the remaining 8 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 African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of 10 seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 10 – DA: 2 – EFF: 2 – VF PLUS: 2 – BRA: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Gloria Seleka |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | n/a |
| Speaker | Peter Moloto |
| Chief Whip | Koos Sepuru |
| Other Council Members | Jeremiah Ngobeni (EXCO member) |
| Municipal Manager | N.S. Bambo |
| Chief Financial Officer | Ramadiga Marutha |
| Senior Management | – Hlekane Betty Maswanganyi (Senior Manager: Technical Services) – Temba Berry Mnisi (Senior Manager: Planning and Economic Development) – Angelinah Serote (Senior Manager: Social and Community Services) |
| Communications Officers | – Kabelo Mosito (Municipal Spokesperson ) – David Raborolo (Divisional Manager: Communications) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in the Bela-Bela Local Municipality.
- Bela-Bela
- Pienaarsrivier
- Rapotokwane
- Rust De Winter
- Settlers
- Vingerkraal
- Welgegund Village
Contact details
The contact details of the Bela-Bela Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | Private Bag X1609, Bela-Bela, 0480 |
| Physical Address: | Chris Hani Drive, Bela-Bela, 0480 |
| Telephone: | 014 736 8000 |
| Fax: | 014 736 3288 |
| Website: | www.belabela.gov.za |
| Water and Electricity: | 014 736 8000 / 0800 736 800 |
