Blue Crane Route Local Municipality is a Category B municipality in the eastern region of the Sarah Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B3 (small towns) |
| Province: | Eastern Cape |
| District: | Sarah Baartman |
| Municipal code: | EC102 |
| Seat: | KwaNojoli (formerly Somerset East) |
| Number of wards: | 6 |
| Total area: | 11,068 km² (4,273 square miles) |
| Population: | 49,883 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Bonisile Amos Manxoweni |
About
The Blue Crane Route Local Municipality is geographically located in the eastern region of the Sarah Baartman District Municipality.
The municipality is named after the South African national bird, the blue crane.
The Blue Crane Route Local Municipality covers an area of 11,068 km² (4,273 square miles), making it the second-largest of seven local municipalities in the Sarah Baartman District, as it accounts for 19% of its geographical area.
The Blue Crane Route Local Municipality comprises 6 wards, made up of three towns, KwaNojoli (formerly Somerset East), Cookhouse, and Pearston, as well as rural farming areas to which it delivers basic municipal services.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Blue Crane Route Local Municipality is in KwaNojoli (previously known as Somerset East), situated at the foot of the Boschberg Mountains.
Blue Crane Route Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality to the west
- Sundays River Valley Local Municipality to the south
- Makana Local Municipality to the east
- Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality in the Amathole District Municipality to the east
- Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality in the Chris Hani District Municipality to the north
The municipality has a small population, low population density, concentration of employment in agriculture, disinvestment in rural areas, the dominance of one urban centre in the region and the resultant disparity between rural and urban areas.
The biggest problems faced by the Blue Crane Route Local Municipality are low employment levels and high poverty levels.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Blue Crane Route Local Municipality has a population of 49,883 people, compared to 36,063 in 2016 and 36,002 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 3.17%.
According to the 2022 Census, 25% of the population is under the age of 15, 65.8% is between 15 and 64, and 9.2% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 46% of the population in Blue Crane Route Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 33% as Coloured, 19.8% as White, and 0.3% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 51.3% of the population speaks isiXhosa as their first language, 43.2% speak Afrikaans, 3.4% speak English, and 2.1% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Blue Crane Route Local Municipality are transport and communication, government, finance and business services, manufacturing, agriculture, wholesale and retail trade, community services, and construction.
Municipal council and management
The Blue Crane Route municipal council is comprised of 11 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Six councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 6 wards, while the remaining 5 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 6 seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 6 – DA: 4 – EFF: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC and DA |
| Executive Mayor | Bonisile Amos Manxoweni (Mayor and Portfolio Head: Finance Committee and Corporate Services Committee) |
| Speaker | Neliswa Princess Nkonyeni |
| Chief Whip | n/a |
| Other Council Members | – Lorraine Smith Johnson – Zamuxolo Baskiti – Fiona Patricia Brown (Portfolio Head: Technical Services Committee) – Herbet Chowles Davernport – Ayanda Dyantyi – Archer Heynse – Jonathan Malvin Martin (Portfolio Head: Community Services Committee) |
| Municipal Manager | Mzwandile Patrick Nini |
| Chief Financial Officer | Nigel Delo (Director: Finance) |
| Senior Management | – Mselana Dali (Customer Care) – Xolela Kalashe (Director: Corporate and Shared Services) – Novuko Kubone (Director: Corporate Services) – Ayanda Mbebe (Manager: Supply Chain and Asset Management) – Yolisa Mniki (Director: Community Services) – Julius Mputa (Manager: Revenue and Expenditure) – Phandulwazi Sonkwala (Ward Councillor/MPAC Member) |
| Communications Officers | Mare May (MM Secretary) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Blue Crane Route Local Municipality.
- Cookhouse
- KwaNojoli (formerly known as Somerset East)
- Pearston
- Petersburg
Contact details
The contact details of Blue Crane Route Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | P.O. Box 21, Somerset East, 5850 |
| Physical Address: | 67 Nojoli Street, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, 5850 |
| Telephone: | 042 243 6400 |
| Email: | mmanager@bcrm.gov.za |
| Website: | www.bcrm.gov.za |
