Emfuleni Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the western region of the Sedibeng District Municipality in the Gauteng Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B1 (secondary city) |
| Province: | Gauteng |
| District: | Sedibeng |
| Municipal code: | GT421 |
| Seat: | Vanderbijlpark |
| Number of wards: | 45 |
| Total area: | 966 km² (373 square miles) |
| Population: | 945,650 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Sipho Radebe |
About
Emfuleni Local Municipality is geographically situated in the western part of the Sedibeng District Municipality with the Vaal River forming its southern boundary.
Previously known as Lekoa, the Emfuleni Local Municipality was founded in 1999.
The municipality is located in Gauteng’s former industrial heartland, the Vaal Triangle, which created employment and wealth for Vanderbijlpark, Sebokeng, Three Rivers, Vereeniging, and Sharpeville through its contribution to South Africa’s steel and iron and steel industry.
Emfuleni Local Municipality covers an area of 966 km² (373 square miles) making it the smallest local municipality in the Sedibeng District.
The Emfuleni Local Municipality has a rich history as it encapsulates heritage assets like the Sharpeville Memorial Precinct, the Anglo-Boer War, and the liberation struggle epitomized by the signing of the Constitution in 1996.
The history of the area largely dictates settlement patterns in Emfuleni. The evidence of San rock engravings near the Vaal River verifies that the San people originally inhabited Emfuleni.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Emfuleni Local Municipality is in Vanderbijlpark.
The municipality is divided into 45 wards.
Emfuleni Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Midvaal Local Municipality to the east
- The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality to the north
- Rand West City Local Municipality in the West Rand District to the west and northwest
- Merafong City Local Municipality in the West Rand District to the west
- JB Marks Local Municipality in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District in the North West Province to the west
- Ngwathe and Metsimaholo Local Municipalities in the Fezile Dabi District in the Free State Province to the south
The municipality is strategically located with access to a well-maintained road network – N1 national route linking Bloemfontein and Johannesburg, which passes through Emfuleni.
Emfuleni also enjoys a very favorable central location with international airports and major cities in the immediate vicinity. A highly developed infrastructure gives you rapid access to Pretoria, Johannesburg, and within 5 hours you can be in Durban, which is one of the major export ports.
This strategic location affords it many opportunities for tourism and other forms of economic development.
Emfuleni Local Municipality boasts two main town centers, namely Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging with Sasolburg being only 10 kilometers to the south, across the provincial boundary. Sasolburg nows forms the heartland of what was formerly known as the Vaal Triangle.
The municipality comprises several large residential areas, all of which require considerable investment in infrastructure and environmental upgrading. Emfuleni contains approximately six large peri-urban townships namely: Boipatong, Evaton, Bophelong, Sebokeng, Sharpeville, and Tshepiso.
The other approximately ten small settlements are suburban settlements within six kilometers of the above mentioned six towns, they are: Arckonpark, Bonanne, Debonair Park, Steel Park, Duncanville, Roshnee, Sonlandpark, Waldrift, Rust-Ter-Vaal, and Unitas Park.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Emfuleni Local Municipality has a population of 945,650 people, compared to 733,445 in 2016, and 721,663 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 2.62%.
According to the 2022 Census, 24.3% of the population is under the age of 15, 69.4% is between 15 and 64, and 6.4% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 85.4% of the population in Emfuleni Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 12% as White, 1.2% as Coloured, and 1% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 52.5% of the population speaks Sesotho as their first language, 13.1% speak Zulu, 12.5% speak Afrikaans, 7.8% speak isiXhosa, and 14.1% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Emfuleni Local Municipality are manufacturing, community services, finance, trade, transport, construction, and electricity.
Municipal council and management
The municipality is under S139 administration, effective from June 2018.
The Emfuleni municipal council is comprised of 90 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Forty-five councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 45 wards, while the remaining 13 are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 38 – DA: 24 – EFF: 14 – VF PLUS: 6 – COMMUNITY SOLIDARITY ASSOCIATION: 2 – PAC: 2 – ACDP: 1 – NHM: 1 – PA: 1 – VAAL: 1 |
| Controlling party | Hung Council |
| Executive Mayor | Sipho Radebe |
| Speaker | Maipato Tsokolibane |
| Chief Whip | Sylvia Dyantshi |
| Other Council Members | – Vincent Jones (MMC: Public Works) – Mbuyiselo Kantso (MMC: Agriculture, Local Economic Development Planning and Tourism) – Regina Makgala Lesoane (MMC: Health and Social Development) – Sehlare Mahlasela (MMC: Sports Recreation, Arts, Culture and Information Services) – Hassan Mosola Mako (MMC: Finance and Revenue) – Molepo Mapitso (MMC: Human Settlements) – Pias Maseko (MMC: LED) – Busi Mncube (MMC: Corporate and Governance) – Ellias Raditsela Mokoena (MMC: Public Safety) Bafana Ntsele (MMC: Basic Services) – Jonas Radebe (MMC: Environmental Management and Planning) – Alfredo Sandamela (MMC: Infrastructure Planning Development) – Mpho Serapelo (MMC: Shared Services) |
| Municipal Manager | April Ntuli |
| Chief Financial Officer | Mpfareleni Maseanoka |
| Senior Management | – Madoda Besani (Chief Director: Metsi-A-Lekoa) – Sibusiso Biyela (Manager: LED) – Felicity Human (Acting ED: Economic Planning and Human Settlement) – Benjamin Manzi (Acting ED: Community Services) – Thembinkosi Masemola (Acting: Chief Audit Executive) – Billy Mashiya (Chief Information Officer) – Tembela Nxumalo (Acting ED: Infrastructure Planning and Development) – Vincent Phahlane (Acting ED: Shared Services) |
| Communications Officers | – Stanley Gaba (Acting) – Makhosonke Sangweni (Spokesperson) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Emfuleni Local Municipality.
- Evaton
- Sebokeng
- Vaal Oewer
- Vereeniging
- Vanderbijlpark
Contact details
The contact details of Emfuleni Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | PO Box 3, Vanderbijlpark, 1900 |
| Physical address: | Cnr Klasie Havenga and Frikkie Meyer Boulevard, Vanderbijlpark |
| Telephone: | 016 950 5000 |
| Fax: | 016 950 5050 |
| Email: | customercare@emfuleni.gov.za |
| Website: | www.emfuleni.gov.za |
