The Emthanjeni Local Municipality is a Category B municipality within the Pixley Ka Seme District Municipality in the southeastern region of the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B3 (small towns) |
| Province: | Northern Cape |
| District: | Pixley Ka Seme |
| Municipal code: | NC073 |
| Seat: | De Aar |
| Number of wards: | 8 |
| Total area: | 13,472 km² (5,202 square miles) |
| Population: | 46,587 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Gladwell L Nkumbi |
About
The Emthanjeni Local Municipality is geographically located in the southeastern region of the Northern Cape Province, approximately 440 kilometres southeast of Upington, 300 kilometres southwest of Kimberley, 300 kilometres northeast of Beaufort West, and 300 kilometres southwest of Bloemfontein.
The name Emthanjeni is an isiXhosa word meaning “vein”, symbolising the importance of an underground water supply system to the area. It is also a translation of the name of the municipality’s seat, De Aar.
The Emthanjeni Local Municipality comprises 8 wards and covers an area of 13,472 km² (5,202 square miles), making it the fifth-largest of eight local municipalities in the Pixley Ka Seme District.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Emthanjeni Local Municipality is in De Aar, which also serves as the seat of the district.
Emthanjeni Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Thembelihle Local Municipality to the north
- Siyathemba Local Municipality to the northwest
- Kareeberg Local Municipality to the west
- Ubuntu Local Municipality to the south
- Umsobomvu Local Municipality to the southeast and east
- Renosterberg Local Municipality to the east
The Emthanjeni Local Municipality, especially De Aar, is famous for its central location on the main railway line between Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, and the Republic of Namibia.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Emthanjeni Local Municipality has a population of 46,587 people, compared to 45,404 in 2016 and 42,356 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 0.92%.
According to the 2022 Census, 29.1% of the population is under the age of 15, 64.8% is between 15 and 64, and 6.1% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 57.7% of the population in Emthanjeni Local Municipality describe themselves as Coloured, 33.2% as Black African, 8% as White, and 0.6% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 70.3% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 23.8% speak isiXhosa, 2.3% speak English, and 3.6% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Emthanjeni Local Municipality are agriculture, transport, community services, trade, finance, manufacturing, electricity, and construction.
Municipal council and management
The Emthanjeni municipal council is comprised of 15 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Eight councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 8 wards, while the remaining 7 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 9 seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 9 – DA: 4 – EFF: 1 – PA: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Gladwell L Nkumbi |
| Speaker | Monica Charmaine Kivedo |
| Chief Whip | n/a |
| Other Council Members | n/a |
| Municipal Manager | Disang Humphrey Molaole |
| Chief Financial Officer | S Jordan |
| Senior Management | – T Felix (Acting Senior Manager: Corporate Services) – HM Joka (Senior Manager: Community Services) – Lelethu Thiso (Senior Manager: Infrastructure) |
| Communications Officers | Vuyelwa Diamane (Head: Communications) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Emthanjeni Local Municipality.
- Britstown
- De Aar
- Deelfontein
- Hanover
Contact details
The contact details of Emthanjeni Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | P.O. Box 42, De Aar, 7000 |
| Physical Address: | Voortrekker street 45, De Aar, 7000 |
| Telephone: | 053 632 9100 |
| Fax: | 053 631 0105 |
| Email: | info@emthanjeni.co.za |
| Website: | www.emthanjeni.co.za |
