Frances Baard District Municipality

The Frances Baard District Municipality (FBDM) is a Category C municipality situated in the northeastern region of the Northern Cape province of South Africa.

Frances Baard District Municipality

Type of municipality:District (Category C)
Province:Northern Cape
Municipal code:DC9
Seat:Kimberley
Local municipalities:4
Total area:12,836 km² (4,956 square miles)
Population:434,343 (in 2022)
Executive mayor:Unondumisa Buda

About

The Frances Baard District Municipality is geographically situated in the northeastern part of the Northern Cape province.

The district was previously known as the Diamantveld District Municipality but was renamed in honour of Frances Goitsemang Baard (1909 – 1997) in June 2001.

Born in Beaconsfield, Kimberley, Frances Baard was an educator and domestic worker who later became a leader in the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) and the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW). She was also one of the drafters of the Freedom Charter and played a prominent role in the Women’s march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 9 August 1956, to protest against the pass laws.

On 9 August 2009, a bronze statue of Frances Baard was unveiled in Kimberley by the then Northern Cape Premier, Hazel Jenkins.

The Frances Baard District Municipality covers an area of 12,836 km² (4,956 square miles). It is the smallest district in the Northern Cape, making up just 3% of the province’s geographical area.

Despite its small size, the Frances Baard District Municipality is home to the majority of the Northern Cape’s population, giving it the highest population density in the province.

The District is divided into four local municipalities namely;

  1. Dikgatlong Local Municipality
  2. Magareng Local Municipality
  3. Phokwane Local Municipality
  4. Sol Plaatje Local Municipality

The city of Kimberley, which is the headquarters/seat of the District Municipality and the Northern Cape legislature, is located in the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality and is less than 500 kilometres away from Johannesburg in the north, less than 800 kilometres away from the Port of Durban in the east, and less than 1,000 kilometres away from Cape Town in the south.

The Frances Baard District Municipality is bordered by District Municipalities, ZF Mgcawu to the west, Pixley Ka Seme to the south, the Free State’s Xhariep and Lejweleputswa to the southeast and east respectively, the North West’s Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati to the north, and John Taolo Gaetsewe to the northwest.

The district is strategically located to access two provinces (Free State and North West) and well located to access two countries (Botswana and Namibia) and the Western Cape and Gauteng economic giants.

Two of the largest rivers in South Africa, the Vaal and the Harts, flow through the Frances Baard District Municipality.

The district is also home to the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme, which is the largest and most successful irrigation project in South Africa and one of the largest in the world.

The Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme lies on the border between the North West and the Northern Cape provinces and is named after the Vaal River and the Harts River, with the Vaal River being its major tributary.

Frances Baard is predominantly a mining and agricultural district, with a favorable climate for outdoor living given that it has a huge number of “sunny” days throughout the year.

The District Municipality is also home to various provincial departments and private-sector companies.

Map

A map of Frances Baard District Municipality with its four Local Municipalities
A map of Frances Baard District Municipality with its four Local Municipalities.

Population

According to the South African National Census of 2022, the Frances Baard District Municipality has a population of 434,343 residents, compared to 387,741 in 2016, and 382,086 in 2011.

The municipality has a population growth per annum of 1.24%.

According to the 2022 Census, 27.5% of the population is under the age of 15, 65.8% is between 15 and 64, and 6.6% is over 65.

Racial makeup

According to the 2022 Census, 65.5% of the Frances Baard District Municipality population describe themselves as Black African, 24% as Coloured, 6.7% as White, and 0.9% as Indian/Asian.

Languages

According to the 2022 Census, 43.3% of the population speaks Setswana as their first language, 38.6% speak Afrikaans, 6.2% speak English, 4.9% speak isiXhosa, and 7% speak other languages.

Economy

The district’s main economic sectors are community services (28%), finance (22%), trade (15%), transport (12%), mining (10%), agriculture (4%), manufacturing (4%), construction (3%), and electricity (2%).

District council and management

Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party)ANC: 15
EFF: 5
DA: 4
FF PLUS: 2
PA: 2
PSDF: 1
Controlling PartyANC
Executive MayorUnondumisa Buda
Deputy Executive Mayorn/a
SpeakerKeamogetse Cynthia Mothibi
Chief Whipn/a
Other Council Members– OE Makoko (MMC: Policy and Institutional Development Committee)
– ME Mokgatlhanyane (MMC: Infrastructure Development Committee)
– I Ruiter (MPAC Chairperson)
– LN Shushu (MMC: Planning and Development Committee)
– MD Tawana (MMC: Social Development Committee)
– AK Zalisa (MMC: Finance Committee)
Municipal ManagerZiphorah Mamikie Bogatsu
Chief Financial OfficerOnneile Moseki (Acting)
Senior Management– Freddy Netshivhodza (Acting HOD: Planning and Development)
– Rorisang Setshogoe (Acting HOD: Infrastructure Services)
Communications Officers– Tshepo Banga (Communications Officer)
– Gerline Roman (Manager: Communications and Media)

Towns/places

Below are the towns/places in the Frances Baard District Municipality.

  • Barkly West
  • Delportshoop
  • Hartswater
  • Jan Kempdorp
  • Kimberley
  • Pampierstat
  • Ritchie
  • Warrenton
  • Windsorton

Contact details

The contact details of the Frances Baard District Municipality are listed in the table below.

Postal address:Private Bag X6088, Kimberley, 8300
Physical address:51 Drakensberg Avenue, Carters Glen, Kimberley
Telephone:053 838 0911
Fax:053 861 1538
Email:info@francesbaard.gov.za
Website:www.francesbaard.gov.za