Mzansi Mirror

Letsemeng Local Municipality

Letsemeng Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the northwestern region of the Xhariep District Municipality in the Free State Province of South Africa.

Overview

Type of municipality:Local Municipality (Category B)
MIIF classification:B3 (small towns)
Province:Free State
District:Xhariep
Municipal code:FS161
Seat:Koffiefontein
Number of wards:7
Total area:9,828 km² (3,795 square miles)
Population:43,101 (in 2022)
Executive mayor:Bonolo Mocwaledi

About

Letsemeng Local Municipality is geographically located in the western and northern regions of the Xhariep District Municipality.

The name of the municipality, Letsemeng, stems from the Sesotho word “letsema”. In the olden days when the people of the homesteads had to cultivate their crops, they would prepare food and traditional beer and invite other families to come and help them without any remuneration. The name is chosen for its symbolic meaning and seeks to inculcate the spirit of cooperation and working together to achieve goals.

Letsemeng Local Municipality covers an area of 9,828 km² (3,795 square miles), making it the second-largest local municipality in the Xhariep District as it accounts for almost a third of its geographical area.

The administrative headquarters/seat of Letsemeng Local Municipality is in Koffiefontein.

The municipality is divided into 7 wards.

Letsemeng Local Municipality is bordered by:

A large part of Letsemeng Local Municipality’s land area, 87.5 %, has remained as natural habitat.

There are two formal land-based protected areas in the municipality, namely the Rolfontein Nature Reserve and the Kalkfontein Dam Nature Reserve. These two reserves cover 11380.90ha of the municipal area.

There are no Ramsar sites in the municipality. There are three biomes in the Letsemeng Municipality covering 1022538.4ha, namely Savanna, Nama-Karoo, and Grassland. Eleven vegetation types cover 1022538.4ha of the municipality.

There is also one vulnerable ecosystem covering 34348ha of Letsemeng Local Municipality, this is the Bloemfontein Dry Grassland.

The Freshwater ecosystems in the municipality are characterized by two water management areas, namely the Upper and Lower Orange. Eight rivers run through the municipality, namely the;

  • Kaalspruit
  • Lemoenspruit
  • Berg
  • Riet
  • Knapsak
  • Modder
  • Kromellenboogspruit
  • Orange

Wetlands cover 4.8 % of Letsemeng Local Municipality. The terrain morphology indicates that most of the Letsemeng jurisdiction consists of lowlands with hills.

Slightly irregular plains and pans characterize to Koffiefontein, Jacobsdal, Luckhoff, and Petrusburg areas. The geology of Letsemeng consists mainly of Kalahari sand formations.

The socio-economic growth of the municipality is centered on agriculture and farmland constitutes 9,730.22 km² of the geographical municipal area.

The municipal area also has mining activities, with diamond minerals being the major natural resource that helps with employment creation.

Climate

Letsemeng falls in the rainfall area of between 350 mm and 500 mm mean annual rainfall. Temperatures are extreme, and the area experiences hot mid-summer conditions and very cold winters.

Population

According to the South African National Census of 2022, Letsemeng Local Municipality has a population of 43,101 people, compared to 40,044 in 2016, and 38,628 in 2011.

The municipality has a population growth per annum of 1.06%.

According to the 2022 Census, 28.5% of the population is under the age of 15, 64.7% is between 15 and 64, and 6.8% is over 65.

Racial makeup

According to the 2022 Census, 67.8% of the population in Kopanong Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 23.4% as Coloured, 8.1% as White, and 0.3% as Indian/Asian.

Languages

According to the 2022 Census, 63.7% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 12.4% speak Sesotho, 10.8% speak isiXhosa, 9.7% speak Setswana, and 3.4% speak other languages.

Economy

The main economic sectors of Letsemeng Local Municipality are mining and farming.

Municipal council and management

The Letsemeng municipal council is comprised of 13 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.

Seven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 7 wards, while the remaining 6 are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.

In the 2021 South African municipal elections 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: 2
– EFF: 1
– VF PLUS: 1
Controlling partyANC
Executive MayorBonolo Mocwaledi
SpeakerHani Xolani Mthukwane
Chief WhipAbram Lebaka
Other Council Members– Jessie Kumalo (Chairperson: MPAC)
– Mbuyiselo Lehare
– Semakaleng Lichaba
– Kgomotso Molusi
– Nikiwe November
– Mariska Potgieter
– Itumeleng Ramohlabi (Chairperson: Finance and Technical Committee)
– Vuyani Stuurman
– Daleen Terblanche
Municipal ManagerTshemedi Lucas Mkhwane
Chief Financial OfficerS Tooi
Senior Management– CJ Makhoba (Director: Community Services)
– Siphiwe Phithi (Manager: LED)
– Segomotso Qwelane (Acting Director: Corporate Services)
– D Tsikang (Director: Technical Services)
Communications OfficersObakeng Seekoei (Acting Manager: Communications)

Towns/places

Below are the towns/places in Letsemeng Local Municipality.

  • Jacobsdal
  • Koffiefontein
  • Luckhoff
  • Oppermansgronde
  • Petrusburg

Contact details

The contact details of Letsemeng Local Municipality are listed in the table below.

Postal Address:Private Bag X3, Koffiefontein, 9986
Physical Address:7 Groot Trek Street, Koffiefontein, 9986
Telephone:053 330 0200
Email:mm@letsemeng.gov.za
Website:www.letsemeng.fs.gov.za