Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality is a Category B municipality within the Sekhukhune District Municipality in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B4 (mostly rural) |
| Province: | Limpopo |
| District: | Sekhukhune |
| Municipal code: | LIM473 |
| Seat: | Jane Furse |
| Number of wards: | 31 |
| Total area: | 2,110 km² (815 square miles) |
| Population: | 340,328 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Merah Mahlase |
About
Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality is geographically located in the central region of the Sekhukhune District Municipality.
Makhuduthamaga means “executives”, the term/liberation name used to denote members of the Fetakgomo movement who supported the anti-apartheid struggle in Sekhukhuneland in the 1950s. Makhuduthamaga raged a war against the white commissioner and his assailants, Marentsara.
Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality covers an area of 2,110 km² (815 square miles), making it the second-smallest local municipality in the Sekhukhune District as it accounts for 16% of the district’s geographical area.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality is in Jane Furse which is located 347 kilometres northeast of Johannesburg, 247 kilometres northeast of Pretoria, 189 kilometres southeast of Polokwane, and 70 kilometres southwest of Burgersfort.
The municipality is divided into 31 wards and made up of 189 settlements.
Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality in the Capricorn District Municipality to the north
- Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality to the north and east
- Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality to the south
- Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality to the west
Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality is completely rural and dominated by traditional land ownership.
The municipality is characterized by a weak economic base, major service delivery backlogs, poor infrastructure, dispersed human settlements, and high poverty levels.
Farming is the predominant land use within the municipality, more specifically subsistence farming and livestock farming.
The Limpopo Department of Land Affairs prepared a land cover map for Sekhukhune District which indicated the land quality and the area it covers.
With regard to Makhuduthamaga, the study indicated that the remaining good soils for agriculture are along the Olifants River and south of Jane Furse. There exists within the municipality an opportunity for the re-establishment of commercial agricultural activities.
Prolonged overgrazing and other poor farming practices by the rural communities have led to degradation of the land.
Population
The Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality has the second largest population of all municipalities in Sekhukhune District. The population of the Municipality is dispersed mainly across the rural areas.
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality has a population of 340,328 people, compared to 284,435 in 2016, and 274,880 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 2.07%.
According to the 2022 Census, 34.7% of the population is under the age of 15, 57.3% is between 15 and 64, and 8% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 99.7% of the population in Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 0.1% as White, and 0.1% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 93.8% of the population speaks Sepedi as their first language, 1.5% speak siSwati, 1.4% speak isiZulu, and 3.3% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality are agriculture and farming.
Agriculture is the main formal contributor to the economy of the municipality although at a very limited scale. There was a slight decline in terms of the contribution of this sector from 1986 to 2001 due to weather and environmental factors.
Municipal council and management
The Makhuduthamaga municipal council is comprised of 62 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Thirty-one councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 31 wards, while the remaining 31 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 40 seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 40 – EFF: 15 – SAMEBA: 2 – DA: 1 – DAP: 1 – INDEPENDENT: 1 – NCC: 1 – SADA: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Merah Mahlase |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | n/a |
| Speaker | Mantile Judy Mphelane-Nkgadima |
| Chief Whip | Mosedi Thamaga |
| Other Council Members | n/a |
| Municipal Manager | R.M. Moganedi |
| Chief Financial Officer | Ronald Moganedi |
| Senior Management | n/a |
| Communications Officers | Lemson Moropian |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality.
- Jane Furse
Contact details
The contact details of Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | Private Bag X434, Jane Furse, 1085 |
| Physical Address: | Stand 1 Groblersdal Road, Jane Furse, 1085 |
| Telephone: | 013 265 8600 |
| Fax: | 013 265 1975 |
| Email: | info@makhuduthamaga.gov.za |
| Website: | www.makhuduthamaga.gov.za |
