The Masilonyana Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the southeastern region of the Lejweleputswa 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: | Lejweleputswa |
| Municipal code: | FS181 |
| Seat: | Theunissen |
| Number of wards: | 10 |
| Total area: | 6,618 km² (2,555 square miles) |
| Population: | 63,800 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Dimakatso Elizabeth Modise |
About
Masilonyana Local Municipality was established by merging five former Transitional Local Councils: Brandfort, Soutpan, Theunissen, Verkeerdevlei, and Winburg.
The Masilonyana Municipality is geographically located in the southeastern region of the Lejweleputswa District Municipality and is one of five local municipalities in the district.
The name Masilonyana is a Setswana word meaning “freedom”. At the same time, Masilonyana is a Sesotho word derived from the name of the mountain in the area called “Masilonyana”.
Masilonyana Local Municipality covers an area of 6,618 km² (2,555 square miles), making it the second-largest local municipality in the Lejweleputswa District.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Masilonyana Local Municipality is in Theunissen, which is located about 102 kilometers from Bloemfontein and about 55 kilometers from Welkom.
The municipality is divided into 10 wards.
Masilonyana Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Matjhabeng Local Municipality to the north
- Tswelopele Local Municipality to the northwest
- Tokologo Local Municipality to the west
- Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality to the south
- Mantsopa Local Municipality in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality to the southeast
- Setsoto Local Municipality in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality to the east
Masilonyana Local Municipality is an impoverished semi-urban area with a high unemployment rate.
Wetlands cover 19470.7ha (2.9%) of the municipal area, and approximately 77.7% of the municipal area has remained as natural habitat.
There is one formal land-based protected area in Masilonyana Local Municipality, namely the Sandveld Nature Reserve. There are no RAMSAR sites in the municipality.
Nine vegetation types are found in Masilonyana Local Municipality, these are: Bloemfontein Karroid Shrubland, Central Free State Grassland, Eastern Free State Clay Grassland, Highveld Alluvial Vegetation, Highveld Salt Pans, Vaalbos Rocky Shrubland, Vaal-Vet Sandy Grassland, Western Free State Clay Grassland, and Winburg Grassy Shrubland.
There is one endangered ecosystem, namely Vaal-Vet Sandy Grassland, covering 68029.2ha (10 %) of the municipality. There is also one threatened ecosystem, namely Eastern Free State Clay Grassland, covering 1.18 % of the municipality.
Seven rivers run through Masilonyana Local Municipality, namely the Groot Vet, Klein Vet, Korannaspruit, Laaispruit, Modder, Taaibosspruit, and Vet Rivers.
Masilonyana Local Municipality hosts two toll plazas on two major roads in the Free State Province, the Verkeerdevlei Plaza on the N1 is the last before entering Bloemfontein from the north, and the Brandfort Plaza on the former R30 (now ZR Mahabane Road) is situated between Brandfort and Bloemfontein.
The town of Brandfort is known for its rich political history, which includes the National Military Museum on a farm that used to be a concentration camp during the Anglo-Boer War and the Winnie Mandela House, where Mama Winnie Mandela was sentenced to House Arrest during the State of Emergency in the 1980s.
The town of Theunissen is situated on the ZR Mahabane Corridor between Bloemfontein and Welkom, and hosts the three mines within the municipal jurisdiction.
The town of Winburg has economic potential because of its location, which is 100 kilometres west of Bloemfontein, and its linking of Bloemfontein with Durban, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.
The municipality prides itself on its tourist destinations, such as the Florisbad National Quaternary Research Station. This is where the first human skull was discovered. There are also cooperatives in the town of Soutpan working on the salt lakes to produce salt.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Masilonyana Local Municipality has a population of 63,800 people, compared to 62,770 in 2016 and 59,895 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 0.61%.
According to the 2022 Census, 27.1% of the population is under the age of 15, 65.1% is between 15 and 64, and 7.8% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 91.6% of the population in Masilonyana Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 6.7% as White, 1.1% as Coloured, and 0.3% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 66.9% of the population speaks Sesotho as their first language, 10.8% speak isiXhosa, 9.6% speak Afrikaans, 6.9% speak Setswana, and 5.8% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Masilonyana Local Municipality are mining, agriculture, and community services.
Municipal council and management
The Masilonyana municipal council is comprised of 19 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Ten councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 10 wards, while the remaining 9 are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.
In the South African municipal elections in 2021, the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of eleven seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 11 – DA: 4 – EFF: 2 – F4SD: 1 – VF PLUS: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Dimakatso Elizabeth Modise |
| Speaker | Nkone Steven Makata |
| Chief Whip | Samson Tlahadi |
| Other Council Members | n/a |
| Municipal Manager | Michelle Sello |
| Chief Financial Officer | Nthabeleng |
| Senior Management | – R.P Melato (Acting Director: Corporate Services) – KEE Molaoa (Manager: Human Resources) |
| Communications Officers | Zongezile Ntjwabule |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Masilonyana Local Municipality.
- Brandfort
- Soutpan
- Theunissen
- Verkeerdevlei
- Winburg
Contact details
The contact details of Masilonyana Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | P.O. Box 8, Theunissen, 9410 |
| Physical Address: | 47 Le Roux Street, Theunissen, 9410 |
| Telephone: | 057 733 0106 |
| Fax: | 057 733 2217 |
| Email: | info@masilonyana.co.za |
| Website: | www.masilonyana.fs.gov.za |
