Phumelela Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the northeastern region of the Thabo Mofutsanyana 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: | Thabo Mofutsanyana |
| Municipal code: | FS195 |
| Seat: | Vrede |
| Number of wards: | 8 |
| Total area: | 8,196 km² (3,164 square miles) |
| Population: | 52,224 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Mbuyiselwa Dume Kobeni |
About
Phumelela Local Municipality is geographically located in the northeastern region of the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality.
The word Phumelela means “to succeed” in isiZulu.
Phumelela Local Municipality comprises 8 wards and covers an area of 8,196 km² (3,164 square miles), making it the largest of six local municipalities in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District, as it accounts for a quarter of its geographical area.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Phumelela Local Municipality is in Vrede, about 20 kilometres east of the N3, close to the Mpumalanga border.
Phumelela Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Nketoana Local Municipality to the west
- Dihlabeng Local Municipality to the southwest
- Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality to the south
- Alfred Duma Local Municipality in the uThukela District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province to the southeast
- Dannhauser and Newcastle Local Municipalities in the Amajuba District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province to the east
- Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme and Lekwa Local Municipalities in the Gert Sibande District Municipality in the Mpumalanga Province to the north
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Phumelela Local Municipality has a population of 52,224 people, compared to 50,054 in 2016 and 47,772 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 0.87%.
According to the 2022 Census, 27.1% of the population is under the age of 15, 66.1% is between 15 and 64, and 6.8% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 91.6% of the population in Dihlabeng Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 7.3% as White, 0.4% as Coloured, and 0.3% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 56% of the population speaks isiZulu as their first language, 32.4% speak Sesotho, 7.5% speak Afrikaans, 1.2% speak English, and 2.9% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Phumelela Local Municipality are tourism and agriculture.
Municipal council and management
The Phumelela municipal council is comprised of 16 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Eight councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 8 wards, while the remaining 8 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 reduced majority of 11 seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 11 – DA: 2 – EFF: 2 – VF PLUS: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Mbuyiselwa Dume Kobeni |
| Speaker | Topsy Roseline Zwane |
| Chief Whip | Vusimuzi Thela |
| Other Council Members | n/a |
| Municipal Manager | Gugulethu Mhlongo-Ntshangase |
| Chief Financial Officer | Francis Ralebenya |
| Senior Management | – N.L Maimela (Director: Corporate Services) – L Mokoena (Director: Technical Services) – Vusi Thela – Doreen Wessels |
| Communications Officers | Leslie Mokoena |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Phumelela Local Municipality.
- Memel
- Vrede
- Warden
Contact details
The contact details of Phumelela Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | Private Bag X5, Vrede, 9835 |
| Physical Address: | 52 Kuhn Street, Vrede, 9835 |
| Telephone: | 058 913 8300 |
| Fax: | 058 913 2317 |
| Email: | info@phumelela.gov.za |
| Website: | www.phumelela.gov.za |
