Thaba Chweu Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the western region of the Ehlanzeni District Municipality in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B3 (small towns) |
| Province: | Mpumalanga |
| District: | Ehlanzeni |
| Municipal code: | MP321 |
| Seat: | Mashishing (previously Lydenburg) |
| Number of wards: | 14 |
| Total area: | 5,719 km² (2,208 square miles) |
| Population: | 109,223 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Friddah Nkadimeng |
About
Thaba Chweu Local Municipality is geographically located in the western part of the Ehlanzeni District Municipality.
Thaba Chweu Local Municipality was established after the December 5th, 2000, local government elections.
Thaba Chweu Local Municipality covers an area of 5,719 km² (2,208 square miles) making it the second-smallest local municipality in the Ehlanzeni District.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Thaba Chweu Local Municipality is in Mashishing (previously known as Lydenburg).
The municipality is divided into 14 wards.
Thaba Chweu Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Bushbuckridge Local Municipality to the east
- The City of Mbombela Local Municipality to the east and south
- Emakhazeni Local Municipality in Nkangala District Municipality to the south
- Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality in the Sekhukhune District in Limpopo Province to the west
- Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality in the Sekhukhune District in Limpopo Province to the north
- Maruleng Local Municipality in the Mopani District in Limpopo Province to the north
Thaba Chweu Local Municipality is renowned for its forestry, tourism, mining, and agriculture.
The escarpment divides the municipality into eastern and western halves. The western half (Lydenburg district) is dominated by agricultural and farming activities, while forestry is the main economic activity of the eastern half (Sabie/Graskop district).
Thaba Chweu is one of the major tourist attraction areas in South Africa. Mashishing (previously Lydenburg) is the oldest town in the province and a hub of heritage where the famous Lydenburg Heads, which are said to date back to 400AD, were found in the 1950s. Also found here are old stone houses. Most of all, this is the home of trout fishing.
Graskop is home to the Three Rondavels, The Blyde Canyon, Potholes, God’s Window, The Pinnacle, Berlin, Lisbon, and Graskop Falls, which form part of the renowned Panorama Route.
In the Sabie area, when traveling east of Mashishing through the Long Tom Pass, there are hectares of pine plantations. These mountains are part of the Drakensberg Mountain Range.
Thaba Chweu Local Municipality comprises 14 wards and four main towns namely: Lydenburg which is the main town located in Ward 14, Sabie located in Ward 7 which is the second largest town, Graskop which is the smallest town located in Ward 10 and Pilgrim’s Rest which is a historic monument town located in Ward 13 as well.
The town with the largest number of households is Lydenburg at 14,278, followed by Sabie with 5,321 households while Graskop is at 1,034 households and Pilgrim’s Rest with 592 households is the lowest of the entire municipal area.
The rural communities of Thaba Chweu Local Municipality are located in Wards 8 and 9 with three main villages namely; Leroro, Moremela, and Matibidi which are semi-formal, other communities are farm rural communities located in Wards 4, 5, 11, and 13.
The threads that are woven into the panoramic towns of Mashishing, Sabie, Graskop and Pilgrim’s Rest are artefacts of a rich history and contribute to the cultural diversity and harmony that defines life in Thaba Chweu, Place of the White Mountain.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Thaba Chweu Local Municipality has a population of 109,223 people, compared to 101,895 in 2016, and 98,387 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 1.01%.
According to the 2022 Census, 26.2% of the population is under the age of 15, 68.6% is between 15 and 64, and 5.1% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 81.6% of the population in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 14.5% as White, 2.6% as Coloured, and 0.6% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 36.2% of the population speaks Sepedi as their first language, 17.8% speak siSwati, 15.2% speak Afrikaans, 7.7% speak isiZulu, and 23.1% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Thaba Chweu Local Municipality are agriculture, mining, tourism, forestry, and business services.
Municipal council and management
The municipality is under S139 administration, effective from October 2018.
The Thaba Chweu municipal council is comprised of 27 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Fourteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 14 wards, while the remaining 13 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 sixteen seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 15 – DA: 6 – EFF: 3 – AUM: 2 – VF PLUS: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Friddah Nkadimeng |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | n/a |
| Speaker | Herns Trower |
| Chief Whip | Sabina Manzini |
| Other Council Members | – PB Lawrance (MMC: Technical and Finance Services) – ML Netshirember (MPAC Chairperson) – GP Raphiri (MMC: Corporate Services) – MD Sibanyoni (MMC: Community Services, LED and Planning) |
| Municipal Manager | RS Makwakwa (Acting) |
| Chief Financial Officer | K.P Mashego |
| Senior Management | – MP Mankga (Acting Director: Corporate Services) – S Manqele (Director: Technical and Engineering Services) – A Ngomane (Acting Director: Community Services) – T Rikhotso (Acting Director: LED and Planning) |
| Communications Officers | Peter Mamkga |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality.
- Graskop
- Mashishing (previously Lydenburg)
- Pilgrim’s Rest
- Sabie
Contact details
The contact details of Thaba Chweu Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | PO Box 61, Mashishing, 1120 |
| Physical address: | Cnr Central & Viljoen Streets, Mashishing |
| Telephone: | 013 235 7300 |
| Fax: | 013 235 1108 |
| Email: | – enquiries@tclm.gov.za – info@tclm.gov.za |
| Website: | www.tclm.gov.za |
| Disaster (emergency number): | 013 235 1788 |
| Fraud hotline: | 0800 701 701 |
