The Thembelihle Local Municipality is a Category B municipality within the Pixley Ka Seme District Municipality in the eastern region of the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B3 (small towns) |
| Province: | Northern Cape |
| District: | Pixley Ka Seme |
| Municipal code: | NC076 |
| Seat: | Hopetown |
| Number of wards: | 6 |
| Total area: | 8,023 km² (3,098 square miles) |
| Population: | 22,542 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Leonard Makena |
About
The Thembelihle Local Municipality is geographically located in the eastern region of the Northern Cape Province on the left (south) bank of the Orange River, approximately 130 kilometres (80 miles) south of the provincial capital Kimberley.
The name Thembelihle is an isiXhosa word meaning “a place of hope”.
The Thembelihle Local Municipality covers an area of 8,023 km² (3,098 square miles), making it the third-smallest of eight local municipalities in the Pixley Ka Seme District, as it accounts for only 8% of its geographical area.
Thembelihle Local Municipality comprises 6 wards and is mostly an agricultural landscape that is rich in natural resources. The first diamond was discovered in Hopetown, and a great part of the Anglo-Boer War was fought in these parts.
The Thembelihle Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Siyancuma Local Municipality to the east, north, and west
- Siyathemba Local Municipality to the west
- Emthanjeni Local Municipality to the west and south
- Renosterberg Local Municipality to the south and east
- Letsemeng Local Municipality in the Xhariep District Municipality in the Free State Province to the east
The municipality incorporates the towns of Strydenburg and Hopetown, situated in the heart of the Karoo, halfway between Cape Town and Johannesburg on the N12 route.
Hopetown is the main town in the Thembelihle Local Municipality, as well as being the municipality’s administrative centre/seat. The town is situated at the edge of the Great Karoo on an arid slope leading down to the Orange River.
Strydenburg is situated 50 kilometres (30 miles) to the southwest of Hopetown.
Orania is another settlement in the municipality, it is situated on the Orange River 35 kilometres (22 miles) to the southeast of Hopetown.
The rest of the municipality is rural, mainly used for farming of goats and sheep while intensive irrigated agriculture occurs along the Orange River.
The main transport links in Thembelihle Local Municipality are the N12 national road and the De Aar–Kimberley railway line, both of which pass north-south through the municipality.
History
At the end of the apartheid era, in the area that is today the Thembelihle Municipality, there were municipal councils for Strydenburg and Hopetown, which were elected by the white residents, while the coloured residents of Strydenburg and Steynville (Hopetown) were governed by management committees subordinate to the white councils. The remaining rural areas were served by the Bo-Karoo Regional Services Council.
After the national elections of 1994, a process of local government transformation started, in which negotiations were held between the existing local authorities, local community organisations, and political parties. As a result of these negotiations, the existing local authorities were dissolved and transitional local councils (TLCs) were created for each town.
The Strydenburg municipality and management committee were replaced by a TLC in September 1994, and the Hopetown municipality and Steynville management committee were replaced by a TLC in March 1995.
The transitional councils initially comprised members nominated by the various parties to the negotiations until May 1996, when elections were held. At these elections, the Bo-Karoo District Council was established, replacing the Bo-Karoo Regional Services Council. Transitional representative councils (TRCs) were also elected to represent the areas not included in the TLCs on the District Council; the area that was to become Thembelihle Municipality was part of the Oranje-Karoo TRC, except for Orania, which had a separate TRC.
At the local elections of December 2000, the TLCs and TRCs were dissolved, and the Oranje-Karoo Municipality (renamed Thembelihle in June 2001) was established as a single local authority.
The Orania TRC challenged its dissolution in the Kimberley High Court, and under a settlement with the Northern Cape provincial government, this TRC retained its powers and functions indefinitely pending further negotiations.
Orania residents are entitled to vote in elections for the Thembelihle council, and 21% of registered voters in Orania cast a ballot in the 2021 elections, but as of 2025, they do not receive any municipal services from Thembelihle Local Municipality.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the Thembelihle Local Municipality has a population of 22,542 people, compared to 16,230 in 2016 and 15,701 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 3.51%.
According to the 2022 Census, 29.2% of the population is under the age of 15, 62.8% is between 15 and 64, and 8% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 67.3% of the population in Thembelihle Local Municipality describe themselves as Coloured, 19.7% as White, 12.2% as Black African, and 0.5% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 90.4% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 5.1% speak isiXhosa, 1.3% speak English, 1.3% speak Setswana, and 1.9% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of the Thembelihle Local Municipality are ……………..
Municipal council and management
The Thembelihle municipal council is comprised of 11 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Six councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 6 wards, while the remaining 5 are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 5 – EFF: 3 – DA: 1 – SGB: 1 – VF PLUS: 1 |
| Controlling party | Hung Council |
| Executive Mayor | Leonard Makena |
| Speaker | n/a |
| Chief Whip | Sylvia Swartling |
| Other Council Members | n/a |
| Municipal Manager | Michael Jack |
| Chief Financial Officer | Noguli Jaxa |
| Senior Management | n/a |
| Communications Officers | Winston Mpamba (Head: Communications) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in the Thembelihle Local Municipality.
- Hopetown
- Orania
- Strydenburg
Contact details
The contact details of the Thembelihle Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | Private Bag X3, Hopetown, 8750 |
| Physical Address: | Church Street, Hopetown |
| Telephone: | – 053 203 0005 – 053 203 0008 |
| Fax: | 053 203 0490 |
| Website: | www.thembelihlemunicipality.gov.za |
