Thulamela Local Municipality is a Category B municipality within the Vhembe 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: | Vhembe |
| Municipal code: | LIM343 |
| Seat: | Thohoyandou |
| Number of wards: | 41 |
| Total area: | 2,642 km² (1,020 square miles) |
| Population: | 575,929 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Rambuda AS |
About
Thulamela Local Municipality was established in the year 2000 in terms of the provision of the Local Government Municipality Structures Act, 117 of 1998 Section 12.
Thulamela Local Municipality is geographically located in the central region of the Vhembe District Municipality in the northeast part of South Africa, about 70 kilometres east of Makhado and 180 kilometres northeast of Polokwane the capital city of Limpopo Province.
The municipality is the gateway to the Kruger National Park which is the second largest in the world. Kruger National Park forms the municipality’s eastern boundary.
The original settlement of Thulamela is situated in the Kruger National Park and was inhabited from the 13th to the 16th century.
The Thulamela people had very strong links with the middle and far East. After the 2000 elections, the then Greater Thohoyandou / Greater Levubu-Shingwedzi Municipality underwent a consultation process to rename the municipality so that its name could be uniting and be in line with the prevailing political transformation. Hence the name Thulamela was considered the most favorite and uniting.
The name “Thulamela” is a Karanga or Shona word meaning “the place of giving birth” or “hill with no vegetation”.
Thulamela Local Municipality covers an area of 2,642 km² (1,020 square miles), making it the smallest local municipality in the Vhembe District as it accounts for 10% of its geographical area.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Thulamela Local Municipality is in Thohoyandou, with other offices in Malamulele, Makonde, Shayandima, Saselamani, and Tshikombani.
Thulamela comprises 41 wards and is divided into two geographical areas, which are Thohoyandou and surrounding rural settlements and Malamulele (Surrounding areas).
Thulamela Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Makhado Local Municipality to the west
- Collins Chabane Local Municipality to the south
- Musina Local Municipality to the east and north
Thulamela Local Municipality is in a summer rainfall area (October – April). The summer months are hot and often balmy. Winters are usually cold but rarely reach freezing point. The area is blessed with natural beauty which is beyond one’s belief, mountainous and ever-green.
The culture of the people of Thulamela Local Municipality is one of togetherness, peace, and harmony. Thulamela is a place of many legends, beautiful mountains, and vegetation that are a must to view for tourists.
Although Thulamela has many people with different cultures and languages, the predominant cultures are that of the Tsonga/Shangaan and VhaVenda people which both have their unique yet unified history.
Thulamela Local Municipal is characterized by rural settlement patterns, enormous backlogs in basic household infrastructure and services, discontinuous land uses, concentration of taxable economic resources in the formerly R293 town and on its periphery, scattered concentrations of extreme rural and urban poverty, and the apartheid legacy that confronts local government.
The overall effect of these patterns resulted in extreme poverty and underdevelopment. In the deprived areas, household productivity was stifled due to the time people would usually spend to meet their basic needs like water and gathering of wood. People in these areas also suffer poor health because of inadequate housing and health facilities.
Scattered small settlements and discontinuous land use make it extremely expensive to provide basic household infrastructure.
These same patterns also impose a heavy burden on the poor who have to spend valuable time and money to travel long distances to access markets, economic opportunities, and other social amenities.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Thulamela Local Municipality has a population of 575,929 people, compared to 497,237 in 2016, and 450,131 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 2.39%.
According to the 2022 Census, 31.8% of the population is under the age of 15, 61.7% is between 15 and 64, and 6.5% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 99.3% of the population in Thulamela Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 0.5% as Indian/Asian, 0.1% as Coloured, and 0.1% as White.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 63.6% of the population speaks Tshivenḓa as their first language, 32.9% speak Xitsonga, and 3.5% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sector of Thulamela Local Municipality is agriculture.
Municipal council and management
The Thulamela municipal council is comprised of 81 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Forty-one councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 41 wards, while the remaining 40 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 71 seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 71 – EFF: 4 – DA: 2 – ACDP: 1 – APC: 1 – IRC: 1 – PAC: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Rambuda AS |
| Speaker | Mutheiwana FA |
| Chief Whip | Malada TP |
| Other Council Members | – Kwinda (Portfolio Head: Environment, Health, Safety and Security) – NA Lieba (Portfolio Head: Budget and Treasury) – PV Ligege (Portfolio Head: Corporate Services) – LM Madondo (Portfolio Head: Roads, Storm Water, and Sanitation) – LS Maduse (Portfolio Head: Human Settlement) – NE Mashawana (Portfolio Head: Education, Sports, Arts and Culture) – KE Mulaudzi (Portfolio Head: IDP and LED) – MK Mulovhedzi (Portfolio Head Special Programmes: Youth, Disabled and Gender) – ME Shavhani (Portfolio Head: Legislation, Land Use Management and Traditional Affairs) |
| Municipal Manager | Makumule MT (Senior Manager: Planning and Development) |
| Chief Financial Officer | AC Mufamadi |
| Senior Management | – A Gangashe (Technical Services) – SS Razwiedani (Community Services) – NA Todani (Corporate Services) |
| Communications Officers | – F Bologo – Nndwamato Tshiila (Spokesperson) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Thulamela Local Municipality.
- Thohoyandou
- Malamulele
- Shayandima
- Makonde
- Tshikombani
- Saselamani
Contact details
The contact details of Thulamela Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | Private Bag X5066, Thohoyandou, 0950 |
| Physical Address: | Thohoyandou Civic Centre, Old Agriven Building, Thohoyandou |
| Telephone: | 015 962 7500 |
| Fax: | 015 962 4020 |
| Email: | web@thulamela.gov.za |
| Website: | www.thulamela.gov.za |
