The Xhariep District Municipality (XDM) is a Category C municipality situated in the southern region of the Free State Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | District (Category C) |
| Province: | Free State |
| Municipal code: | DC16 |
| Seat: | Trompsburg |
| Local municipalities: | 3 |
| Total area: | 34,250 km² (13,224 square miles) |
| Population: | 131,901 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Irene Mehlomakulu |
About
The Xhariep District Municipality is geographically situated in the southern part of the Free State province.
It is named after the Gariep Dam, the largest dam in South Africa, and is situated at the southern tip of the District.
The District’s administrative headquarters are in Trompsburg, which lies approximately 125 kilometres south of Bloemfontein.
Xhariep is the largest District in the Free State Province, it covers an area of 34,250 km² (13,224 square miles) making up more than a third of the Province’s geographical area.
The District is divided into three local municipalities namely;
The Xhariep District Municipality is bordered by;
- Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality to the east and northeast
- Lejweleputswa District Municipality to the north
- Frances Baard District Municipality in the Northern Cape to the northwest
- Pixley ka Seme District Municipality in the Northern Cape to the west
- Joe Gqabi District Municipality in the Eastern Cape to the south
- The country of Lesotho to the southeast.
Xhariep is also surrounded by the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains for most of its eastern border. The Orange River also forms a natural border between Xhariep and the Eastern Cape Province.
The Xhariep District is “an area of unfound diversity” – as the official slogan of the District Municipality aptly runs. It is located in a semi-arid (typically dry) region with a dispersed settlement pattern that is most likely to fulfill the picture held by most of the Free State as a place of vast land and huge portions of sheep and cattle farmland, a generous dollop of tranquillity, and a part of the world known to few.
Hydrologically, the district is located between the Vaal River to the north and the Orange River to the south, with rivers within the district draining towards these rivers.
Xhariep’s geographical location as a typical rural district with 20 small towns and 3 remote towns that boast plentiful natural resources such as water and numerous pockets of fertile agricultural land, makes it a site with good potential for investment and development.
The Xhariep Region is filled with impressive museums and magnificent monuments commemorating the Anglo-Boer War and also the Great Trek of 1938. The town of Bethulie in Xhariep was formed in 1901, as a French mission station. The sandstone architecture in the region is also of significant importance to South Africa’s history.
The District also has two mines situated in Jagersfontein and Koffiefontein.
Xhariep District Municipality is accessible via three national routes, the N1 (Cape Town to Gauteng), N6 (Eastern Cape to Bloemfontein), and N8 (Bloemfontein to Kimberley) that pass through it, connecting it to other parts of South Africa.
Topography
Xhariep’s topography is generally low-lying and undulating slopes with high-altitude areas along the mountainous pockets in the southern part of the district. The District is mainly covered by Eastern grasslands and dry Karoo savannas.
In general, altitudes vary from 2,060 metres above sea level at Bakenkop in the north-eastern quadrant to 1,100 metres above sea level in the western quadrant of the study area.
Spatial integration
Xhariep District Municipality is a sparsely populated region with a fair concentration of households or built-up areas found in the towns of Koffiefontein, Jacobsdal, and Oppermansgronde. Gariep Dam and Springfontein have a moderate concentration and Zastron, Rouxville, and Smithfield have the lowest density.
The rural nature of the District (dispersed settlement patterns) has an impact on infrastructure and maintenance costs.
The vast distances between the various towns in the District make all communities dependent on the regional distribution roads for social as well as economic functioning. However, most of these roads are in a state of disrepair and especially the routes falling within the corridor areas will have to be upgraded and maintained as a matter of urgency.
Land in Xhariep is either owned by private individuals, the government, or the Local Municipalities. A large portion of the land is privately owned in the District.
Dams
Apart from the Gariep Dam, other dams in the District include the Vanderkloof Dam, Kalkfontein Dam, Smithfield Dam, Bethulie Dam, Wuras Dam, and Wolwas Dam.
South Africa’s only two hydroelectric power stations are situated on the Orange River, at the Xhariep and Vanderkloof dams.
Groundwater
Despite the abundance of water resources at the Gariep Dam and the Orange River, several towns in the Xhariep District rely on groundwater for their primary water supply. These towns include Petrusburg, Trompsburg, Fauresmith, and Jagersfontein.
Other towns use groundwater as a supplementary and/or emergency source of water supply. These towns include Jacobsdal, Koffiefontein, Philippolis, Springfontein, Edenburg, Reddersburg, and Smithfield.
Map
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the Xhariep District Municipality has a population of 131,901 people, compared to 125,884 in 2016, and 121,945 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 0.76%.
According to the 2022 Census, 28% of the population is under the age of 15, 64.3% is between 15 and 64, and 7.7% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 78.5% of the Xhariep District Municipality population describe themselves as Black African, 13.2% as Coloured, 7.6% as White, and 0.4% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 45.3% of the population speaks Sesotho as their first language, 31.6% speak Afrikaans, 15.8% speak isiXhosa, 3.5% speak Setswana, and 3.8% speak other languages.
Economy
The district’s main economic sectors are mining, agriculture, transport, construction, and communication.
District council and management
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 4 – EFF: 1 – DA: 1 |
| Controlling Party | n/a |
| Executive Mayor | Irene Mehlomakulu |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | n/a |
| Speaker | Mando Agnes Shasha |
| Chief Whip | Nthabiseng J Garekoe |
| Other Council Members | – N.J Garekoe (MMC: Corporate Services) – M.A Lebaka (MMC: Finance) – T.D Mochechepa (MMC: Planning and Social Development) |
| Municipal Manager | Lebohang Moletsane |
| Chief Financial Officer | Thabo Samuel Matsiliso (Acting) |
| Senior Management | – M.A Jafta (Director: Corporate Services) – T Lebaka (Human Resources and Labour Relations) – S Majenge (Manager: LED) – N Manyana (Expenditure and Payroll Manager) – T Matshidiso (Budget, Assets and Technical Support Manager) – T Phatsoane (Chairperson: MPAC) – M Sejane (SCM Manager) |
| Communications Officers | Ndoyisile Fubu |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in the Xhariep District Municipality.
- Bethulie
- Edenburg
- Fauresmith
- Gariep Dam
- Jacobsdal
- Jagersfontein
- Koffiefontein
- Luckhoff
- Oppermansgronde
- Petrusburg
- Philippolis
- Reddersburg
- Rouxville
- Smithfield
- Springfontein
- Trompsburg
- Waterkloof
- Zastron
Contact details
The contact details of the Xhariep District Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | Private Bag X136, Trompsburg, 9913 |
| Physical address: | 20 Louw Street, Trompsburg |
| Telephone: | 051 713 9300 |
| Fax: | 051 713 0461 |
| Email: | info@xhariep.gov.za |
| Website: | www.xhariep.gov.za |
