Enoch Mgijima
Local municipality
Coordinates: 31°43′08″S 26°19′08″E / 31.719°S 26.319°E / -31.719; 26.319
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceEastern Cape
DistrictChris Hani
SeatKomani
Government
 • TypeMunicipal council
 • MayorMadoda Papiyana (elected December 2022)[1] (ANC)
 • SpeakerBongiwe Gladness van Heerden (ANC)
 • Chief WhipNombuyiselo Selka Ndlebe (ANC)
Area
[2]
 • Total13,584 km2 (5,245 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total245,975
 • Density18/km2 (47/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeEC139

Enoch Mgijima Municipality (Xhosa: uMasipala wase Enoch Mgijima) is a local municipality within the Chris Hani District Municipality, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It was established after the August 2016 local elections by merging the Tsolwana, Inkwanca, and Lukhanji local municipalities.[3]

Politics

Main article: Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality elections

The municipal council consists of sixty-eight members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Thirty-four councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirty-four wards, while the remaining thirty-four 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 forty-four seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.[4]

Enoch Mgijima local election, 1 November 2021
Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
African National Congress 33,057 34,676 67,733 62.2% 32 12 44
Democratic Alliance 5,939 5,700 11,639 10.7% 1 6 7
Economic Freedom Fighters 3,997 4,565 8,562 7.9% 0 6 6
The Independents 3,033 4,196 7,229 6.6% 0 5 5
Independent candidates 5,521 – 5,521 5.1% 1 – 1
Independent South African National Civic Organisation 666 2,323 2,989 2.7% 0 2 2
United Democratic Movement 569 738 1,307 1.2% 0 1 1
Patriotic Alliance 582 560 1,142 1.0% 0 1 1
African Transformation Movement 353 549 902 0.8% 0 1 1
5 other parties 892 1,034 1,926 1.8% 0 0 0
Total 54,609 54,341 108,950 34 34 68
Valid votes 54,609 54,341 108,950 97.7%
Spoilt votes 1,116 1,463 2,579 2.3%
Total votes cast 55,725 55,804 111,529
Voter turnout 56,144
Registered voters 118,637
Turnout percentage 47.3%

Maladministration

In October 2021, a sports facility costing R20 million was opened. Originally intended to as a floodlit stadium with ablutions, borehole and water reticulation, the final deliverable was far removed from this. The facility is derelict, and has never hosted a sports event.[5]

As of January 2024, the municipality is under administration, one of 32 in the country, and three in the Eastern Cape where the provincial executive has intervened due to maladministration[6]

References

  1. ^ Menzelwa, Zolile. "Madoda Papiyana elected as new Enoch Mgijima LM executive mayor". News24. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  2. ^ a b Sum of the statistics from Census 2011 for Tsolwana, Inkwanca, Lukhanji.
  3. ^ "The Local Government Handbook". Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Enoch Mgijima". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  5. ^ Damba-Hendrik, By Nombulelo (2024-03-01). "Komani's unusable R20-million "sport facility"". GroundUp News. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  6. ^ Thorne, Seth. "South Africa's 32 most 'dysfunctional' municipalities". Businesstech. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
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