Gamagara
Local municipality
Official seal of Gamagara
Seal
Location in the Northern Cape
Location in the Northern Cape
Coordinates: 27°40′S 23°00′E / 27.667°S 23.000°E / -27.667; 23.000
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceNorthern Cape
DistrictJohn Taolo Gaetsewe
SeatKathu
Wards8
Government
[2]
 • TypeMunicipal council
 • MayorHenriette du Plessis[1] (DA)
Area
 • Total2,619 km2 (1,011 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[3]
 • Total41,617
 • Density16/km2 (41/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[3]
 • Black African55.0%
 • Coloured28.7%
 • Indian/Asian0.6%
 • White14.0%
First languages (2011)
[4]
 • Afrikaans53.9%
 • Tswana33.7%
 • English3.6%
 • Sotho1.4%
 • Other7.4%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeNC453

Gamagara Municipality (Afrikaans: Gamagara Munisipaliteit; Tswana: Mmasepala wa Gamagara) is a local municipality within the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.

The name Gamogara is of Setswana origin. The municipality is named after a dry river which was in turn named after a man called Mogara of the Makwere clan (Batlhaping). During the early days of exploration, Mogara was the first person to settle in this part of the country. After 1887, the area became dominated by White farmers who then changed the name as they were unable to pronounce it correctly. Hence it was called Gamagara instead of Gamogara. The name is derived from a dry river that ran from Dibeng to join the Kuruman (Segonyana) river at Dikgatlong tsa ga Kganyile. Incidentally, this is the route the Ba ga Motlhware followed on their way to their headquarters, Maje a Mokhothu (Langeberg).[5]

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[6]

Place Code Area (km2) Population
Dibeng 32401 8.58 4,023
Dingleton 32402 1.56 2,866
Ditloung 31903 0.62 3,044
Kathu 32404 8.53 8,247
Olifantshoek 31907 3.51 3,985
Remainder of the municipality 32403 2,449.38 1,048

Politics

Main article: Gamagara Local Municipality elections

The municipal council consists of fifteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Eight councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in eight wards, while the remaining seven 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 no party obtained a majority of seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.[7][8]

Gamagara local election, 1 November 2021
Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
African National Congress 4,973 4,961 9,934 43.1% 6 1 7
Democratic Alliance 3,931 4,005 7,936 34.4% 2 3 5
Gamagara Community Forum 1,556 1,503 3,059 13.3% 0 2 2
Economic Freedom Fighters 861 798 1,659 7.2% 0 1 1
Freedom Front Plus 220 218 438 1.9% 0 0 0
South African Royal Kingdoms Organization 6 36 42 0.2% 0 0 0
Total 11,547 11,521 23,068 8 7 15
Valid votes 11,547 11,521 23,068 98.7%
Spoilt votes 146 151 297 1.3%
Total votes cast 11,693 11,672 23,365
Voter turnout 11,707
Registered voters 23,135
Turnout percentage 50.6%

References

  1. ^ Hoo, Sandi Kwon (2023-05-29). "New DA mayor for Gamagara Municipality". DFA. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  2. ^ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  5. ^ South African Languages - Place names
  6. ^ Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "Results Summary - All Ballots" (PDF). Electoral Commission of South Africa. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Seat Calculation Detail" (PDF). Electoral Commission of South Africa. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.

External links

Municipalities of the Northern Cape
Category