Mafube
Local municipality
Official seal of Mafube
Seal
Location in the Free State
Location in the Free State
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceFree State
DistrictFezile Dabi
SeatFrankfort
Wards9
Government
[1]
 • TypeMunicipal council
 • MayorJabulani Sigasa (ANC)
Area
 • Total3,971 km2 (1,533 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total57,876
 • Density15/km2 (38/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[2]
 • Black African91.9%
 • Coloured0.6%
 • Indian/Asian0.3%
 • White7.0%
First languages (2011)
[3]
 • Sotho64.4%
 • Zulu20.9%
 • Afrikaans8.3%
 • Xhosa1.7%
 • Other4.7%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeFS205

Mafube Municipality (Sotho: Masepala wa Mafube; Zulu: UMasipala wase Mafube) is a local municipality within the Fezile Dabi District Municipality, in the Free State province of South Africa. Mafube is a Sesotho word meaning "dawning of the new day".[4]

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[5]

Place Code Area (km2) Population Most spoken language
Cornelia 42001 1.95 1,502 Sotho
Frankfort 42002 32.64 1,900 Afrikaans
Mafahlaneng 42003 145.68 5,367 Sotho
Namahadi 42005 4.28 19,413 Sotho
Ntshwanatsatsi 42006 0.36 1,867 Sotho
Qalabotjha 42007 1.95 17,244 Sotho
Villiers 42008 24.27 984 Afrikaans
Remainder of the municipality 42004 4,371.52 9,363 Sotho

Politics

Main article: Mafube Local Municipality elections

The municipal council consists of seventeen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Nine councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in nine wards, while the remaining eight 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 reduced majority of ten seats on the council.

The following table shows the results of the election.[6]

PartyWardListTotal
seats
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
African National Congress7,31555.6997,59058.28110
Economic Freedom Fighters1,70813.0002,03615.6333
Freedom Front Plus1,2169.2601,2429.5422
Democratic Alliance1,0267.8101,1959.1822
Independent candidates1,44611.0100
3 other parties4243.2309607.3700
Total13,135100.00913,023100.00817
Valid votes13,13598.4013,02398.25
Invalid/blank votes2131.602321.75
Total votes13,348100.0013,255100.00
Registered voters/turnout29,51045.2329,51044.92

Mismanagement

In 2015 the municipal manager, Nkabi Hlubi, allegedly awarded tenders to the value of R21 million to Pit Dog Trading. The latter company allegedly manipulated its tender grading and provided Hlubi with kickbacks of R1 million each time a municipal payment was made. Hlubi appeared in the Bloemfontein magistrate's court in 2021 on charges of fraud and corruption.[7]

As of January 2024, the municipality is under administration, one of 32 in the country, and three in the Free State where the provincial executive has intervened due to maladministration[8]

References

  1. ^ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ^ South African Languages - Place names
  5. ^ Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Mafube". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  7. ^ "Man het munisipaliteit glo uit miljoene bedrieg". maroelamedia.co.za. Maroela Media. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  8. ^ Thorne, Seth. "South Africa's 32 most 'dysfunctional' municipalities". Businesstech. Retrieved 13 January 2024.

External links

27°17′S 28°31′E / 27.283°S 28.517°E / -27.283; 28.517

Municipalities of the Free State
Category