Polokwane Local Municipality

Polokwane Municipality (Northern Sotho: Mmasepala wa Polokwane) is a local municipality within the Capricorn District Municipality, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. It shares its name with the city of Polokwane.

Polokwane
Official seal of Polokwane
Location of Polokwane Local Municipality within Limpopo
Location of Polokwane Local Municipality within Limpopo
Coordinates: 23°54′S 29°26′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceLimpopo
DistrictCapricorn
SeatPolokwane
Wards38
Government
  TypeMunicipal council
  MayorThembi Nkadimeng
Area
  Total3,766 km2 (1,454 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
  Total628,999
  Density170/km2 (430/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
  Black African92.9%
  Coloured0.9%
  Indian/Asian0.7%
  White5.2%
First languages (2011)
  Northern Sotho80.4%
  Afrikaans5.4%
  English3.2%
  Tsonga2.8%
  Other8.2%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeLIM354

Polokwane Municipality accounts for 3% of the total surface area of Limpopo; however, over 10% of the population of Limpopo resides within its boundaries. The municipality serves as the economic hub of Limpopo and has the highest population density in the Capricorn District Municipality. In terms of its physical composition, Polokwane Municipality is 23% urbanised and 71% rural.[3] The largest sector of the community resides in rural tribal villages, followed by urban settlements.

Cities and settlements

The municipal spatial pattern reflects that of the historic apartheid city model, characterised by segregated settlement. At the centre of the area is the Polokwane economic hub, which comprises the central business district, industrial area, and a range of social services and well-established formal urban areas servicing the more affluent residents of Polokwane.

Situated on the outskirts in several clusters are less formal settlement areas, which are experiencing enormous influx from rural urban migration trends. These areas are in dire need of upgraded services and infrastructure, both social and engineering, and are struggling to cope with the informal influx of more and more people who want access to an improved quality and standard of living.[3]

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[4]

PlaceCodeArea (km2)Population
Bjatladibja Dikolobe91201178.9338,474
Ga-Dikgale91202169.7939,966
Ditlou Machidi9120379.3213,351
Ga-Mashashane912042.121,667
Maja9120575.6210,795
Makgoba912061.03906
Mankoeng91207117.9737,996
Mankweng912084.4211,592
Mixed TA9120997.620
Mojapelo912101.572,336
Molepo91211286.0032,707
Moletji91212467.13103,082
Moloto Solomon Kgabo912130.871,019
Mothiba9121411.4415,275
Pietersburg Part 191215128.5162,089
Pietersburg Part 29122238.444,132
Seshego Part 19121721.4271,290
Seshego Part 29122312.41548
Thabamoopo912186.055,799
Tholongwe91219162.6331,694
Turfloop912201.823,189
Remainder of the municipality912161,910.0620,352

Politics

The municipal council consists of ninety members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Forty-five councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in forty-five wards, while the remaining forty-five 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 fifty-six seats on the council.[5]

The following table shows the results of the election:

PartyWardListTotal
seats
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
African National Congress81,58958.313785,88761.861956
Economic Freedom Fighters30,84422.04432,94323.731721
Democratic Alliance10,0797.20410,3317.4437
Independent candidates9,2186.5900
Freedom Front Plus2,6181.8702,5921.8722
African Christian Democratic Party8350.6001,0570.7611
Abantu Batho Congress6610.4705930.4311
Magoshi Swaranang Movement3970.2805630.4111
Congress of the People4690.3404760.3411
16 other parties3,2202.3004,4063.1700
Total139,930100.0045138,848100.004590
Valid votes139,93098.59138,84898.17
Invalid/blank votes2,0041.412,5881.83
Total votes141,934100.00141,436100.00
Registered voters/turnout326,61743.46326,61743.30

Demographics

As of 2007, the Polokwane Local Municipality was home to approximately 561,772 people. Growth figures from 1996 to 2001 showed that the municipal population increased by about 3.27% per year on average. Much of this growth is ascribed to an influx of people from other, more rural, municipal areas into Polokwane, where the perception of more employment and greater economic wealth exists.[3]

79% of its households are using electricity for lighting, 62% for cooking, and 58% for heating.[6]

In 2007, 94.1% of the population was Black African, 4.8% White, 1.1% Coloured, Indian or Asian.[3]

Racial groups

YearTotal populationPercent BlackPercent WhitePercentage Other (mostly Coloured or Asian)
2001508,27792.41%6.1%1.49%
2007561,772 Increase94.1% Increase4.8% Decrease1.1% Decrease

Education

The Turfloop campus of the University of Limpopo is located in Mankweng and the Tshwane University of Technology has a satellite campus in Polokwane.

Although the municipality's overall level of education has improved slightly in recent years, only 24% of the population have attained a Grade 12 education, and only 5.7% have achieved a tertiary education qualification. As a result of low education levels and a largely unskilled population, large numbers of residents earn very little or no income, and poverty is a major problem in the municipal area.[3]

References

  1. "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  2. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. "2007-08 Annual Report" (PDF). www.polokwane.org.za. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
  4. Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa
  5. "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Polokwane". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  6. "Community Survey, 2007 - Basic Results: Municipalities" (PDF). Statistics South Africa. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-25. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
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