Bushbuckridge Local Municipality

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Bushbuckridge
Local municipality
Official seal of Bushbuckridge
Seal
Location in Mpumalanga
Location in Mpumalanga
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country South Africa
Province Mpumalanga
District Ehlanzeni
Seat Bushbuckridge
Wards 37[1][2][3][4]
Government[5]
 • Type Municipal council
 • Mayor Renias E. Khumalo (ANC)
Area
 • Total 10,250 km2 (3,960 sq mi)
Population (2011)[6]
 • Total 541,248
 • Density 53/km2 (140/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[6]
 • Black African 99.5%
 • Coloured 0.1%
 • Indian/Asian 0.1%
 • White 0.2%
First languages (2011)[7]
 • Tsonga 56.9%
 • Northern Sotho 24.5%
 • Swazi 7.8%
 • Sotho 5.4%
 • Other 5.4%
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code MP325

Bushbuckridge Local Municipality is a thitd-level administrative division in the Ehlanzeni District of Mpumalanga in South Africa. [8] Tobacco, cotton and vegetables are farmed in the municipality's countryside. The municipality includes part of Kruger National Park.[2]

History

The name Bushbuck Ridge was given because of the large herds of bushbuck found there in the 1880s, and the prominent WNW-ESE ridge in the southeastern part of the municipality.[9] The town of Bushbuckridge grew up around a trading store that opened in 1884.

1995-1996 Protest

In 1994, when the Transvaal Province was dismantled and divided into four Provinces, the area from Bushbuckridge to Hazyview was included in Limpopo province. The decision was based on the fact that most of the Bushbuckridge area had been part of three separate bantustans — Gazankulu, Lebowa and KaNgwane — but the bigger sector fell within Gazankulu, which was incorporated into Limpopo. The citizens of Bushbuckridge became embroiled in a dispute with the government, demanding inclusion of the area in Mpumalanga province. They were concerned that should the area be included into Limpopo, they would be marginalised and suffer poor service delivery since Polokwane, the Capital city of Limpopo Province, is more than 300 KM away, whereas Nelspruit, the capital of Mpumalanga is 58 KM away. For more than two years the government refused to allow Bushbuckridge to fall under Mpumalanga, leading to violent protests and resistance from the community, which included stay-aways, road blockage with burning tyres and destruction of property.

A decision was taken at Cabinet level in 1998 to transfer the area to Mpumalanga. However, the area was not transferred to Mpumalanga until 2000 when President Thabo Mbeki and his Cabinet amended the Constitution and legally handed over Bushbuckridge to Mpumalanga. However, because of red tape it was not until 2005 that Bushbuckridge was officially transferred to Mpumalanga.[10]

Geography

Bushbuckridge is bounded by Mopani District Municipality of Limpopo Province to the north, by Mozambique to the east, by Mbombela Local Municipality and Nkomazi Local Municipality to the south, and by Thaba Chweu Local Municipality and Maruleng Local Municipality to the west.[2][3]

The 2013 proposal to adjust the border between the municipal area of Mbombela Local Municipality (MP322) and Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (MP325)[11] was approved for implementation in 2016.[12]

Demographics

The population of the municipality in the 2011 census was 541,248.[3] The principal first language is Tsonga (57%), followed by Northern Sotho with about 25%.[8]

Administrative subdivisions

Bushbuckridge Local Municipality consists of 135 settlements and is divided into thirty-seven wards.[3][4]

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[13]

Place Code Area (km2) Population Most spoken language
Amashangana 98601 584.12 106,877 Tsonga, Zulu
Bushbuckridge 98602 72.65 1,726 Northern Sotho, Zulu
College View 98603 1.78 1,927 Sotho
Hoxane 98604 53.19 39,617 Tsonga
Hoxani 98605 93.05 14,341 Tsonga
Jongilanga 98606 256.87 50,128 Tsonga
Malele 98607 16.08 11,637 Northern Sotho
Manyeleti 98608 185.69 114 Tsonga
Mapulaneng 98609 35.25 12 Northern Sotho
Mathibela 98610 111.46 57,416 Swazi
Mnisi 98611 461.03 66,659 Tsonga
Moletele 98612 51.29 22,527 Northern Sotho
Moreipuso 98613 84.43 28,322 Northern Sotho
Sabiesand Game Reserve 98614 4.70 134 English
Setlhare 98615 168.93 44,000 Northern Sotho
Thabakgolo 98616 100.14 53,624 Northern Sotho
Remainder of the municipality 88601 315.93 641 Northern Sotho

Politics

The municipal council consists of seventy-four members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Thirty-seven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirty-seven wards, while the remaining thirty-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 18 May 2011 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of fifty-five seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.[14][15]

Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total  % Ward List Total
African National Congress 81,338 87,006 168,344 74.4 35 20 55
Bushbuckridge Residents Association 11,103 11,153 22,256 9.8 1 6 7
Congress of the People 4,776 4,556 9,332 4.1 0 3 3
African People's Convention 4,201 4,186 8,387 3.7 0 3 3
Democratic Alliance 4,444 3,887 8,331 3.7 0 3 3
Independent 4,010 – 4,010 1.8 1 – 1
Pan Africanist Congress 1,800 1,020 2,820 1.3 0 1 1
African Christian Democratic Party 843 839 1,682 0.7 0 1 1
United Democratic Movement 366 441 807 0.4 0 0 0
Ximoko Party 36 156 192 0.1 0 0 0
Total 112,917 113,244 226,161 100.0 37 37 74
Spoilt votes 2,228 2,872 5,100

Notes and references

  1. ↑ In 2001 there were thirty-four wards. By the 2011 census there were thirty-seven due to expansion of the municipality by the addition of parts of the Kruger National Park.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ South African Languages - Place names
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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