Richtersveld Local Municipality

Richtersveld
Local municipality
Seal
Location in the Northern Cape
Coordinates: 28°45′S 17°00′E / 28.750°S 17.000°ECoordinates: 28°45′S 17°00′E / 28.750°S 17.000°E
Country	South Africa
Province	Northern Cape
District	Namakwa
Seat	Port Nolloth
Wards	4
Government[1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	Richard Leon Ambrosini
Area
• Total	9,608 km^2 (3,710 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
• Total	11,982
• Density	1.2/km^2 (3.2/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
• Black African	13.1%
• Coloured	76.6%
• Indian/Asian	0.5%
• White	8.5%
First languages (2011)[3]
• Afrikaans	87.0%
• Xhosa	6.1%
• English	2.6%
• Other	4.3%
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code	NC061

Richtersveld is an administrative area in the Namakwa District of Northern Cape in South Africa.

The municipality is named after Reverend W Richter, a Dutch missionary of the 20th century who opened a mission station in Koeboes.^[4]

History

Richtersveld is part of Little Namaqualand, the part of Namaqualand south of the Garib River. The original inhabitants of Namaqualand were overwhelmingly Khoi Khoi, but also included some San people.^[5]

During the 19th century, other people started settling in Little Namaqualand. These included some white Trekboere, and also a number of so-called basters. Missionaries too started showing an interest in Little Namaqualand. The Renisch Mission Society established a mission station under the charge of Reverend Hein at Kuboes during the mid 19th century.^[5]

On 23 December 1847 the British Crown, through annexation, extended the northern boundary of the then Cape Province from the Buffels River up to the Garib River. From that date the whole of Little Namaqualand (including the Richtersveld) became subject to British rule.^[5]

In 1925 diamonds were discovered near Port Nolloth. In 1927 a particularly rich deposit was found at the mouth of the Garib River at Alexander Bay. Many people moved into the area.^[5]

Main places

The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places:^[6]

Place	Code	Area (km^2)	Population	Most spoken language
Alexander Bay	363007	9.2	1,736	Afrikaans
Eksteenfontein	363008	0.7	531	Afrikaans
Grootderm	363006	3.0	80	Afrikaans
Kuboes	363005	0.9	948	Afrikaans
Lekkersing	363009	0.6	363	Afrikaans
Muisvlakte	363010	4.1	43	Setswana
Port Nolloth	363011	30.3	6,092	Afrikaans
Richtersveld National Park	363003	1,484.1	6	-
Sanddrif	363004	2.7	1,854	Afrikaans
Sendelingsdrif	363001	1.0	192	Afrikaans
Remainder	363002	8,071.1	139	Afrikaans
Total		9,607.7	11,982	Afrikaans

Politics

The municipal council consists of eight members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Four councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in four wards, while the remaining 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 18 May 2011 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of five seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.^[7][8]

Party		Votes				Seats
		Ward	List	Total	%	Ward	List	Total
	African National Congress	2,552	2,666	5,218	58.9	4	1	5
	Democratic Alliance	1,331	1,464	2,795	31.5	0	3	3
	Congress of the People	293	306	599	6.8	0	0	0
	Independent	253	–	253	2.9	0	–	0
Total		4,429	4,436	8,865	100.0	4	4	8
Spoilt votes		48	48	96

References

1. "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
2. "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. Richtersveld Decision, 22 March 2001, pp. 15-20
6. "Richtersveld Local Municipality". Census 2011.
7. "Results Summary – All Ballots: Richtersveld" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
8. "Seat Calculation Detail: Richtersveld" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 November 2013.

External links

• Official website