//Khara Hais Local Municipality

//Khara Hais
Local municipality

Seal

Location in the Northern Cape
Coordinates: 27°40′S 21°20′E / 27.667°S 21.333°E / -27.667; 21.333Coordinates: 27°40′S 21°20′E / 27.667°S 21.333°E / -27.667; 21.333
Country South Africa
Province Northern Cape
District ZF Mgcawu
Seat Upington
Wards 14
Government[1]
 • Type Municipal council
 • Mayor Limakhotso Koloi (ANC)
Area
 • Total 21,780 km2 (8,410 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 93,494
 • Density 4.3/km2 (11/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 23.1%
 • Coloured 65.2%
 • Indian/Asian 0.7%
 • White 9.9%
First languages (2011)[3]
 • Afrikaans 86.5%
 • Xhosa 5.1%
 • Tswana 3.6%
 • English 1.9%
 • Other 2.9%
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code NC083

//Khara Hais Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It falls within the ZF Mgcawu District Municipality and governs the town of Upington and surrounding rural areas. As of 2011 it the municipality has a population of approximately 93,500 people, and covers an area of 21,780 square kilometres (8,410 sq mi).[4] The unusual spelling of the name, with the // character, is a result of the transcription of the click consonant used in the Kxoe language from which the name originates.

Geography

The municipality area covers 21,780 square kilometres (8,410 sq mi) and stretches from the Orange River valley northwards to the international border with Botswana. Irrigation from the Orange River has produced a narrow band of irrigated land along the valley, while the rest of the municipality is desert, being the southernmost extent of the Kalahari. The Molopo and Kuruman Rivers flow intermittently through this desert area.

According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 93,494 people in 23,245 households. 65.2% of these people describe themselves as "Coloured", 23.1% as "Black African", and 9.9% as "White". 86.5% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 5.1% speak Xhosa, 3.6% speak Tswana and 1.9% speak English.[4]

Most of the residents of the municipality live in the town of Upington, which has a population of 74,834.[5] There are several smaller agricultural villages in the Orange River valley; they include (from east to west) Lamprechtsdrif (pop. 817), Karos (pop. 1,249), Leerkrans (pop. 1,383), Straussburg (pop. 1,157), Swartkop (pop. 1,652), Louisvale (pop. 4,435)[6] and Klippunt (pop. 3,473).

Politics

The municipal council consists of twenty-seven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Fourteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fourteen wards, while the remaining thirteen 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 sixteen 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 19,036 19,339 38,375 60.5 12 4 16
Democratic Alliance 7,752 7,756 15,508 24.4 2 5 7
Congress of the People 4,510 4,405 8,915 14.0 0 4 4
Freedom Front Plus 224 249 473 0.7 0 0 0
Independent 186 – 186 0.3 0 – 0
Total 31,708 31,749 63,457 100.0 14 13 27
Spoilt votes 384 346 730

Wine Industry

Most of Upington's wines are produced by Orange River Wine Cellars (OWC). The company has six depots in the area (all of them on the banks of the Orange River) at Upington, Kanoneiland, Grootdrink, Kakamas, Keimoes and Groblershoop. The wines from OWC are exported, inter alia, to Europe and the USA. A number of privately owned cellars also exist in the area. The //Khara Hais region accounts for more or less 40% of South Africa's grape exports.

References

  1. ↑ "Council". //Khara Hais Municipality. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 "//Khara Hais". Census 2011.
  5. ↑ Including the township of Pabalello.
  6. ↑ Including Eldansrus and Raaswater.
  7. ↑ "Results Summary – All Ballots: Khara Hais" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail: Khara Hais" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 November 2013.

External links

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