Hantam Local Municipality

Hantam Municipality (Afrikaans: Hantam Munisipaliteit) is a local municipality within the Namakwa District Municipality, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.

Hantam
Official seal of Hantam
Location in the Northern Cape
Location in the Northern Cape
Coordinates: 31°15′S 19°45′E / 31.250°S 19.750°E / -31.250; 19.750
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceNorthern Cape
DistrictNamakwa
SeatCalvinia
Wards7
Government
 • TypeMunicipal council
 • MayorRoger Nieldo Swartz (ANC)[1]
Area
 • Total36,128 km2 (13,949 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[3]
 • Total21,578
 • Density0.60/km2 (1.5/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African4.4%
 • Coloured82.2%
 • Indian/Asian0.7%
 • White12.1%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans96.7%
 • English1.1%
 • Other2.2%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeNC065

Hantam is a Khoekhoe word that means "mountains where the bulbs grow". The municipality is named after the Hantam Mountains found in the area.[4]

Main places

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The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[5]

Place Code Population Area (km2)
Brandvlei 366001 2,859 29.3
Calvinia 366005 9,680 154.5
Loeriesfontein 366003 2,744 34.5
Nieuwoudtville 366004 2,093 26.3
Tankwa Karoo National Park 366006 28 267.9
Remainder 366002 4,175 35,615.7
Total 21,578 36,128.0

Finances

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In the 2018/19 financial year, 78% of the council's expenditure was deemed unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful, down from 95% the previous year. At the end of the 2019 year, the council had a cash balance to cover its operating costs for ten days.[6]

Politics

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The municipal council consists of thirteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Seven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in seven wards, while the remaining six 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 no party obtained a majority of seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.[7][8]

Hantam local election, 1 November 2021
Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
African National Congress 3,660 3,637 7,297 44.5% 5 1 6
Democratic Alliance 2,322 2,359 4,681 28.6% 2 2 4
Patriotic Alliance 602 623 1,225 7.5% 0 1 1
Freedom Front Plus 604 587 1,191 7.3% 0 1 1
Namakwa Civic Movement 338 390 728 4.4% 0 1 1
Good 240 254 494 3.0% 0 0 0
Congress of the People 144 216 360 2.2% 0 0 0
Independent candidates 207 207 1.3% 0 0
Economic Freedom Fighters 75 82 157 1.0% 0 0 0
African Christian Democratic Party 26 21 47 0.3% 0 0 0
Total 8,218 8,169 16,387 7 6 13
Valid votes 8,218 8,169 16,387 98.0%
Spoilt votes 161 172 333 2.0%
Total votes cast 8,379 8,341 16,720
Voter turnout 8,393
Registered voters 13,732
Turnout percentage 61.1%

References

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  1. ^ "Hantam Municipality - About Us". Hantam Municipality. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  2. ^ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ^ South African Languages - Place names
  5. ^ "Hantam Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  6. ^ Kretzmann, Steve (2021-05-26). "Elections 2021: Despite scandals and huge wastage, the ANC council looks secure in Hantam". GroundUp News. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  7. ^ "Results Summary - All Ballots" (PDF). Electoral Commission of South Africa. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Seat Calculation Detail" (PDF). Electoral Commission of South Africa. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
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