Kouga Local Municipality
Kouga | |
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UTC+2 (SAST ) | |
Municipal code | EC108 |
Kouga Municipality (
Regional access to the area is obtained via the
Topography and climate
The municipality is characterised by 3 main topographical regions:
- The coastal region stretches from the Van Stadens River in the east through the Tsitsikamma River in the west. This zone includes the towns of Oyster Bay. The coast serves as a major national and regional tourism attraction.
- The Loerie and Thornhillare focal points of this high-potential agricultural region.
- The Humansdorp and Kruisfontein area is characterised by moderate slopes in the south, with steeper slopes towards the north and northwest.[3]
The four main rivers in the area – the Kromme, Seekoei, Kabeljouws and Gamtoos – are all tidal rivers. The Kromme River and Gamtoos River are significant sources of water supply. Ground water forms another major component of domestic water supply for towns in the Kouga region, especially Humansdorp, Jeffreys Bay, St Francis Bay, Cape St Francis and Oyster Bay. Aquifers are also utilised in the agricultural sector for irrigation of pastures.
There are numerous areas of wetland adjacent to the region's rivers and on the coastal platform. These wetlands are extremely sensitive to disturbances such as agricultural activities and development. The wetlands accommodate high species diversity, and fulfil natural water purification and flood retention roles.
The climate of the Kouga region is
Towns and settlements
More than 70% of the population of the Kouga region lives in urban areas.[5] Humansdorp, with over 24,000 residents, has an established infrastructure and acts as a regional service centre, supplying the surrounding agricultural communities and the coastal towns with commodities and services. Commercial and industrial activities of the region are centred in Humansdorp.
The coastal towns of
The urban areas of Hankey and Patensie, situated in the Gamtoos River Valley, provide important services to the surrounding high-density agriculture industry.
Other settlements in the Kouga region include:
Politics
The municipal council consists of thirty members elected by
History
Kouga Local Municipality was formed at the time of the municipal elections in December 2000, by the merger of the earlier councils of Humansdorp, Jeffrey's Bay, Hankey, Oyster Bay, Patensie and St Francis Bay. The Democratic Alliance (DA), at the time a joint project of the New National Party (NNP) and the Democratic Party (DP), took power after the first local elections.
The NNP withdrew from the DA in 2001 to instead align with its old rival, the African National Congress (ANC). During the floor crossing period in 2002, one DA councillor defected to the NNP, allowing an ANC-NNP coalition to take over governance of the municipality. Kouga remained under ANC control for the next 14 years, with the party winning a comfortable victory in 2006 and narrowly retaining power after a closely fought election in 2011.
In the
Hendricks was re-elected as mayor following the 2021 municipal elections. He resigned from office in June 2023 and deputy mayor Hattingh Bornman was elected to succeed him.[7]
The following table shows the results of the 2021 municipal election.
Party | Ward | List | Total seats | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||
Independent candidates | 833 | 2.44 | 0 | 0 | ||||
United Democratic Movement | 106 | 0.31 | 0 | 277 | 0.81 | 0 | 0 | |
Good | 107 | 0.31 | 0 | 134 | 0.39 | 0 | 0 | |
Compatriots of South Africa | 34 | 0.10 | 0 | 64 | 0.19 | 0 | 0 | |
The Organic Humanity Movement | 25 | 0.07 | 0 | 28 | 0.08 | 0 | 0 | |
African Transformation Movement | 5 | 0.01 | 0 | 36 | 0.11 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 34,072 | 100.00 | 15 | 34,022 | 100.00 | 15 | 30 | |
Valid votes | 34,072 | 98.81 | 34,022 | 98.51 | ||||
Invalid/blank votes | 410 | 1.19 | 513 | 1.49 | ||||
Total votes | 34,482 | 100.00 | 34,535 | 100.00 | ||||
Registered voters/turnout | 60,572 | 56.93 | 60,572 | 57.01 | ||||
Source: [8] |
Main places
The
Place | Code | Area (km2) | Population | Most spoken language |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aston Bay |
20801 | 2.12 | 918 | Afrikaans |
Cape St Francis |
20802 | 2.51 | 165 | Afrikaans |
Hankey | 20803 | 20.24 | 8,281 | Afrikaans |
Humansdorp | 20804 | 35.94 | 15,338 | Afrikaans |
Jeffreys Bay | 20805 | 11.25 | 14,775 | Afrikaans |
KwaNomzamo |
20807 | 1.21 | 6,553 | Xhosa |
Loerie |
20808 | 0.42 | 1,824 | Afrikaans |
Oyster Bay |
20809 | 1.34 | 348 | Afrikaans |
Paradise Beach |
20810 | 3.79 | 492 | Afrikaans |
Patensie | 20811 | 6.68 | 4,271 | Afrikaans |
St Francis Bay | 20812 | 7.34 | 2,195 | Afrikaans |
Sunnyside | 20813 | 0.14 | 208 | Afrikaans |
Thornhill | 20814 | 1.46 | 1,294 | Afrikaans |
Weston |
20815 | 0.68 | 1,540 | Xhosa |
Remainder of the municipality | 20806 | 2,322.26 | 12,489 | Afrikaans |
Notes
- ^ Plaatjies, Razaan. "Hattingh Bornman elected as new Kouga mayor". News24. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ^ "Integrated Development Plan (2007–2012)" (PDF). Kouga Local Municipality. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
- ^ "Integrated Development Plan (2007–2012)" (PDF). Kouga Local Municipality. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
- ^ a b "Integrated Development Plan (2007–2012)" (PDF). Kouga Local Municipality. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
- ^ "Kouga mayor loses 9-year battle with cancer". News24. 19 April 2018.
- ^ "NEW EXECUTIVE MAYOR ELECTED FOR KOUGA MUNICIPALITY". www.kouga.gov.za. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Kouga". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa[permanent dead link]
References
- Official website
- Official Tourism website
- Integrated Development Plan (2007–2012). Kouga Local Municipality. Retrieved on 5 October 2009.