Masilonyana Municipality (Sotho: Masepala wa Masilonyana; Xhosa: uMasipala wase Masilonyana) is a local municipality within the Lejweleputswa District Municipality, in the Free State province of South Africa. Masilonyana is a Setswana word meaning "freedom".[4]
Masilonyana | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
.svg) Location in the Free State | |
| Coordinates: 28°31′00″S 27°01′00″E / 28.5167°S 27.0167°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Free State |
| District | Lejweleputswa |
| Seat | Theunissen |
| Wards | 10 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Kunatu Steve Koalane |
| Area | |
• Total | 6,796 km2 (2,624 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | |
• Total | 63,800 |
| • Density | 9.39/km2 (24.3/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2022) | |
| • Black African | 89.3% |
| • Coloured | 0.8% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.3% |
| • White | 9.5% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Sotho | 66.9% |
| • Xhosa | 10.8% |
| • Afrikaans | 9.6% |
| • Tswana | 6.9% |
| • Other | 5.8% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Municipal code | FS181 |
Main places
editThe 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[5]
| Place | Code | Area (km2) | Population | Most spoken language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandfort | 27.08 | 3,134 | Afrikaans | |
| Ikgomotseng | 1.14 | 3,253 | Tswana | |
| Majemasweu | 2.79 | 9,765 | Sotho | |
| Makeleketla | 3.69 | 12,701 | Sotho | |
| Masilo | 4.70 | 21,963 | Sotho | |
| Theunissen | 9.15 | 1,549 | Afrikaans | |
| Tshepong | 0.61 | 2,042 | Sotho | |
| Verkeerdevlei | 7.27 | 93 | Afrikaans | |
| Winburg | 63.46 | 1,373 | Afrikaans | |
| Remainder of the municipality | 6,676.18 | 7,461 | Sotho |
Politics
editThe municipal council consists of nineteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Ten councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in ten wards, while the remaining nine are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the 2021 South African municipal elections the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of eleven seats on the council.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[6]
| Party | Ward | List | Total seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||
| African National Congress | 6,793 | 52.97 | 9 | 7,286 | 56.67 | 2 | 11 | |
| Democratic Alliance | 2,455 | 19.14 | 1 | 2,801 | 21.78 | 3 | 4 | |
| Economic Freedom Fighters | 1,171 | 9.13 | 0 | 1,536 | 11.95 | 2 | 2 | |
| Independent candidates | 1,426 | 11.12 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Freedom Front Plus | 701 | 5.47 | 0 | 676 | 5.26 | 1 | 1 | |
| Forum for Service Delivery | 102 | 0.80 | 0 | 196 | 1.52 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 other parties | 177 | 1.38 | 0 | 363 | 2.82 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 12,825 | 100.00 | 10 | 12,858 | 100.00 | 9 | 19 | |
| Valid votes | 12,825 | 97.53 | 12,858 | 97.56 | ||||
| Invalid/blank votes | 325 | 2.47 | 322 | 2.44 | ||||
| Total votes | 13,150 | 100.00 | 13,180 | 100.00 | ||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 29,408 | 44.72 | 29,408 | 44.82 | ||||
Financial mismanagement
editIn January 2025, the municipality was listed as one of the top ten municipalities in arrears on their pension contributions.[7]
References
edit- ↑ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- 1 2 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ↑ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ↑ South African Languages - Place names
- ↑ "Census 2011: Local Municipality: Masilonyana".
- ↑ "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Masilonyana". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
- ↑ Banda, Michelle (2025-01-30). "Free State's Mafube Municipality owes workers' pension fund R14m, racks up R113m in arrears". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2025-02-03.