Gamagara Local Municipality
Gamagara | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
.svg) Location in the Northern Cape | |
| Coordinates: 27°40′S 23°00′E / 27.667°S 23.000°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Northern Cape |
| District | John Taolo Gaetsewe |
| Seat | Kathu |
| Wards | 8 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Henriette du Plessis[2] (DA) |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,619 km2 (1,011 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[3] | |
• Total | 29,580 |
| • Density | 11.29/km2 (29.25/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2022) | |
| • Black African | 46.2% |
| • Coloured | 33.8% |
| • Indian/Asian | 1.1% |
| • White | 18.8% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 53.9% |
| • Tswana | 33.7% |
| • English | 3.6% |
| • Sotho | 1.4% |
| • Other | 7.4% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Municipal code | NC453 |
| Website | gamagara |
Gamagara Municipality (Afrikaans: Gamagara Munisipaliteit; Tswana: Mmasepala wa Gamagara) is a local municipality within the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.[5]
Name
[edit]The name Gamogara is of Setswana origin. The municipality is named after a dry river which was in turn named after a man called Mogara of the Makwere clan (Batlhaping). During the early days of exploration, Mogara was the first person to settle in this part of the country.
After 1887, the area became dominated by White farmers who then changed the name as they were unable to pronounce it correctly. Hence it was called Gamagara instead of Gamogara.
The name is derived from a dry river that ran from Dibeng to join the Kuruman (Segonyana) river at Dikgatlong tsa ga Kganyile. Incidentally, this is the route the Ba ga Motlhware followed on their way to their headquarters, Maje a Mokhothu (Langeberg).[6]
Main places
[edit]The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[7]
| Place | Code | Area (km2) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dibeng | 32401 | 8.58 | 4,023 |
| Dingleton | 32402 | 1.56 | 2,866 |
| Ditloung | 31903 | 0.62 | 3,044 |
| Kathu | 32404 | 8.53 | 8,247 |
| Olifantshoek | 31907 | 3.51 | 3,985 |
| Remainder of the municipality | 32403 | 2,449.38 | 1,048 |
Demographics
[edit]According to the 2022 South African census, the municipality had a population of 29,580 people. Of these, 46.2% identified as "Black African," 33.8% as "Coloured," and 18.8 as "White."[8]
Household income
[edit]Gamagara is the municipality with the highest average taxable income in the entirety of South Africa. This is as a result of a small tax base and highly lucrative employment opportunities. Mining town and rail jobs related to the iron ore industry are known to often be well-paid, and average taxable income across a small population is therefore skewed by a small number of high earners.[9]
In January 2026, according to the South African Revenue Service, Gamagara's average taxable income across its 10,979 taxpayers was R508,901 - significantly (57%) above the national average of just over R323,000.[10]
Politics
[edit]The municipal council consists of fifteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Eight councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in eight wards, while the remaining seven 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.[11][12]
| Gamagara local election, 1 November 2021 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Seats | ||||||
| Ward | List | Total | % | Ward | List | Total | ||
| African National Congress | 4,973 | 4,961 | 9,934 | 43.1% | 6 | 1 | 7 | |
| Democratic Alliance | 3,931 | 4,005 | 7,936 | 34.4% | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Gamagara Community Forum | 1,556 | 1,503 | 3,059 | 13.3% | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Economic Freedom Fighters | 861 | 798 | 1,659 | 7.2% | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Freedom Front Plus | 220 | 218 | 438 | 1.9% | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| South African Royal Kingdoms Organization | 6 | 36 | 42 | 0.2% | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 11,547 | 11,521 | 23,068 | 8 | 7 | 15 | ||
| Valid votes | 11,547 | 11,521 | 23,068 | 98.7% | ||||
| Spoilt votes | 146 | 151 | 297 | 1.3% | ||||
| Total votes cast | 11,693 | 11,672 | 23,365 | |||||
| Voter turnout | 11,707 | |||||||
| Registered voters | 23,135 | |||||||
| Turnout percentage | 50.6% | |||||||
References
[edit]- ↑ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ↑ Hoo, Sandi Kwon (2023-05-29). "New DA mayor for Gamagara Municipality". DFA. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
- 1 2 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ↑ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ↑ "Gamagara Local Municipality". The Government of South Africa. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ↑ South African Languages - Place names
- ↑ Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Gamagara (Local Municipality, South Africa) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Archived from the original on 2025-04-24. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ↑ Shaun Jacobs (28 January 2026). "The small Western Cape town where South Africa's poorest people live". Daily Investor. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ↑ Shaun Jacobs (22 January 2026). "The tiny municipality where the people who make the most money in South Africa live". Daily Investor. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ↑ "Results Summary - All Ballots" (PDF). Electoral Commission of South Africa. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ↑ "Seat Calculation Detail" (PDF). Electoral Commission of South Africa. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
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