Matatiele Local Municipality

Matatiele Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the Alfred Nzo District of Eastern Cape in South Africa. It adjoins Lesotho to the north, Elundini to the south-west, and Greater Kokstad to the east and its 4,352 km² makes the Matatiele Local Municipality largest of four municipalities in the district at almost half of its geographical area. ^[1]

Matatiele
Local municipality
Seal
Location in the Eastern Cape
Coordinates: 32°10′S 28°35′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Eastern Cape
District	Alfred Nzo
Seat	Matatiele
Wards	26
Government [1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	Momelezi Mbedla (ANC)
• Speaker	Nomasomi Mshuqwana (ANC)
• Chief Whip	Sonwabile Mngenela (ANC)
Area
• Total	4,352 km^2 (1,680 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	203,843
• Density	47/km^2 (120/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	98.1%
• Coloured	0.9%
• Indian/Asian	0.3%
• White	0.7%
First languages (2011) [2]
• Xhosa	57.4%
• Sotho	33.3%
• English	2.9%
• Zulu	1.9%
• Other	4.5%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	EC441

According to the South African National Census of 2011, its 203,483 (46.84 per km²) residents and 49,527 (11.38 per km²) households makes Matatiele Local Municipality the second largest populated place (Main Place 295) in the Alfred Nzo District behind Mbizana.^[2]

Once dominated by dinosaurs, wetlands and marshes, Matatiele derives its name from the Sotho language words “matata”, meaning wild ducks, and “ile”, meaning gone.  When taken together, Matatiele conveys a message that “ducks have flown”. ^[2] In Phuthi language, the town name is pronounced “Madadiyela”. The common informal name for the town in any of the languages mentioned, including English, is “Matat”. And those born here call it “sweet Matat”. ^[3]

Today, the Matatiele Local Municipality is home to quaint towns, fertile farmlands, and  rural villages scattered along its sparkling streams snuggled in the shadows of the Drakensberg Mountains.  Route 56  – known as the shortest and most scenic route between Cape Town in the Western Cape and Durban (South Africa’s third largest city) in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (“the garden province”) – is the major arterial trade route that cuts through the heart of the Matatiele Local Municipality in an east-west direction.

Main Economic Sectors: Community services (66.4%), trade (8.9%), finance, agriculture. ^[1]

Geography[edit]

The Matatiele Municipal District is mostly rural with the town of Matatiele serving as the main economic hub.

The area is located at the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains. The settlement pattern is characterised by dispersed rural settlements surrounded by subsistence farmlands in the former Transkei region. The western parts of the area (commercial agricultural farms) form part of the high production potential land stretching from Matatiele and Kokstad in the south through the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands to the north-western parts of KwaZulu-Natal. The Matatiele Municipal district adjoins the World Heritage Site along its western boundary and was included in the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Project (MDTP). The latter was a collaborative initiative between South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho to protect the exceptional biodiversity of the Drakensberg and Maloti Mountains through conservation, sustainable resource use, and land-use and development planning. ^[1]

Drakensberg Mountains have three passes that allow access from the Matatiele Municipal District to Lesotho. From west to east these are Ongeluksnek (4x4 only), then the bigger, more popular pass, which is Qachas Nek, but a little further to the east is the much more difficult and spectacular Ramatselitso Pass. All three passes end at the South Africa-Lesotho border posts of the same names and require a valid passport to cross. ^[4]

The Matatiele Nature Reserve is a core protected area within the Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area. The north-eastern reserves reaches of the Eastern Cape near the border with KwaZulu-Natal. To the south is the town of Matatiele and to the north is the Drakensberg – the name given to the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. Most of the reserve is pure grassland, although there is a meagre woodland and, along the high ridges and spurs, is the odd bit of scrub in amongst rocks and along drainage lines.

The Matatiele nature reserve was created to protect the important grasslands, wetlands and rare species of plants and includes bird-rich commonage and a wide valley known as the Cedarville Flats. It is the  only reserve to formally conserve the critically endangered Rudd's lark, which needs short, dense grass cover (usually no higher than 0.6 metres) to survive. It occurs in very few locations in South Africa. ^[5]

References[edit]

1. Municipalities of South Africa: [ https://municipalities.co.za/overview/1001/matatiele-local-municipality ]
2. 2011 Census of South Africa: [ https://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/244  ]
3. Government of Matatiele Website Quick Facts: [ https://matatiele.co.za/quick-facts-about-matatiele/ ]
4. Mountain Passes of South Africa Website: [https://www.mountainpassessouthafrica.co.za/find-a-pass/eastern-cape/itemlist/tag/Matatiele.html ]
5. South Africa Explore Website: [ https://www.sa-venues.com/game-reserves/matatiele.php ]

Main places

The 2011 census for the Matatiele Local Municipality states a population of 203,834 with these most populated main places:[3]

Place	Code	Area (km^2)	Population	Most spoken language
Cedarville	295185	12.4	4,412	Xhosa
Maluti	295117	4.21	7,223	Xhosa
Matatiele NU	295005	3,871.2	5,630	Xhosa
Matatiele	295171	11.2	12,466	Xhosa
Kgubetsoana	295094	5.63	3,761	Xhosa
Complete 2011 Census Data	295	4,352.31	203,834	Xhosa

Politics

Municipal council

The municipal council consists of fifty-one members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty-six councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-six wards, while the remaining twenty-five 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 3 August 2016 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of thirty-eight seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.[4][5]

Party		Votes				Seats
		Ward	List	Total	%	Ward	List	Total
	ANC	40,772	41,684	82,456	73.6	26	12	38
	Democratic Alliance	5,349	4,522	9,871	8.8	0	5	5
	African Independent Congress	4,068	3,918	7,986	7.1	0	4	4
	Economic Freedom Fighters	3,815	3,810	7,625	6.8	0	3	3
	UDM	631	1,536	2,167	1.9	0	1	1
	Independent	1,092	–	1,092	1.0	0	–	0
	African People's Convention	320	382	702	0.6	0	0	0
	His Lordship to Save and Lead Party	44	145	189	0.2	0	0	0
Total		56,091	55,997	112,088	100.0	26	25	51
Spoilt votes		1,734	1,837	3,571

Conflict over provincial jurisdiction

The town of Matatiele was part of Cape Province until being transferred to Natal in 1978. In 2005, the municipality was moved from the KwaZulu-Natal province to the Eastern Cape as part of the Twelfth Amendment of the Constitution of South Africa, over the objections of the majority of residents, some of whom in response founded the African Independent Congress. On 18 August 2006 the Constitutional Court ruled that the part of the 12th Amendment dealing with the transfer of Matatiele from KwaZulu-Natal to the Eastern Cape was invalid due to insufficient consultation with stakeholders.[6] The situation was eventually resolved, and Matatiele was confirmed as part of Eastern Cape province under the 13th Amendment.[7]

References

1. "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
2. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
3. "Census 2011: Local Municipality: Matatiele". census2011.adrianfrith.com. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
4. "Results Summary – All Ballots: Matatiele" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
5. "Seat Calculation Detail: Matatiele" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

• http://matatiele.gov.za/