Country South Africa Seat Piketberg Time zone SAST (UTC+2) Native afrikaans speakers 90.7% Native xhosa speakers 3.8% White population 16.9% | Province Western Cape Wards 7 Municipal code WC013 Native english speakers 2.5% Area 4,407 km² Black african population 11.3% | |
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District West Coast District Municipality | ||
Bergrivier Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It governs the towns of Piketberg (the seat of the municipal council), Velddrif and Porterville, as well as the surrounding villages and rural areas. As of 2011 it had a population of 61,897. It is located within the West Coast District Municipality and has municipality code WC013.
Contents
Map of Velddrif, South Africa
Geography
The municipality covers an area of 4,407 square kilometres (1,702 sq mi) stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Groot Winterhoek Mountains in the east. Much of its southern border follows the Berg River, while to the north it stretches as far as the Olifants River Mountains. The Piketberg mountain occupies the middle of the area. To the north it abuts on the Cederberg Municipality, to the east the Witzenberg Municipality, and to the south the Drakenstein, Swartland and Saldanha Bay Municipalities.
According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 61,897 people in 16,275 households. Of this population, 70.9% describe themselves as "Coloured", 16.9% as "White", and 11.3% as "Black African". The first language of 90.7% of the population is Afrikaans, while 3.8% speak Xhosa and 2.5% speak English.
The municipal headquarters are in the town of Piketberg, which is situated slightly north of the Berg River on the eastern slope of the mountain also known as the Piketberg. According to the 2011 census, Piketberg has a population of 12,075. The other principal towns in the municipality are Velddrif (pop. 11,017) on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Berg River, and Porterville (pop. 7,057) on the edge of the Groot Winterhoek Mountains.
There are smaller agricultural villages in the vicinity of Piketberg at Goedverwacht (pop. 1,979) and Wittewater (pop. 848), and in the northern parts of the municipality at Aurora (pop. 578), Eendekuil (pop. 1,530), and Redelinghuys (pop. 574). Dwarskersbos (pop. 670) is a fishing village and coastal resort near Velddrif.
Politics
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 18 May 2011 the Democratic Alliance (DA) obtained a majority of seven seats on the council.
The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.
The local council sends two representatives to the council of the West Coast District Municipality: one from the Democratic Alliance and one from the African National Congress.