Makana Local Municipality

Makana
Local municipality
Seal
Location in the Eastern Cape
Country	South Africa
Province	Eastern Cape
District	Sarah Baartman
Seat	Makhanda
Wards	14
Government [1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	Yandiswa Vara (ANC)
• Speaker	Mthuthuzeli Matyumza
• Chief Whip	Vacant
Area
• Total	4,376 km^2 (1,690 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]
• Total	97,815
• Density	22/km^2 (58/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2022) [2]
• African	69.8%
• Coloured	12.5%
• Indian/Asian	0.9%
• White	11.3%
First languages (2011) [3]
• Xhosa	71.5%
• Afrikaans	14.8%
• English	10.5%
• Other	3.2%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	EC104

Makana Municipality (Xhosa: uMasipala wase Makana; Afrikaans: Makana Munisipaliteit) is a local municipality which governs the town of Makhanda and surrounding areas in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It forms part of the Sarah Baartman District Municipality. The municipality is named after a Xhosa prophet and leader, Makana.[4]

Main places

The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[5]

Place	Code	Population	Area (km^2)	Most spoken language
Alicedale	264005	1,932	3.9	Afrikaans
Makhanda	264004	50,217	62.7	Xhosa
KwaNonzwakazi	264006	1,940	0.8	Xhosa
Rhini	264003	17,047	2.4	Xhosa
Riebeek East	264001	753	22.5	Xhosa
Sidbury	264007	115	7.9	Xhosa
Non-urban areas	264002	8,386	4,275.5	Xhosa
Total		80,390	4,375.6	Xhosa

Politics

Main article: Makana Local Municipality elections

The municipal council consists of twenty-seven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Fourteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fourteen wards, while the remaining thirteen 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 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of fourteen seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.[6]

Party		Ward			List			Total seats
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	9,341	49.53	11	9,333	51.82	3	14
	Makana Citizens Front	3,277	17.38	0	3,396	18.86	5	5
	Democratic Alliance	3,127	16.58	2	3,182	17.67	3	5
	Economic Freedom Fighters	1,130	5.99	0	1,050	5.83	2	2
	Independent candidates	1,099	5.83	1				1
	Makana Independent New Deal	330	1.75	0	371	2.06	0	0
	Patriotic Alliance	184	0.98	0	222	1.23	0	0
	Azanian People's Organisation	142	0.75	0	172	0.95	0	0
	Freedom Front Plus	135	0.72	0	136	0.76	0	0
	African Transformation Movement	95	0.50	0	149	0.83	0	0
Total		18,860	100.00	14	18,011	100.00	13	27
Valid votes		18,860	98.13		18,011	96.09
Invalid/blank votes		360	1.87		732	3.91
Total votes		19,220	100.00		18,743	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		43,664	44.02		43,664	42.93

Friendship Co-operation Agreement

In February 2011, Makana Municipality entered into a "Friendship Co-operation Agreement" with Raseborg Municipality in Finland. The project, which is to last three years, seeks to facilitate information sharing in the fields of economic development, arts & culture, women development, youth development, and education.[7][8]

Provincial Administration

On 28 August 2014 the Municipality was placed under administration in response to financial and infrastructural crises.[9] The interim administration order, made in terms of section 139(1)(b) of the South African Constitution, is expected to be reviewed after three months.[10] Shortly after the administration order was announced, news of a damning forensic report — the Kabuso report — naming several municipal officials purported to be involved in financial impropriety was made public.[11]

Dissolution

In 2014 the city council was placed under administration by the courts for three months. This was due to its financial instability and inability to provide basic services.[12] This intervention was not successful[12] and on 14 January 2020, the Eastern Cape High Court dissolved the municipal council. The municipality will subsequently head to fresh elections.[13][14] The Makhanda High Court made legal history by ordering the Makana Municipal Council to be dissolved.[12] The court ruled that its ongoing failure to provide services to the residents of Makhanda was unconstitutional.

Residents of Makhanda have widely welcomed a high court ruling that the Makana Municipal Council must be dissolved over its unconstitutional failure to provide services. It was the first such order by a court in South Africa. “This judgment sparks hope. We couldn’t live like this any more. We are very happy,” said Ayanda Kota, the founder of the Unemployed People's Movement, the organisation that brought the application.[8]

Maladministration

As of January 2024, the municipality is again under administration, one of 32 in the country, and three in the Eastern Cape where the provincial executive has intervened due to maladministration[15]

References

1. "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
2. "Makana (Local Municipality, South Africa)". City Population. 2 February 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
3. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
4. South African Languages - Place names
5. "Makana Local Municipality". Census 2011.
6. "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Makana". Election Result Table Generator - Adrian Frith. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
7. Groepies, Alvaira (25 November 2010). "Finland trip feedback". Makana Municipality. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
8. Ellis, Estelle (14 January 2020). "Residents hail high court order dissolving Makana Municipal Council". Daily Maverick.
9. "Gordhan seals Makana handover". Grocott's Mail. 28 August 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
10. Velaphi, Sithandiwe (29 August 2014). "Makana under administration for 3 months". The New Age. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
11. "Names behind Makana fiasco". DispatchLIVE. Times Media Group. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
12. Kotze, Joleen Steyn (20 January 2020). "Landmark court ruling highlights crisis in South Africa's cities and towns". The Conversation. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
13. Nowicki, Lucas (14 January 2020). "Makana Municipality to be dissolved, placed under administration - court orders". News24. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
14. Carlisle, Adrienne (14 January 2020). "Court rules Makana council must be dissolved". DispatchLIVE. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
15. Thorne, Seth. "South Africa's 32 most 'dysfunctional' municipalities". Businesstech. Retrieved 13 January 2024.

External links

• Makana Municipality
• Makana-Raseborg - blog documenting the progress of the friendship co-operation agreement.

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