Editing Hessequa Local Municipality

{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Hessequa
| official_name      = 
| other_name         = 
| native_name        = 
| settlement_type    = [[Local municipality (South Africa)|Local municipality]]
<!-- images, nickname --->| image_seal         = Hessequa_CoA.png
| seal_size          = 150x100px
<!-- maps and coordinates ------>| image_map          = Map of the Western Cape with Hessequa highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 
| map_alt            = 
| map_caption        = Location of Hessequa Local Municipality within the Western Cape
| coordinates        = {{coord|34|10|S|21|15|E|region:ZA_type:adm3rd_dim:100km|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
<!-- location ------------------>| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[South Africa]]
| subdivision_type1  = Province
| subdivision_name1  = [[Western Cape]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Districts of South Africa|District]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Garden Route District Municipality|Garden Route]]
<!-- seat, smaller parts ------->| seat               = [[Riversdale, Western Cape|Riversdale]]
| parts_type         = [[Ward (South Africa)|Wards]]
| parts              = 9
<!-- government leaders -->| government_footnotes = <ref name="muni_mayor">{{cite web|url=http://www.gcis.gov.za/gcis/gcis_list.jsp?id=14&heading=Executive%20Mayors |title=Contact list: Executive Mayors |publisher=Government Communication & Information System |access-date=22 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714013749/http://www.gcis.gov.za/gcis/gcis_list.jsp?id=14&heading=Executive%20Mayors |archive-date=14 July 2010 }}</ref>
| government_type    = [[Municipal council]]
| leader_party       = [[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|DA]]
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Grant Riddles
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| leader_title2      = 
| leader_name2       = <!-- area ---------------------->
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = 5733
<!-- population ---------------->| population_footnotes = <ref name="m279">{{cite web | title=Hessequa (Local Municipality, South Africa) | website=Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location | date=2022-02-02 | url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/southafrica/admin/western_cape/WC042__hessequa/ | access-date=2024-08-09}}</ref>
| population_total   = 71,918
| population_as_of   = 2022
| population_rank    = 
| population_density_km2 = auto
<!-- demographics (section 1) -->| demographics_type1 = Racial makeup {{nobold|(2022)}}
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="m279">{{cite web | title=Hessequa (Local Municipality, South Africa) | website=Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location | date=2022-02-02 | url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/southafrica/admin/western_cape/WC042__hessequa/ | access-date=2024-08-09}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1 = {{nobold|[[Bantu-speaking peoples of South Africa|Black African]]}}
| demographics1_info1 = 4.5%
| demographics1_title2 = {{nobold|[[Coloureds|Coloured]]}}
| demographics1_info2 = 72.5%
| demographics1_title3 = {{nobold|[[Indian South African|Indian]]/[[Asian South African|Asian]]}}
| demographics1_info3 = 0.3%
| demographics1_title4 = {{nobold|[[White South African|White]]}}
| demographics1_info4 = 22.0%
<!-- demographics (section 2) -->| demographics_type2 = [[First language]]s {{nobold|(2011)}}
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="muni_population">{{cite web |url=http://www.statssa.gov.za/?page_id=964 |title=Statistics by place  |publisher=Statistics South Africa |access-date=27 September 2015}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = {{nobold|[[Afrikaans]]}}
| demographics2_info1 = 92.4%
| demographics2_title2 = {{nobold|[[English language|English]]}}
| demographics2_info2 = 3.6%
| demographics2_title3 = {{nobold|[[Xhosa language|Xhosa]]}}
| demographics2_info3 = 2.1%
| demographics2_title4 = 
| demographics2_info4 = %
| demographics2_title5 = {{nobold|Other}}
| demographics2_info5 = 1.9%
<!-- time zone(s) -------------->| timezone1          = [[South African Standard Time|SAST]]
| utc_offset1        = +2
<!-- Municipal code -->| blank_name_sec1    = Municipal&nbsp;code
| blank_info_sec1    = WC042

<!-- website, footnotes -->| blank_name_sec2    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2018)
| blank_info_sec2    = 0.81<ref>{{cite web|title=Hessequa Municipality 2020 2020|url=https://www.westerncape.gov.za/provincial-treasury/sites/provincial-treasury.westerncape.gov.za/files/atoms/files/SEP-LG%202020%20-%20WC042%20Hessequa.pdf|accessdate=5 September 2024}}</ref> {{color|#00c400|very high}}
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Hessequa Municipality''' ({{langx|af|Hessequa Munisipaliteit}}), known before 24 June 2005 as '''Langeberg Municipality''', is a [[Local municipality (South Africa)|local municipality]] within the [[Garden Route District Municipality]], in the [[Western Cape]] province of [[South Africa]]. It is flanked by the lower [[Breede River]] to the west and the [[Gourits River]] to the east.  {{Asof|2022}}, the population was 71,918.  Its municipality code is WC042. The name '''Hessequa''', meaning "people of the trees", refers to the indigenous [[Khoikhoi]] people.

==Geography==
The municipality covers an area of {{convert|5733|km2}} between the [[Langeberg]] mountains and the Indian Ocean, stretching from the [[Breede River]] in the west to the [[Gourits River]] in the east. It abuts on the [[Swellendam Municipality]] to the west, the [[Kannaland Municipality]] to the north, the [[Oudtshoorn Municipality]] to the northeast, and the [[Mossel Bay Municipality]] to the east.

According to the 2022 census, the municipality had a population of 71,918 people, increasing at an annual rate of 3.2% from 2011. Of these, 72.5% identified as "[[Coloureds|Coloured]]," 22% as "[[White South Africans|White]]," and 4.5% as "[[Ethnic groups in South Africa|Black African]]."<ref>https://citypopulation.de/en/southafrica/admin/western_cape/WC042__hessequa/</ref>

The largest town in the municipality is [[Riversdale, Western Cape|Riversdale]], which as of 2011 has a population of 16,176. Riversdale, which is the location of the municipal headquarters, is located on the [[Vet River (Western Cape)|Vet River]] close to the foothills of the Langeberg. [[Heidelberg, Western Cape|Heidelberg]] (pop. 8,259) and [[Slangrivier]] (pop. 3,011) are to the west of Riversdale, while [[Albertinia, Western Cape|Albertinia]] (pop. 6,372) is to the east. [[Stilbaai]] (pop. 3,514) is on the coast south of Riversdale at the mouth of the Vet River, with [[Jongensfontein]] (pop. 355) and [[Melkhoutfontein]] (pop. 2,533) nearby. [[Witsand]] (pop. 321) is on the western edge of the municipality at the mouth of the Breede River, while [[Gouritsmond]] (pop. 515) is on the eastern edge at the mouth of the Gourits River.

==History==
At the end of the [[apartheid]] era, the area that is today the Hessequa Municipality formed part of the South Cape Regional Services Council (RSC). The towns of [[Riversdale, Western Cape|Riversdale]], [[Heidelberg, Western Cape|Heidelberg]], [[Albertinia, Western Cape|Albertinia]] and [[Stilbaai]] were governed by municipal councils elected by their [[white South African|white]] residents. The [[coloured]] residents of Riversdale, Heidelberg and Theronsville (Albertinia) were governed by management committees subordinate to the white councils. The seaside resorts of [[Witsand]], [[Jongensfontein]] and [[Gouritsmond]] were governed by elected local councils, and the town of [[Slangrivier]] was governed by a board of management.

While the [[Negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa|negotiations to end apartheid]] were taking place a process was established for local authorities to agree on voluntary mergers. In March 1992, the Municipality of Riversdale and the Riversdale Management Committee merged into a single municipal council, and in August 1992 a similar merger took place in Heidelberg.

After the [[South African general election, 1994|national elections of 1994]] a process of local government transformation began, in which negotiations were held between the existing local authorities, political parties, and local community organisations. As a result of these negotiations, the existing local authorities were dissolved and transitional local councils (TLCs) were created for each town and village. The smaller seaside resorts were also combined with larger towns.
* Riversdale TLC replaced the Municipality of Riversdale in October 1994.
* Heidelberg TLC replaced the Municipality of Heidelberg and the Witsand Local Council in December 1994.
* Albertinia-Gourits TLC replaced the Municipality of Albertinia, the Theronsville Management Committee and the Gouritsmond Local Council in January 1995.
* Stilbaai TLC replaced the Municipality of Stilbaai and the Jongensfontein Local Council in January 1995.
* Slangrivier TLC replaced the Slangrivier Management Board in January 1995.

The transitional councils were initially made up of members nominated by the various parties to the negotiations, until May 1996 when [[1995–96 South African municipal elections|elections were held]]. At the time of these elections the Albertinia-Gourits TLC was dissolved and replaced by separate TLCs for Albertinia and Gouritsmond. The South Cape District Council was established in place of the South Cape RSC, and transitional representative councils (TRCs) were elected to represent rural areas outside the TLCs on the District Council. The area that was to become Hessequa Municipality formed part of the Langeberg TRC.

At the [[South African municipal election, 2000|local elections of December 2000]] the TLCs and TRCs were dissolved and the Langeberg Municipality was established as a single local authority. At the same election the South Cape District Council was also dissolved and replaced by the [[Eden District Municipality]]. In 2005 the name of the local municipality was changed from Langeberg to Hessequa. (The Langeberg name was subsequently reused for the municipality formerly known as [[Breede River/Winelands Municipality|Breede River/Winelands]].)

== Politics ==
{{main|Hessequa Local Municipality elections}}
{{Politics of Western Cape}}
The municipal council consists of seventeen members elected by [[mixed-member proportional representation]]. Nine councillors are elected by [[first-past-the-post voting]] in nine [[ward (South Africa)|wards]], while the remaining eight are chosen from [[party list]]s so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the [[2021 South African municipal elections|election of 1 November 2021]] the [[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|Democratic Alliance]] (DA) won a majority of seats on the council.

The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Hessequa|url=https://wikitable.frith.dev/lge2021/WC042/short|access-date=2021-11-08|website=wikitable.frith.dev}}</ref>
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:right"
!colspan="9" align="center"| Hessequa local election, 1 November 2021
|-
!rowspan="2" colspan="2"| Party !!colspan="4" align="center"| Votes !!colspan="3" align="center"| Seats
|-
! Ward !! List !! Total !! % !! Ward !! List !! Total
|-
| {{Full party name with color |Democratic Alliance (South Africa)}}
| 10,391 || 10,597 || 20,988 || 50.2% || 6 || 3 || 9
|-
| {{Full party name with color |African National Congress}}
| 7,309 || 7,245 || 14,554 || 34.8% || 3 || 3 || 6
|-
| {{Full party name with color |Freedom Front Plus}}
| 1,647 || 1,577 || 3,224 || 7.7% || 0 || 1 || 1
|-
| {{Full party name with color |Patriotic Alliance (South Africa)}}
| 572 || 606 || 1,178 || 2.8% || 0 || 1 || 1
|-
| {{Full party name with color |Independent candidates}}
| 182 || – || 182 || 0.4% || 0 || – || 0
|-
| ||style="text-align:left"| 7 other parties
| 817 || 877 || 1,694 || 4.1% || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
|colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| '''Total'''
| '''20,918''' || '''20,902''' || '''41,820''' ||  || '''9''' || '''8''' || '''17'''
|-
|colspan="9"|
|-
|colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Valid votes
| 20,918 || 20,902 || 41,820 || 99.4%
|-
|colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| [[Spoilt vote]]s
| 103 || 138 || 241 || 0.6%
|-
|colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| '''Total votes cast'''
| '''21,021''' || '''21,040''' || '''42,061''' ||
|-
|colspan="6"|
|-
|colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Voter turnout
| 21,055
|-
|colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Registered voters
| 33,270
|-
|colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Turnout percentage
| 63.3%
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{official website|http://www.hessequa.gov.za/}}

{{Garden Route District Municipality}}
{{Municipalities of the Western Cape}}

[[Category:Local municipalities of the Garden Route District Municipality]]