Greater Kokstad Local Municipality

Greater Kokstad Municipality (Xhosa: uMasipala wase Greater Kokstad) is a local municipality within the Harry Gwala District Municipality, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Kokstad is derived from Dutch, meaning "town of Kok". It was named after Adam Kok III.^[3]

Greater Kokstad
Local municipality
Seal
Location in KwaZulu-Natal
Coordinates: 30°33′S 29°25′E
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
District	Harry Gwala District
Seat	Kokstad
Wards	10
Government [1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	Cllr Lwanda Madikizela
Area
• Total	2,680 km2 (1,030 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	65,981
• Density	25/km2 (64/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [2]
• Black African	87.1%
• Coloured	8.2%
• Indian/Asian	1.1%
• White	3.3%
First languages (2011) [2]
• Xhosa	70.5%
• English	8.8%
• Zulu	7.5%
• Afrikaans	6.9%
• Other	6.3%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	KZN433

Kokstad serves as the service centre and commercial hub for most of East Griqualand and nearby parts of the Eastern Cape.^[4]

Main places

The 2011 census for the Greater Kokstad Local Municipality states a population of 65,981 with these most populated main places:^[5]

Place	Code	Area (km2)	Population
Greater Kokstad NU	596002	2,611.04	9,926
Kokstad	596004	51.57	51,561
Franklin	596003	6.89	2,018
Full 2011 Census Report	596	2,679.82	65,981

Politics

Main article: Greater Kokstad Local Municipality elections

The municipal council consists of nineteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Ten councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in ten wards, while the remaining nine 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 twelve 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	11,886	59.54	10	11,888	59.21	2	12
	Economic Freedom Fighters	4,256	21.32	0	4,249	21.16	4	4
	Democratic Alliance	2,409	12.07	0	2,359	11.75	2	2
	African Independent Congress	293	1.47	0	380	1.89	1	1
	Patriotic Alliance	231	1.16	0	266	1.32	0	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	237	1.19	0	259	1.29	0	0
	African Transformation Movement	204	1.02	0	270	1.34	0	0
	Inkatha Freedom Party	218	1.09	0	232	1.16	0	0
	United Democratic Movement	128	0.64	0	150	0.75	0	0
	Independent candidates	71	0.36	0				0
	Abantu Batho Congress	29	0.15	0	26	0.13	0	0
Total		19,962	100.00	10	20,079	100.00	9	19
Valid votes		19,962	96.95		20,079	97.11
Invalid/blank votes		629	3.05		597	2.89
Total votes		20,591	100.00		20,676	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		43,691	47.13		43,691	47.32

Mismanagement

The municipality commenced construction of a sports complex in 2017. As of March 2024, R55 million has been spent, and the complex is still incomplete, with a further tender having been announced. The ratepayers association stated that the municipality has wasted the money, as it is being constructed in a wetland against the wishes and warnings of the community.^[7]