Nala Local Municipality

Nala Municipality (Sotho: Masepala wa Nala) is a local municipality within the Lejweleputswa District Municipality, in the Free State province of South Africa. Nala is a Sesotho word meaning "affluence or plenty". It is derived from the maize belt and economic prosperity of the area.^[4] The municipality serves the community in and around Bothaville, Kgotsong, Wesselsbron and Monyakeng.

Nala
Local municipality
Seal
Location in the Free State
Coordinates: 27°23′14″S 26°37′05″E
Country	South Africa
Province	Free State
District	Lejweleputswa
Seat	Bothaville
Wards	12
Government [1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	Nozililo Mashiya-Ntema
Area
• Total	4,129 km2 (1,594 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]
• Total	90,561
• Density	22/km2 (57/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2022) [2]
• Black African	93.8%
• Coloured	0.5%
• Indian/Asian	0.3%
• White	5.3%
First languages (2011) [3]
• Sotho	73.3%
• Xhosa	8.7%
• Afrikaans	7.3%
• Tswana	3.9%
• Other	6.8%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	FS185

Main places

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

Place	Census code	Area (km2)	Population
Balkfontein	468004	1.12	154
Bothaville	468001	33.26	4,152
Kgotsong	468002	9.74	41,878
Monyakeng	468005	3.80	25,392
Wesselsbron	468006	10.26	1,415
Remainder of the municipality	468003	4,070.61	8,229

Politics

Main article: Nala Local Municipality elections

The municipal council consists of twenty-four members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twelve councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twelve wards, while the remaining twelve 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) lost its majority, winning twelve of the twenty-four seats.

The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.^[6]

Party		Ward			List			Total seats
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	8,468	48.47	11	8,568	48.97	1	12
	Economic Freedom Fighters	4,078	23.34	0	4,037	23.07	6	6
	Democratic Alliance	1,620	9.27	1	1,683	9.62	1	2
	Nala Community Forum	1,432	8.20	0	1,495	8.54	2	2
	Freedom Front Plus	1,080	6.18	0	1,025	5.86	2	2
	Independent candidates	284	1.63	0				0
	5 other parties	507	2.90	0	690	3.94	0	0
Total		17,469	100.00	12	17,498	100.00	12	24
Valid votes		17,469	98.41		17,498	98.02
Invalid/blank votes		283	1.59		353	1.98
Total votes		17,752	100.00		17,851	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		37,963	46.76		37,963	47.02