Kou-Kamma Municipality (; ) is a local municipality in South Africa. It is situated in the southwest corner of the Sarah Baartman District Municipality along the Indian Ocean coastline, in the southwestern sector of South Africa's Eastern Cape province. To the west lies the Western Cape. Kou-Kamma also borders the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality in the north and the Kouga Local Municipality to the east. The geographical area of the municipality is 12,540 square kilometres.
Its name is a blend of the names of the Kouga (Kou-) and Tsitsikamma (-Kamma) mountains, which in turn were named after the rivers Kouga and Tsitsikamma.
The municipality is a relatively poor area with high unemployment and low levels of literacy. Settlements tend to be scattered, which has posed challenges to the provision of infrastructure and basic services such as water, sanitation, and electricity. The Kou-Kamma Municipality is composed of two distinct regions: the coastal belt (referred to as the Tsitsikamma or the Western Coastal Zone, which includes settlements such as Coldstream, Stormsrivier and Clarkson), and the inland area of the Langkloof (including settlements such as Kareedouw, Tweeriviere, Joubertina and Louterwater). The two areas are separated by the Tsitsikamma Mountains. The nature of the two areas differs vastly. The Coastal Zone is characterised by a diverse and fast-growing economy driven by tourism and agriculture, a fast-growing population linked to the economic opportunities, a good water supply, and a wealth of holiday destinations and indigenous forests. In contrast, employment in the Langkloof is characterised by seasonal agriculture with high labour requirements. The area has greater challenges in terms of sufficient water supply, with additional pressure due to a high population growth related to migrant labour.
Main places The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa Place Code Area (km2) Population Most spoken language Boskop 209011.03531Xhosa Coldstream 209023.26954Afrikaans Joubertina 209032.68845Afrikaans Kagiso Height 209040.09854Xhosa Kareedouw 209051.67743Afrikaans Krakeel Rivier 209071.231,667Afrikaans Louterwater 209081.032,535Afrikaans Sandrif 209091.631,872Afrikaans Stormsrivier 209101.67598Afrikaans Thornham 209113.851,026Afrikaans Tsitsikamma National Park 2091211.05284Afrikaans Tweeriviere 209130.643,995Afrikaans Uitkyk 209141.212,303Afrikaans Witelsbos 209152.4742Afrikaans Woodslands 209160.351,304Afrikaans Remainder of the municipality 209063,541.3514,729Afrikaans
Politics
The municipal council consists of eleven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Six councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in six wards, while the remaining five 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 six seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.
References
External links Official website