Lejweleputswa District Municipality
Lejweleputswa | |
|---|---|
|
Seal | |
Location of Lejweleputswa District Municipality within Free State | |
| Coordinates: 27°58′S 26°44′E / 27.967°S 26.733°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Free State |
| Seat | Welkom |
| Local municipalities | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Veronica Ntakumbana |
| Area | |
• Total | 31,930 km2 (12,330 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 627,626 |
| • Density | 19.66/km2 (50.91/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 88.9% |
| • Coloured | 1.9% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.4% |
| • White | 8.6% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Sotho | 62.2% |
| • Xhosa | 12.2% |
| • Afrikaans | 11.3% |
| • Tswana | 5.9% |
| • Other | 8.4% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Municipal code | DC18 |
The Lejweleputswa District Municipality (Sotho: Masepala wa Setereke wa Lejweleputswa; Xhosa: uMasipala weSithili sase Lejweleputswa; Afrikaans: Lejweleputswa-distriksmunisipaliteit) is one of the 5 districts of the Free State province of South Africa. The seat of the municipality is Welkom. As of 2011, a majority of its 657,019 residents speak Sotho. The district code is DC18. Lejweleputswa is a Sesotho word meaning "grey rock".
Neighbours
Lejweleputswa is surrounded by:
- Dr Kenneth Kaunda in North West to the north (DC40)
- Fezile Dabi to the north-east (DC20)
- Thabo Mofutsanyane to the south-east (DC19)
- Mangaung Metro to the south
- Xhariep to the south-west (DC16)
- Frances Baard in Northern Cape to the west (DC9)
- Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati in North West to the north-west (DC39)
Local municipalities
The district contains the following local municipalities:
| Local municipality | Population | % | Dominant language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matjhabeng | 408 156 | 62.12% | Sotho |
| Nala | 98 264 | 14.96% | Sotho |
| Masilonyana | 64 402 | 9.80% | Sotho |
| Tswelopele | 53 713 | 8.18% | Sotho |
| Tokologo | 32 455 | 4.94% | Tswana |
Demographics
The following statistics are from the 2001 census.
| Language | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Sotho | 403 866 | 61.47% |
| Xhosa | 99 455 | 15.14% |
| Afrikaans | 66 418 | 10.11% |
| Tswana | 50 835 | 7.74% |
| Zulu | 11 051 | 1.68% |
| English | 7 981 | 1.21% |
| Tsonga | 6 371 | 0.97% |
| Ndebele | 4 283 | 0.65% |
| Swati | 2 369 | 0.36% |
| Other | 2 141 | 0.33% |
| Northern Sotho | 1 666 | 0.25% |
| Venda | 554 | 0.08% |
Gender
| Gender | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 335 378 | 51.05% |
| Male | 321 641 | 48.95% |
Ethnic group
| Ethnic group | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Black African | 586 657 | 89.29% |
| White | 56 640 | 8.62% |
| Coloured | 13 179 | 2.01% |
| Indian/Asian | 543 | 0.08% |
Age
| Age | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| 000 - 004 | 62 795 | 9.56% |
| 005 - 009 | 63 350 | 9.64% |
| 010 - 014 | 70 582 | 10.74% |
| 015 - 019 | 70 068 | 10.66% |
| 020 - 024 | 59 737 | 9.09% |
| 025 - 029 | 55 793 | 8.49% |
| 030 - 034 | 53 328 | 8.12% |
| 035 - 039 | 54 193 | 8.25% |
| 040 - 044 | 46 564 | 7.09% |
| 045 - 049 | 36 013 | 5.48% |
| 050 - 054 | 25 801 | 3.93% |
| 055 - 059 | 17 994 | 2.74% |
| 060 - 064 | 14 175 | 2.16% |
| 065 - 069 | 10 978 | 1.67% |
| 070 - 074 | 6 841 | 1.04% |
| 075 - 079 | 3 991 | 0.61% |
| 080 - 084 | 3 014 | 0.46% |
| 085 - 089 | 1 111 | 0.17% |
| 090 - 094 | 432 | 0.07% |
| 095 - 099 | 171 | 0.03% |
| 100 plus | 88 | 0.01% |
Politics
Election results
Election results for Lejweleputswa in the South African general election, 2004.
- Population 18 and over: 418 466 [63.69% of total population]
- Total votes: 234 060 [35.62% of total population]
- Voting % estimate: 55.93% votes as a % of population 18 and over
| Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| African National Congress | 195 970 | 83.73% |
| Democratic Alliance | 20 043 | 8.56% |
| Freedom Front Plus | 3 774 | 1.61% |
| United Democratic Movement | 3 016 | 1.29% |
| African Christian Democratic Party | 2 806 | 1.20% |
| Pan African Congress | 2 387 | 1.02% |
| New National Party | 1 779 | 0.76% |
| Inkhata Freedom Party | 947 | 0.40% |
| Independent Democrats | 903 | 0.39% |
| Azanian People's Organisation | 816 | 0.35% |
| United Christian Democratic Party | 432 | 0.18% |
| SOPA | 283 | 0.12% |
| NA | 195 | 0.08% |
| CDP | 132 | 0.06% |
| EMSA | 131 | 0.06% |
| UF | 125 | 0.05% |
| PJC | 111 | 0.05% |
| TOP | 79 | 0.03% |
| KISS | 50 | 0.02% |
| NLP | 42 | 0.02% |
| Minority Front | 39 | 0.02% |
| Total | 234 060 | 100.00% |
Corruption
In August 2025, the ANC Provincial Executive Committee resolved to fire all its leaders in underperforming local municipality to address governance failures, corruption, and service delivery challenges ahead of the 2026 local elections. Lejweleputsa was one of those affected.[3]
References
- ^ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ a b c "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ^ Online, Central News (2025-08-21). "ANC Free State to Fire Leaders in Mafube, Moqhaka, Letsemeng, Nketoana, Nala, and Lejweleputswa Municipalities | Central News South Africa". Retrieved 2025-08-22.