Ditsobotla Local Municipality
Local municipality in North West, South Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ditsobotla Municipality (Tswana: Mmasepala wa Ditsobotla) is a local municipality within the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, in the North West province of South Africa. The seat of the municipality is Lichtenburg.
Ditsobotla | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
 Location in the North West | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | North West |
| District | Ngaka Modiri Molema |
| Seat | Lichtenburg |
| Wards | 21 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Tsholofelo Moreo |
| Area | |
• Total | 6,465 km2 (2,496 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 168,902 |
| • Density | 26.13/km2 (67.66/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 89.1% |
| • Coloured | 1.9% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.6% |
| • White | 8.2% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Tswana | 78.6% |
| • Afrikaans | 9.8% |
| • Xhosa | 3.0% |
| • English | 2.4% |
| • Other | 6.2% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Municipal code | NW384 |
Main places
The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[3]
| Place | Code | Area (km2) | Population | Most spoken language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakwena Ba Ga Serobatse | 60901 | 2.37 | 1,392 | Tswana |
| Banogeng | 60902 | 0.72 | 502 | Tswana |
| Boikhutso | 60903 | 2.22 | 16,914 | Tswana |
| Coligny | 60904 | 3.50 | 2,271 | Afrikaans |
| Ga-Raphalane | 60906 | 26.34 | 24,104 | Tswana |
| Itekeng | 60907 | 0.35 | 2,591 | Tswana |
| Itsoseng | 60908 | 7.62 | 22,879 | Tswana |
| Kopano | 60909 | 6.78 | 8,325 | Tswana |
| Lichtenburg | 60910 | 87.13 | 11,927 | Afrikaans |
| Mosiane | 60911 | 1.73 | 1,056 | Tswana |
| Tlhabologang | 60912 | 0.63 | 5,852 | Tswana |
| Remainder of the municipality | 60905 | 6,325.49 | 45,059 | Tswana |
Politics
The municipal council consists of thirty-nine members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty wards, while the remaining nineteen 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 twenty-one seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.[4]
| Party | Ward | List | Total seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||
| African National Congress | 15,005 | 50.00 | 17 | 15,625 | 53.19 | 4 | 21 | |
| Economic Freedom Fighters | 4,195 | 13.98 | 0 | 4,838 | 16.47 | 6 | 6 | |
| Democratic Alliance | 4,276 | 14.25 | 3 | 4,291 | 14.61 | 3 | 6 | |
| Independent candidates | 3,082 | 10.27 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Freedom Front Plus | 1,226 | 4.09 | 0 | 1,305 | 4.44 | 2 | 2 | |
| Forum for Service Delivery | 1,082 | 3.61 | 0 | 1,109 | 3.78 | 2 | 2 | |
| African Christian Democratic Party | 401 | 1.34 | 0 | 442 | 1.50 | 1 | 1 | |
| African Independent Congress | 770 | 2.62 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 7 other parties | 740 | 2.47 | 0 | 994 | 3.38 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 30,007 | 100.00 | 20 | 29,374 | 100.00 | 19 | 39 | |
| Valid votes | 30,007 | 97.03 | 29,374 | 95.10 | ||||
| Invalid/blank votes | 918 | 2.97 | 1,515 | 4.90 | ||||
| Total votes | 30,925 | 100.00 | 30,889 | 100.00 | ||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 69,421 | 44.55 | 69,421 | 44.50 | ||||
After infighting between two African National Congress factions, resulting in the council having two mayors and two speakers, the council was dissolved by the national and provincial governments. A by-election to elect an entirely new council will be held in December 2022.[5]
Municipal collapse
The municipality has experienced a collapse in basic services due to corruption, financial mismanagement and political instability. In 2025, it failed to submit financial reports to the Auditor General for scrutiny.
In November 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa described it as "a town taken over by gangsterism".[6]
The council was dissolved, and by-elections held in December 2022.[5][7]
However, the situation did not improve, and in October 2023, the court ordered the council be placed under provincial intervention.
In April 2025, after continued deterioration, non-profit organisation Sakeliga is seeking the highest form of intervention, national intervention.[6]
In July 2025, the court ordered the municipality to pay R7.5 million, plus interest, outstanding to a contractor. The contractor had completed electrical repairs in December 2023 according to its contract agreeing a fee of R7.6 million for the services. However, the municipality paid only R100,000, and then later claimed that the procurement was unlawful, making the contract invalid.[8]
In September 2025, cabinet placed Ditsobotla under administration.[9]
