Moqhaka Local Municipality
Local municipality in Free State, South Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moqhaka Municipality (Sotho: Masepala wa Moqhaka; Afrikaans: Moqhaka Munisipaliteit) is a local municipality within the Fezile Dabi District Municipality, in the Free State province of South Africa.[4] In 2022, the population was 155,410 with a total area of 7925 km2. The seat is Kroonstad.[5] Moqhaka is the Sesotho word for "crown".[6]
Moqhaka | |
|---|---|
|
Seal | |
 Location in the Free State | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Free State |
| District | Fezile Dabi |
| Seat | Kroonstad |
| Wards | 25 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Cllr. M. Mokatsane |
| • Municipal Manager | Mr. S.M Mqwathi |
| Area | |
• Total | 7,925 km2 (3,060 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | |
• Total | 155,410 |
| • Density | 19.61/km2 (50.79/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2022) | |
| • Black African | 85.8% |
| • Coloured | 2.9% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.3% |
| • White | 10.9% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Sotho | 74.6% |
| • Afrikaans | 13.6% |
| • Xhosa | 3.9% |
| • English | 2.5% |
| • Other | 5.4% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Municipal code | FS201 |
Main places
The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[7]
| Place | Code | Area (km2) | Population | Most spoken language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kroonstad | 41701 | 232.04 | 23,992 | Afrikaans |
| Maokeng | 41702 | 12.62 | 67,929 | Sotho |
| Matlwangtlwang | 41703 | 1.59 | 6,441 | Sotho |
| Rammulutsi | 41705 | 4.03 | 24,578 | Sotho |
| Steynsrus | 41706 | 1.66 | 1,192 | Afrikaans |
| Vaal Reefs Mine | 41707 | 12.04 | 5,050 | Sotho |
| Vierfontein | 41708 | 2.84 | 832 | Afrikaans |
| Viljoenskroon | 41709 | 13.73 | 2,514 | Afrikaans |
| Remainder of the municipality | 41704 | 7,619.38 | 35,362 | Sotho |
Politics
The municipal council consists of forty-four members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty-two councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-two wards, while the remaining twenty-two are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the 2021 South African municipal elections the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of twenty-two seats on the council.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[8]
| Party | Ward | List | Total seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||
| African National Congress | 15,703 | 49.93 | 19 | 15,477 | 49.17 | 3 | 22 | |
| Democratic Alliance | 6,669 | 21.21 | 3 | 6,669 | 21.19 | 7 | 10 | |
| Economic Freedom Fighters | 3,553 | 11.30 | 0 | 3,705 | 11.77 | 5 | 5 | |
| Moqhaka Community Forum | 1,797 | 5.71 | 0 | 2,231 | 7.09 | 3 | 3 | |
| Freedom Front Plus | 1,863 | 5.92 | 0 | 1,957 | 6.22 | 3 | 3 | |
| Power of Africans Unity | 502 | 1.60 | 0 | 481 | 1.53 | 1 | 1 | |
| Independent candidates | 629 | 2.00 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 7 other parties | 734 | 2.33 | 0 | 959 | 3.05 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 31,450 | 100.00 | 22 | 31,479 | 100.00 | 22 | 44 | |
| Valid votes | 31,450 | 97.96 | 31,479 | 98.05 | ||||
| Invalid/blank votes | 654 | 2.04 | 625 | 1.95 | ||||
| Total votes | 32,104 | 100.00 | 32,104 | 100.00 | ||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 76,378 | 42.03 | 76,378 | 42.03 | ||||
Curruption
In August 2025, the ANC Provincial Executive Committee resolved to fire its leaders in all underperforming local governments to address governance failures, corruption, and service delivery challenges ahead of the 2026 local elections. Moqhaka Local Municipality was among those municipalities affected after years of corruption and maladministration.[9]