Midvaal Municipality (Afrikaans: Midvaal Munisipaliteit; Sotho: Masepala wa Midvaal; Zulu: UMasipala wase Midvaal) is a local municipality within the Sedibeng District Municipality, in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The municipality's name references its geographical location in-between the Johannesburg and East Rand areas and the Vaal and Vereeniging areas.[3]
Midvaal | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
.svg) Location in Gauteng | |
| Coordinates: 26°35′S 28°05′E / 26.583°S 28.083°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Gauteng |
| District | Sedibeng |
| Seat | Meyerton |
| Wards | 15 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Peter Teixeira (DA) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,722 km2 (665 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 95,301 |
| • Density | 55/km2 (140/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 58.4% |
| • Coloured | 1.6% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.8% |
| • White | 38.7% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 30.9% |
| • Sotho | 27.9% |
| • English | 14.0% |
| • Zulu | 11.8% |
| • Other | 15.4% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Municipal code | GT422 |
Midvaal Municipality is the fastest growing municipality in Gauteng due to its rapid economic growth.[4] Midvaal has undergone a radical change from a quaint country area to a booming tourist, recreational and industrial centre in southern Gauteng.[citation needed] Midvaal has grown from 60,000 residents in 2001 to about 100,000 in 2011. A report by the Gauteng Provincial Government ranked Midvaal as the province's top municipality in terms of quality of life.[5] In December 2010, Midvaal was ranked 23rd out of 231 municipalities.[6]
The Oprah Winfrey School was established in the area.[7][citation needed] In addition, golfer Greg Norman invested into the Eye of Africa Golfing Estate development, for which he designed the golf course. The municipality's major achievement has been attracting Sedibeng Breweries, South Africa's distributors of Heineken, into the area. The brewery has set up its national offices along the R59 freeway corridor and has brought with it new opportunities for job creation and small businesses.[citation needed]
Politics
The municipal council consists of thirty members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Fifteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fifteen wards, while the remaining fifteen 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 Democratic Alliance (DA) won a majority of nineteen seats on the council.
The following table shows the results of the election.[8]
| Party | Ward | List | Total seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||
| Democratic Alliance | 19,384 | 62.44 | 12 | 19,471 | 62.95 | 7 | 19 | |
| African National Congress | 6,613 | 21.30 | 3 | 6,515 | 21.06 | 3 | 6 | |
| Freedom Front Plus | 1,963 | 6.32 | 0 | 1,909 | 6.17 | 2 | 2 | |
| Economic Freedom Fighters | 1,589 | 5.12 | 0 | 1,529 | 4.94 | 2 | 2 | |
| Transformative Youth Movement | 589 | 1.90 | 0 | 537 | 1.74 | 1 | 1 | |
| Independent candidates | 105 | 0.34 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 10 other parties | 802 | 2.58 | 0 | 972 | 3.14 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 31,045 | 100.00 | 15 | 30,933 | 100.00 | 15 | 30 | |
| Valid votes | 31,045 | 98.90 | 30,933 | 98.76 | ||||
| Invalid/blank votes | 344 | 1.10 | 388 | 1.24 | ||||
| Total votes | 31,389 | 100.00 | 31,321 | 100.00 | ||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 58,122 | 54.01 | 58,122 | 53.89 | ||||
Demographics
| Group | 2001 Census | % | 2011 Census | % | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black African | 38,168 | 59.05% | 55,643 | 58.39% | 17,475  | 0.66%  |
| White | 25,295 | 39.13% | 36,869 | 38.69% | 11,574 | 0.44% |
| Coloured | 888 | 1.37% | 1,558 | 1.63% | 670 | 0.26% |
| Indian or Asian | 291 | 0.45% | 750 | 0.79% | 459 | 0.34% |
| Other | No Data | – | 480 | 0.50% | n/a  | n/a |
| Total population | 64,642 | 100.00% | 95,301 | 100.00% | 30,659 | 47.4% |
Main places
The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[9]
| Place | Code | Area (km2) | Population | Most spoken language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evaton | 70502 | 1.39 | 3,406 | Sotho |
| Meyerton | 70503 | 114.28 | 24,215 | Afrikaans |
| Randvaal | 70505 | 74.14 | 7,933 | English |
| Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve | 70506 | 113.79 | 0 | - |
| Vaal Marina | 70507 | 2.60 | 9 | Sotho |
| Walkerville | 70509 | 151.54 | 9,662 | English |
| Remainder of the municipality | 70504 | 1,218.44 | 12,723 | Sotho |