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Thabazimbi

ANC

Largest Party

ANC

Coalition leader

ANC

Current Mayor

1

Changes of Mayors

The Thabazimbi Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located within the Waterberg District in the south-western part of the Limpopo Province.

The municipality has Botswana as its international neighbour, and is a mere two-hour drive from Pretoria. It is one of five municipalities in the district. Thabazimbi is known as ‘mountain of iron’, which is a Setswana name referring to the highly lucrative iron ore reef first discovered in the municipality in 1919.

General Information

The municipality has Marakele National Park, which is a subsidiary of the National Parks Board, and in the same standard as the Kruger National Park and Mapungube. It has been mined since the 1930s, when iron and steel production started. Apart from iron ore, the Thabazimbi Municipality is surrounded by platinum-producing areas. Other minerals produced in the area include andalusite. Agriculture has also proven to be a strong economic sector in the municipality. Agricultural commodities produced are wheat, beans and maize. The municipality’s goals are aligned with those of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy in Limpopo. This will ensure that the growth trajectory also addresses the objective of poverty eradication through job creation and business opportunity stimulation.

No of Seats per Party

Composition of Council

The council has 23 seats and 64 political parties represented in council with two civic society organizations. The ANC is leading with 10 seats, followed by the DA with 4, TRA 3, while the EFF and FF+ have 2 seats respectively. The TFSD has one seat in council.

Key Positions

Name

Party

Position

Cllr. Tokkie Swanepoel
DA
Mayor
Cllr. Ben Thlabadira
TFSD
Speaker

Historical Timeline

The powers and functions of the Mayor are set out in section 56 of the Structures Act. The Mayor is the political head of the Municipality and exercises both statutory and ceremonial functions. An executive mayor is entitled to receive reports from committees of the municipal council and to forward these reports together with a recommendation to the council when the matter cannot be disposed of by the executive mayor in terms of the executive mayor’s delegated powers.
The speaker’s role in a municipality is key to ensuring oversight, accountability, integrity, discipline of office, and the efficient running of council meetings. As such, impartiality in the exercise of his or her function is essential for the speaker. The speaker must distinguish between his or her activities as a politician and his or her functions as a speaker. It also means that the function of the speaker and the non-partisan exercise of that function must be respected by members, parties and interests represented in the council.

  • Mayor: Cllr. Tokkie Swanepoel

    Party: DA

    Votes for: 12
    Parties for: DA, TFSD, FF+, EFF
    From: 3 November 2021 – 21 October 2022

  • Speaker: Cllr. Ben Tlhabadira

    Party: TFSD

    Votes for: 17
    Parties for: DA, TFSD, TRA, FF+, EFF
    From: 23 November 2021 – 21 October 2022

  • Speaker: Cllr. Ben Thlabadira

    Party: TFSD

    Votes for: 17
    Parties for: DA, TFSD, FF+TRA, EFF
    From: 23 November 2021 – Current

  • Mayor: Cllr. Judy Mohapi

    Party: ANC

    Votes for: 17
    Parties for: ANC, EFF
    From: 24 October 2022 – 18 March 2024

  • Speaker: Cllr. Tshego Ramabi

    Party: ANC

    Votes for: 17
    Parties for: ANC, EFF
    From: 24 October 2022 – 18 March 2024

  • Mayor: Cllr. Tokkie Swanepoel

    Party: DA

    Votes for: 17
    Parties for: DA, TFSD,TRA, EFF, FF+
    From: 18 March 2024 – 21 October 2022

Local News & Analysis

The NCOP endorsed a decision to dissolve the Thabazimbi local municipality and place it under administration.

7 October 2024