Langeberg Local Municipality facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Langeberg
Local municipality
Seal
Location in the Western Cape
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
District	Cape Winelands
Seat	Ashton
Wards	12
Government
• Type	Municipal council
Area
• Total	4,518 km2 (1,744 sq mi)
Population  (2022)
• Total	94,045
• Density	20.8156/km2 (53.912/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2022)
• Black African	24.5%
• Coloured	61.7%
• Indian/Asian	0.1%
• White	12.9%
First languages (2011)
• Afrikaans	82.5%
• Xhosa	10.7%
• English	3.1%
• Sotho	1.3%
• Other	2.4%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	WC026

The Langeberg Municipality is a local government area in South Africa. It is found in the Western Cape province, within the Cape Winelands District Municipality. Before August 2009, it was called the Breede River/Winelands Municipality. In 2011, about 97,724 people lived here. Its special code is WC026.

Where is Langeberg?

The Langeberg Municipality covers a large area of about 4,518 square kilometers. It includes parts of the Breede River Valley and the western Little Karoo region.

The Langeberg mountains run through the middle of the municipality. The Breede River flows south of these mountains. The Riviersonderend Mountains are to the south, and the Koega Mountains are to the north.

The municipality shares borders with several other areas. These include the Breede Valley Municipality to the northwest. To the northeast are the Laingsburg and Kannaland Municipalities. The Swellendam Municipality is to the southeast, and the Theewaterskloof Municipality is to the southwest.

People and Languages

According to the 2011 census, 97,724 people lived in the municipality. They lived in 25,125 homes. Most people, about 70.3%, identified as "Coloured". About 16.3% were "Black African", and 12.3% were "White".

The main language spoken is Afrikaans, by 82.5% of the people. Other languages include Xhosa (10.7%), English (3.1%), and Sotho (1.3%).

Main Towns

The biggest town in the municipality is Robertson. In 2011, about 27,715 people lived there.

Montagu is another town, with about 15,176 people. It is located at the entrance to the Cogmanskloof gorge. Ashton is on the other side of the mountains, with 13,325 people. Ashton is also where the main municipal offices are.

Other towns include Bonnievale (9,092 people) on the Breede River. McGregor (3,125 people) is south of Robertson, near the Riviersonderend Mountains.

History of Langeberg

The area that is now Langeberg Municipality has a rich history. After the apartheid era, the region was part of the Breërivier Regional Services Council.

Local Government Changes

Before 1994, towns like Robertson, Montagu, Ashton, Bonnievale, and McGregor had separate councils. These councils were mainly for their white residents. There were also management committees for coloured residents and town councils for Black African residents.

In January 1993, the McGregor Municipality and its Management Committee joined together. This was an early step towards more unified local government.

After the national elections in 1994, big changes happened in local government. Old councils were replaced by new "transitional local councils" (TLCs). These TLCs brought different communities together.

• Montagu TLC started in October 1994.
• Robertson TLC started in November 1994.
• Ashton TLC started in January 1995.
• Bonnievale TLC started in January 1995.
• McGregor TLC started in January 1995.

These new councils were first made up of nominated members. Then, in May 1996, elections were held for these councils. A new Breërivier District Council was also created.

Forming the Langeberg Municipality

In December 2000, all the smaller TLCs were combined. This created a single local authority called the Breede River/Winelands Municipality. The Breërivier District Council was also replaced by the Boland District Municipality.

Later, in 2009, the Breede River/Winelands Municipality was renamed the Langeberg Municipality. In 2011, its borders were expanded to include more rural areas.