Kopanong Local Municipality


Kopanong Municipality is a Local [municipality (South Africa)|local municipality] within the Xhariep District Municipality, in the Free State (South [African province)|Free State] province of South Africa. Kopanong is a Sesotho word meaning "meeting place or where people are invited". The name earmarks unity and seeks to encourage co-operation.

Main places

The South [African National Census of 2001|2001 census] divided the municipality into the following main places:
PlaceCodeArea PopulationMost spoken language
Bethulie51.801,342Afrikaans
Charlesville0.33525Sotho
Edenburg28.33935Afrikaans
Fauresmith54.641,276Afrikaans
Ha-Rasebei11.277,203Sotho
Hydro Park0.36586Afrikaans
Ipopeng0.752,770Afrikaans
Itumeleng1.173,924Sotho
Jagersfontein1.031,200Afrikaans
Lephoi1.195,067Xhosa
Madikgetla0.693,938Sotho
Maphodi0.833,592Xhosa
Oranjekrag3.82350Afrikaans
Philippolis67.551,170Afrikaans
Poding-Tse-Rolo0.352,411Xhosa
Qhoweng0.743,469Sotho
Reddersburg18.01967Afrikaans
Springfontein40.781,753Afrikaans
Trompsburg1.27925Afrikaans
Waterkloof20.846Afrikaans
Remainder of the municipality14,937.3412,524Afrikaans

Politics

The municipal council consists of seventeen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Nine councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in nine wards, while the remaining eight 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 won a majority of eleven seats on the council.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.

Financial mismanagement

In January 2025, the municipality was listed as one of the top ten municipalities in arrears on their pension contributions.