About Us
Bushbuckridge
Local Municipality is a presidential nodal
point located in the south- eastern part of Limpopo
Province and northeastern part of Mpumalanga Province.
The municipality is one of the two constituents of the
former Bohlabela District Municipality (Within Ba-Phalaborwa
Local Municipality) further north, Fetakgomo Local Municipality
in the west. The Municipal area provides a link to Lydenburg
and other centres in the lowveld, particularly Hoedspruit,
Pilgrim Rest and Graskop. Bushbuckridge Local Municipality
can therefore be called the gateway to the major tourism
attraction points in Mpumalanga and the eastern part
of the Limpopo Province.
The Municipality covers
198,000 ha of land area, of which 1970 ha are agricultural
land, 1860 ha residential area and water bodies. Bushbuckridge
Local Municipality consists of 135 settlements
and is divided into 34 wards.
Socio-Demographic
Profile
The main purpose of this section is to develop a good
understanding of the key social and economic features
of the municipal area and their impact on spatial and
sustainable development.
Age and Gender
Accurate population figures remain a controversial, so
the municipality will rely on the outdated 2001 statistics.
The highest population is registered by Africans with
497 771 people, residing in Bushbuckridge followed by
coloured with 853 people, Indians/Asians with 109 people
and whites registering the lowest with 334 people.
Females represent a considerable majority (almost 54%),
reflecting the impact of the migrant labour. The age groups
of 0-5yrs and 6-16 yrs, males are substantially more than
females, which reflect a normal curve. The municipal area
also registers the highest average of settlement density
with 21.10. People per ha.
Employment Opportunities.
The figure below indicates the status of employment. It
leaves no doubt that unemployment is very high in the
municipal area especially in rural areas, with less than
15% of the total population employed.
Income per Household
Income per household is very necessary to determine the
overall living standard of people in the municipal area.
High levels of poverty resulting in low income per household
characterize the municipal area. The below figure demonstrate
that the household income in the municipal area is below
the subsistence income levels for most of the households
and reflect a high level of poverty. |
