# Makhado Local Municipality

Makhado Municipality (Venda: Masipalawapo wa Makhado; Tsonga: Masipala wa Makhado) is a local municipality within the Vhembe District Municipality, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The seat is Louis Trichardt. It is named in honour of 19th-century King (Thovhele) in the Singo (or Vhasenzi) dynasty of the Vendas, Makhado (1839-1895).

## Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places: The population census is just an estimate, there are close to 1-million Tsonga speakers in Gauteng alone, as well as close to 300 000 Venda speakers, also in Gauteng, who are there for work purposes only and have their homes in Limpopo, both the Tsonga and the Venda population are larger should the census count be done during December holiday.
| Place | Code | Area (km$^2$) | Population | Most spoken language |
| Bungeni | 90801 | 20.67 | 18,192 | Tsonga |
| Davhana | 90802 | 60.93 | 6,361 | Venda |
| Dzanani | 90803 | 650.70 | 75,746 | Venda |
| Funyufunyu | 90804 | 2.86 | 3,580 | Venda |
| Hlanganani | 90805 | 181.14 | 11,156 | Venda |
| Khomanani | 90806 | 17.45 | 14,337 | Tsonga |
| Kutama | 90807 | 150.44 | 24,688 | Venda |
| Louis Trichardt | 90808 | 21.18 | 11,014 | English, Venda, Tsonga |
| Madombidzha | 90809 | 0.39 | 806 | Venda |
| Madzivhandila | 90810 | 9.77 | 13,051 | Venda |
| Maelula | 90811 | 2.80 | 5,652 | Venda |
| Magadani | 90812 | 1.59 | 1,875 | Venda |
| Makushu | 90814 | 0.69 | 1,207 | Venda |
| Masakona | 90815 | 73.39 | 7,033 | Venda |
| Mashamba | 90816 | 89.76 | 13,898 | Venda |
| Mashau | 90817 | 71.04 | 24,794 | Venda |
| Masia | 90818 | 120.31 | 8,689 | Venda |
| Mkhensani | 90819 | 12.68 | 16,210 | Tsonga |
| Mudimeli | 90820 | 1.82 | 3,055 | Venda |
| Muila | 90821 | 5.63 | 5,006 | Northern Sotho |
| Mukhari | 90822 | 24.49 | 20,007 | Tsonga |
| Mulambilu | 90823 | 2.78 | 3,307 | Venda |
| Mulima | 90824 | 288.99 | 17,245 | Venda |
| Ndouvhada | 90825 | 1.66 | 1,427 | Venda |
| Nesengani | 90826 | 7.89 | 12,235 | Venda |
| Nthabalala | 90827 | 161.96 | 15,665 | Venda |
| Rabali | 90828 | 6.20 | 8,701 | Venda |
| Ramalamula | 90829 | 36.48 | 5,924 | Venda |
| Ribungwani | 90830 | 4.93 | 3,071 | Tsonga |
| Rungulani | 90831 | 6.05 | 7,043 | Tsonga |
| Sinthumule | 90832 | 72.28 | 47,472 | Venda |
| Soutpansberg | 90833 | 18.81 | 7,512 | Tsonga |
| Tiyani | 90834 | 11.75 | 11,620 | Tsonga |
| Tshikota | 90835 | 42.88 | 4,099 | Venda |
| Tshimbupfe | 90836 | 107.89 | 17,538 | Venda |
| Tshiovhe | 90837 | 3.93 | 2,770 | Venda |
| Vuwani | 90838 | 13.58 | 19,770 | Venda |
| Remainder of the municipality | 90813 | 6,262.90 | 25,319 | Tsonga |

## Politics

The municipal council consists of seventy-five members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Thirty-eight councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirty-eight wards, while the remaining thirty-seven 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 African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of sixty-two seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 59,568 | 78.18 | 37 | 61,703 | 81.55 | 25 | 62 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 5,293 | 6.95 | 1 | 5,260 | 6.95 | 4 | 5 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 4,168 | 5.47 | 0 | 4,515 | 5.97 | 4 | 4 |
| | Independent candidates | 3,836 | 5.03 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | International Revelation Congress | 664 | 0.87 | 0 | 805 | 1.06 | 1 | 1 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 675 | 0.89 | 0 | 669 | 0.88 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 540 | 0.71 | 0 | 614 | 0.81 | 1 | 1 |
| | African People's Convention | 437 | 0.57 | 0 | 462 | 0.61 | 1 | 1 |
| | 9 other parties | 1,014 | 1.33 | 0 | 1,631 | 2.16 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 76,195 | 100.00 | 38 | 75,659 | 100.00 | 37 | 75 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 76,195 | 98.73 | | 75,659 | 98.35 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 979 | 1.27 | | 1,266 | 1.65 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 77,174 | 100.00 | | 76,925 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 180,288 | 42.81 | | 180,288 | 42.67 | | |