Frances Baard District Municipality is the smallest district in the Northern Cape; however, it accommodates the largest proportion of the population of the province.

Vision

To be a municipality with a clear developmental focus, providing quality services to its people.

Economic profile

Frances Baard District Municipality is the strongest economic region in the province, accounting for 36% of the provincial gross domestic product (PGDP). According to a 2007 Quantec Research report, within Frances Baard District Municipality, contribution to the regional GDP is dominated by Sol Plaatje (74%), Phokwane (15%), Dikgatlong (8%), Magareng (2%) and the District Management Area (1%).

The economy of the district consists of the primary (agriculture and mining), secondary (manufacturing, electricity and construction) and tertiary (trade, transport, financial and social services) sectors.

Tourism

Although predominantly a mining and agricultural region, Frances Baard District Municipality also offers rich experiences in terms of culture and history. The climate is favourable for outdoor living with a great number of sunny days throughout the year. Two of the largest rivers, the Orange and Vaal, flow through the district.

Kimberley is the capital city of the Northern Cape. It is situated in the centre of South Africa on the N12 national road between Johannesburg and Cape Town. Kimberley offers visitors a plethora of fascinating tourist attractions such as:
• The William Humphrey Art Gallery
• The Duggan Cronin Gallery, which holds a collection of early photographs of indigenous Africans.
• Various old buildings and monuments dating back to 1899

Other attractions include:
• Flamingo Casino
• Game farms
• Kamfers Dam (flamingo-breeding island)
• Ghost tours
• ‘Big Hole’ Tram Route

Key facts and figures

Local municipalities: Dikgatlong Municipality, Magareng Municipality, Phokwane Municipality, Sol Plaatje Municipality
Major towns: Kimberley, Barkly West, Warrenton, Jan Kempdorp, Hartswater
Main roads: N12, N18, R29, R47
Railway: Extensive rail network
Airports: Kimberley Airport
Area covered: 13 518.19km²

Mandate

An effective governance framework, systems, policies and structure are absolutely crucial to the proper functioning of a district municipality such as Frances Baard.

The qualities of governance and transformation are some of the major determining factors when turning a district, such as Frances Baard, into a prosperous developmental municipality. Good governance is a broad and multi-faceted concept that describes the process through which the municipality sets priorities, makes decisions, strengthens accountability and engages in constructive interaction with the public and other institutions.

The municipality has a mandate to:

• Provide a democratic and accountable government for local municipalities
• Ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner
• Promote a safe and healthy environment
• Encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in the matters of local government
• The district does not account for the provision of bulk electricity and water to category B municipalities as this falls in the jurisdiction of these municipalities as concluded in the Structures Act. The district municipality has been assigned level-one and -two accreditation in terms of the housing function.

Level-two accreditation status gives municipalities the responsibility to approve and manage housing-construction programmes and ensure technical quality assurance.

Achieving set goals

Great strides have been made with regard to addressing the service delivery backlogs in the Frances Baard municipal area of jurisdiction. Access to water is currently standing at 97.4% compared to 93% in 2005. Access to sanitation is currently standing at 88.6% compared to 79% in 2005. About 78% of the communities in the district have access to electricity and access to refuse removal currently stands at 78.2%. Frances Baard is on track to meet its 2014 timeframes set for the eradication of service backlogs.

During the previous five years, the district municipality has spent an amount of R131 951 263 on new infrastructure in the district. Operation and maintenance has always been a challenge in most municipalities in South Africa and the Frances Baard District Municipality is currently reaping the results of poor planning as far as assets of the municipalities are concerned. In order to address this endemic problem, Frances Baard District Municipality joined the Department of Water Affairs, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA) and the Swedish Aid Agency in piloting operation and maintenance. This brought about a change in the way service delivery was implemented. It is common knowledge that some of the category B municipalities struggle to maintain their assets, consequently forcing the district to render assistance in this regard.

Frances Baard’s initial investment was R350 000 but has since grown to R10-million over the last two financial years. Coupled with this funding, a unit to assist local municipalities with technical issues was established. Three engineering technicians were appointed and assigned to each of the smaller local municipalities. Substantial progress has been made in extending basic household services throughout the district although challenges in meeting the provincial targets, national targets and millennium targets for the provision of basic services still exist. In 2007 the municipality achieved the national targets for the provision of water to clinics and in 2009 it achieved these targets for water provision to schools. The national target for the eradication of buckets was achieved in 2008. The national target for sanitation provision to clinics and schools were reached in 2007 and 2009 respectively.

CONTACT DETAILS
Key contacts:
Achmat Florence, Executive Mayor
Maria Chwarisang, Speaker
Frank Mdee, Acting Municipal Manager
Physical address: 51 Drakensberg Avenue, Carters Glen 8301
Postal address: Private Bag X6088, Kimberley 8300
Tel: +27 53 838 0911
Fax: +27 53 861 1538
Email: gerline.roman@fbdm.co.za
Website: www.francesbaard.gov.za