Splitting Kopanong into two municipalities to be implemented after local elections: MDB

The Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) said that the splitting of the Kopanong Local Municipality into two separate municipalities will improve service delivery in the area.

It said the split was necessary, as the Free State municipality was too vast, making it difficult for officials to effectively deliver service to the residents.

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On Wednesday, the board handed over its final report to the Electoral Commission (IEC), which includes newly drawn ward and municipal boundary lines.

Every five years, prior to the local government elections, the MDB re-examines the country’s ward and municipal boundary lines.

Due to natural disasters, migration patterns and other factors, the board usually has to redraw the boundary lines.

In Kopanong, it has split the municipality into two, creating an entirely new municipality.

The MDB's chairperson, Thabo Manyoni, explained, “That decision which we have taken, it will only be implemented post [local government] elections because by that time you will need to have new councillors, some councillors will belong to the new municipality and others will belong to the, let’s call it, the old municipalities.

“Of course, there are financial implications; the minister of finance has to come in. Even if he doesn’t agree, at the end of the day, the implementation will have to be decided by them; the decision [to split] remains because it’s our decision as an independent body.”

The board has also increased the number of wards in the country by 20, going from 4,468 in 2021 to 4,488 in 2025.