About Us
About Siyancuma
We Siyancuma Municipality commit ourselves to be a sustainable, economically viable, developmental municipality where the community enjoys a high quality of life.
Siyancuma Municipality was established on the 4th of December 2000 through a Section12 Notice as published in the Extra Ordinary Northern Cape Provincial Government Gazette Number 562 Notice Number 30 of 2000 as published on the 3rd of October 2000.
- It is established as a Category “B” municipality falling within the Category “C” municipality of Pixley ka Seme District Municipality.
- The seat of the municipality is Douglas.
- The municipality includes former Transitional Local Councils of Douglas, Griekwastad and Campbell.
- Douglas is well known for a geographic feature found in Douglas only – The confluence of The Vaal and The Orange Rivers – the two biggest rivers of South Africa.
- Griekwastad is known for its unending stream of underground water. There are submissions indicating that the underground stream in Griekwastad is connected to the famous ‘EYE’ in Kuruman.
- It includes as well the former Rural Councils of Hey and Herbert, which includes areas like Schmidtsdrift, Malabar, Vaallus, Salt Lake, Plooysburg, Heuningneskloof, Belmont, Witput, Schaans, Moosfontein and Bucklands. Bucklands and Schmidtsdrift are two land restitution cases within our municipal area where the land belongs to the claimants and not to the municipality.
- Siyancuma is basically a farming area.
- There are diamond as well as tigers eye deposits in the Douglas and Griekwastad areas respectively.
- It is hoped that the different charters brought into being by government will ultimately have an effect in our municipality in changing the face of business especially in mining and agriculture businesses.
Our Council
Our mission
We, the collective, shall put the community's needs first by taking ownership and optimizing all available resources and human skills to:
Improve and sustain our Infrastructure;
Create an economically enabling environment;
Improve the social conditions and the livelihoods of our communities through dignified service delivery;
Capacitate our communities with knowledge and understanding of their environment;
Create systems for accountability, oversight and communication; and
Create a sound financial management and administration system.
Our vision
A municipality focused on effective service delivery driven by economic sustainability.
Values
- Honesty
- Responsibility
- Accessibility
- Corruption Free
- High work ethic
- Rule of law
- Integrity
Coat of arms
- The spear and knobkerrie alludes to traditional hunting and ceremonies.
- The stars allude to the beautiful evening skies.
- The diamond signifies mineral wealth.
- The mural crown signifies that this is a municipality.
- The huts (in the shield and as a crest) and grain pounder signifies traditional living and culture.
- The Kudu horns allude to local wild animals and nature.
- The maize cob signifies traditional food and nutrition.
- The river element symbolizes the importance of water flowing through the core of all activities.
- The red colour alludes to culture and associated activities.
- The green refers to local vegetation, trees, flowers and plants.
- The black colour symbolizes the Spirit of Ubunto Botho.
- The yellow alludes to the sun and the future.
Short town History
Douglas
The town was founded in 1848 as a mission station on the farm Backhouse. In 1867, Europeans from Griquatown established a town named after General Sir Percy Douglas, Lieutenant Governor of the Cape Colony. Near the confluence of the Orange River and its main tributary, the Vaal River, Douglas is a thriving, fast-growing town surrounded by a wealth of agricultural and stock farming ventures fed by two of South Africa’s greatest rivers.
Griquatown
In 1803, the London Missionary Society extended its mission among a Chaguriqua tribe, ‘bastaards’ from Piketberg, and local Koranna and Tswana. Their leaders were Adam Kok II and Andries Waterboer. In 1813, the ‘bastaards renamed themselves Griqua, and the place called Klaarwater became Griquatown. When diamonds were discovered the Griqua were the first to lay claim. The Keate arbitration awarded the area to Waterboer. This led to the colony of Griqualand West, later annexed to the Cape Colony. Griquatown is known for its semiprecious stones, tiger’s eye and jasper is a centre for stock breeding.
Campbell
This village, on the edge of the Ghaap Plateau, was one of the earliest centres of Christianity. Originally Grootfontein or Knoffelvallei, the town was renamed after Reverend John Campbell, a traveller and missionary. Renowned for its spectacular dolomite rock formations, many springs, Karee and Wild Olive trees, Campbell has a multifaceted history and has been home to San, Koranna and, later, Griqua settlers drawn by the springs.
The following provides a broad geographical, economical and statistical profile of Siyancuma Municipality:
Municipal Demarcation Code : NC078
Location of Head Office : Southeystreet no. 98, Douglas
District Municipality : Pixley ka Seme ( De Aar )
Municipal Area : approximately 1 002,80 sq km
Population : 54 263 (Statistics South Africa, Census 2001)
Towns and settlements within the municipal boundaries:
- Douglas
- Griquatown (Griekwastad)
- Campbell
- Schmidtsdrift
- Bucklands
- Vaallus
- Plooysburg
- Salt Lake
- Heuningneskloof
- Witput
