Thembelihle Local Municipality incorporates the towns of Strydenburg and Hopetown in the Northern Cape Province, situated in the heart of the Karoo half way between Cape Town and Johannesburg on the N12. Hopetown was founded in 1850 when Sir Harry Smith extended the northern frontier of the Cape Colony to the Orange River. In 1866 a diamond, ‘Eureka’, was found and, in 1868, on the farm Zandfontein, the 83,5 carat ‘Star of South Africa’ diamond was discovered. Today, Hopetown is a farming town.

Hopetown was founded in 1853 or 1854 and is said to have been named after Major William Hope, Auditor-General and Acting Secretary of the Cape. However, there is a tradition linking the name of the town to an ornament in the shape of an anchor, which symbolises hope. The first diamond to be discovered in South Africa was found in Hopetown. (GPS coordinates: 29.6381 S, 24.0855 E).

This mostly agricultural landscape is rich in natural resources. The first diamond was discovered in Hopetown and a great part of the Anglo-Boer War was fought in these parts. Town that are in the same municipalry are Orania and Strydenburg
Thembelihle means ‘a place of hope’. The new emblem depicts the diversity of Thembelihle inhabitants and its surroundings.

Municipal Offices

Cnr Church and Mark Streets Hopetown, 8750

Key Statistics 2011

Total population 10,259
Young (0-14) 31,1%
Working Age (15-64) 63,1%
Elderly (65+) 5,8%
Dependency ratio 58,4
Sex ratio 98,6
Population density 139 persons/km2
No schooling aged 20+ 15,3%
Higher education aged 20+ 5,7%
Matric aged 20+ 18,5%
Number of households 2,563
Average household size 3,9
Female headed households 39%
Formal dwellings 69,9%
Housing owned/paying off 56,3%
Flush toilet connected to sewerage 70,2%
Weekly refuse removal 78,7%
Piped water inside dwelling 27,7%
Electricity for lighting 70%