List of Towns, Villages and Cities in Maquassi Hills Local Municipality

Maquassi Hills Local Municipality lies in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District, North West province. The 2022 census counted 90,302 people over 4,671 km², seated at Wolmaransstad. It is the smallest of the district’s three local municipalities by population, formed from a farming area with no gold-mining history like its Matlosana neighbour.

Towns and Villages in Maquassi Hills

Maquassi Hills has three towns of any size, strung along the N12 corridor, plus a handful of smaller farm settlements. Most of the municipal area outside these towns is commercial farmland rather than settled villages.

Smaller farm settlements:

• Diamantkuil
• Glimlag
• Husfeldt
• Justitia
• Trotsville
• Tswelelang

These are farmsteads or small rail-siding communities rather than towns with independent shops or clinics — residents rely on Wolmaransstad, Leeudoringstad or Makwassie for services.

Geography

Maquassi Hills is a maize and cattle farming district in south-eastern North West, on gently rolling highveld plains. It borders City of Matlosana to the north within Dr Kenneth Kaunda District, and Free State province across an open farming boundary to the south. Unlike Matlosana’s goldfield towns, Maquassi Hills has no significant mining history — its landscape is defined by cultivated fields rather than headgears and tailings dams.

Wolmaransstad was established in 1892 and named after Cape parliamentarian Izak Wolmarans; Leeudoringstad and Makwassie developed later as smaller rail and farming-service towns along the same maize-belt corridor. The three towns were merged into a single municipality, Maquassi Hills, during South Africa’s 2000 round of municipal demarcation.

Demographics

Population grew from 77,794 in 2011 to 90,302 in 2022, a gain of roughly 16%. The population splits fairly evenly between Wolmaransstad and the two smaller towns of Leeudoringstad and Makwassie, with the remainder on surrounding farms. Growth has tracked the district’s slow but steady farming-town pattern rather than the sharper mine-linked gains seen in neighbouring City of Matlosana.

Economy and Local Life

Grain silos and co-operatives are the most visible local infrastructure across all three towns, reflecting the district’s role as one of North West’s main maize-producing areas.

Commercial maize and sunflower farming underpin the local economy, supported by cattle ranching on the district’s grassland margins. Wolmaransstad serves as the main market, grain-storage and administrative town for the surrounding farming district, with Leeudoringstad and Makwassie functioning as smaller service centres for their own farming hinterlands.

Local life outside the three towns revolves around the farming calendar — planting and harvest seasons drive demand for seasonal labour, agricultural inputs and grain transport, and most small businesses in Wolmaransstad and Leeudoringstad serve that farming economy directly rather than an outside visitor market.

Getting There

The N12 national highway runs through Wolmaransstad, linking it to Klerksdorp (about 80 km north-east) and on to Johannesburg, and south-west toward Kimberley. Klerksdorp Airport is the nearest airfield with scheduled flights; OR Tambo International near Johannesburg is the nearest major international gateway.

Unlike City of Matlosana and JB Marks, its fellow district members, Maquassi Hills has no university, no gold mine and no large metro-linked commuter population — its identity and economy stay firmly agricultural, tied to the fortunes of the maize harvest each season.

FAQ

What is the seat of Maquassi Hills Local Municipality?
Wolmaransstad.

How many towns are in Maquassi Hills?
Three main towns — Wolmaransstad, Leeudoringstad and Makwassie — plus a few smaller farm settlements.

What is Maquassi Hills’ population?
90,302 at the 2022 census, up from 77,794 in 2011.

Which district is Maquassi Hills in?
Dr Kenneth Kaunda District, North West province.

What is the main industry?
Commercial farming — maize, sunflower and cattle.