Moretele Local Municipality lies in Bojanala Platinum District, North West province, on the Gauteng border. The 2022 census counted 219,120 people over 1,498 km², seated at Makapanstad. It is the smallest of Bojanala Platinum’s five municipalities by area, but has no shortage of small villages spread across its northern-Magaliesberg terrain.
Towns and Villages in Moretele
Makapanstad, the seat, and the town of Carousel View are the largest settled places, with a wide scatter of smaller villages filling the rest of the municipality.
| Place | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Makapanstad | Seat | — |
| Carousel View | Town | 8,875 |
| Mathibestad | Village | — |
| Swartbooistad | Village | — |
| Kolofane | Village | — |
| Botshabelo | Village | — |
Other settlements:
- Bedwang
- Bollantlokwe
- Bosplaas
- Dertig
- Die Putte
- Dikebu
- Dikgophaneng
- Dipetleloana
- Ga-Habedi
- Ga-Moeka
- Ga-Motle
- Kromkuil
- KwaMmatlhwaela
- KwaRatsiepane
- Lebotlwane
- Leeukraal
- Lenatong
- Mmakaunyana
- Mmukubyane
- Modiane
- Mogogelo
- Mogohlwaneng
- Olverton
- Rabusula
- Renostervlei
- Ruigtesloo
- Selepe
- Slagboom
- Sutelong
- Swartboom
- Swartdamstat
- Thladistad
- Thulwe
Geography
The Pienaars River crosses the municipality, feeding small-scale irrigation plots that supplement the mostly dryland farming practised across Moretele’s villages.
Moretele sits at the northern foot of the Magaliesberg, sharing a border with Gauteng and Limpopo provinces, and borders Madibeng within Bojanala Platinum District. Its landscape is mostly open rural bushveld, dotted with small farming villages rather than mines or resort towns.
Moretele was historically part of the Bophuthatswana homeland before South Africa’s 1994 transition, and much of its land remains under traditional Tswana authority today. Makapanstad’s name recalls Mokopane, a 19th-century Ndebele chief, though the modern village itself grew mainly as a resettlement and administrative point during the homeland era rather than an older trading town.
Demographics
Population grew from 188,533 in 2011 to 219,120 in 2022, spread across a large number of small rural villages with no single dominant town. Makapanstad, the seat, is itself a modest village rather than a major urban centre.
Economy and Local Life
Small home-based businesses, spaza shops and taxi services form the bulk of local commerce in and around Makapanstad, filling gaps left by the lack of larger formal retail in the municipality.
Subsistence and small-scale farming support most villages; many residents commute to Tshwane and the Bojanala mining belt for formal employment, since Moretele itself has little local industry.
Carousel View, the municipality’s second-largest settlement, grew up near the Carousel casino resort on the R513, drawing some visitor traffic from Gauteng even though it never developed the scale of tourism seen at Sun City in neighbouring Moses Kotane.
Getting There
The R513 and R566 link Makapanstad to Hammanskraal and Tshwane, about 40 km east. OR Tambo International, near Johannesburg, is the nearest major airport, roughly an hour and a half away by road.
Its position on the Gauteng boundary means many residents travel daily into Hammanskraal and greater Tshwane for work, schooling and healthcare — a pattern common across North West’s Gauteng-facing municipalities, and one that has kept Moretele’s own commercial development modest despite steady population growth.
FAQ
What towns border Moretele?
Madibeng lies immediately south-west within Bojanala Platinum District, and Gauteng municipalities lie directly across the provincial line to the east.
Is Moretele urban or rural?
Almost entirely rural — it has no town classed as a major urban centre, only villages and the seat, Makapanstad, though many residents work in nearby urban Tshwane.
What is the seat of Moretele Local Municipality?
Makapanstad.
What is Moretele’s population?
219,120 at the 2022 census, up from 188,533 in 2011.
Which district is Moretele in?
Bojanala Platinum District, North West province.
Does Moretele border Gauteng?
Yes, it sits directly on the Gauteng provincial boundary.
How many villages are in Moretele?
Dozens of small rural villages, listed above, none large enough to be classed a town.