North West (South African province)
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North West Bokone Bophirima (Tswana) Noordwes (Afrikaans) |
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| Province of South Africa | ||
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| Motto: Kagiso le Tswelelopele (Peace and Prosperity) | ||
 Location of North West in South Africa |
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| Country | South Africa | |
| Established | 27 April 1994 | |
| Capital | Mahikeng | |
| Largest city | Rustenburg | |
| Districts | ||
| Government | ||
| • Type | Parliamentary system | |
| • Premier | Supra Mahumapelo (ANC) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 104,882 km2 (40,495 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 6th in South Africa | |
| Highest elevation | 1,805 m (5,922 ft) | |
| Population (2011) | ||
| • Total | 3,509,953 | |
| • Estimate (2015) | 3,707,000 | |
| • Rank | 7th in South Africa | |
| • Density | 33/km2 (87/sq mi) | |
| • Density rank | 7th in South Africa | |
| Population groups | ||
| • Black African | 89.8% | |
| • White | 7.3% | |
| • Coloured | 2.0% | |
| • Indian or Asian | 0.6% | |
| Languages | ||
| • Tswana | 63.4% | |
| • Afrikaans | 9.0% | |
| • Sotho | 5.8% | |
| • Xhosa | 5.5% | |
| • Tsonga | 3.7% | |
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) | |
| ISO 3166 code | ZA-NW | |
| Website | www.NWPG.gov.za | |
North West is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mahikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre of Gauteng.
North West was created after the end of Apartheid in 1994, and includes parts of the former Transvaal Province and Cape Province, as well as most of the former Bantustan of Bophuthatswana. It was the scene of political violence in Khutsong, Merafong City Local Municipality in 2006 and 2007, after cross-province municipalities were abolished and Merafong Municipality was transferred entirely to North West. Merafong has since been transferred to Gauteng province in 2009.
The provincial government consists of a premier, an executive council of ten ministers, and a legislature. The provincial assembly and premier are elected for five-year terms, or until the next national election. Political parties are awarded assembly seats based on the percentage of votes each party receives in the province during the national elections. The assembly elects a premier, who then appoints the members of the executive council.
The premier of North West Province as of 21 May 2014 is Supra Mahumapelo of the African National Congress. He replaced Thandi Modise as premier after the 2014 general election.
Much of the province consists of flat areas of scattered trees and grassland. The Magaliesberg mountain range in the northeast extends about 130 km (about 80 miles) from Pretoria to Rustenburg. The Vaal River flows along the southern border of the province.
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