It is the only municipality in South Africa that straddles 4 provinces.

Bela is a Sesotho word meaning "to boil", referring to the hot water springs found in the area.

[3] The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[4] The municipal council consists of seventeen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.

Nine councillors are elected by a system of first-past-the-post voting in nine wards, while the remaining eight are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.

In the election of 1 November 2021, the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of ten seats on the council.