It's named after the mogalakwena river which comes from the babina Kwena fierce Nile crocodile.

The area constitute of a cosmopolitan of different chiefdoms : mainly bakone (masenya le Matlala ) , Lebelo kgomo, transvaal Ndebele Langa & Kekana, phokela , Lekalekale , babirwa.

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[3] The municipal council consists of sixty-four members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.

Thirty-two councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirty-two wards, while the remaining thirty-two 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 forty-two seats on the council.