Breede Valley Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located within the Cape Winelands District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Breede Valley Local Municipality
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| Province: | Western Cape |
| District: | Cape Winelands |
| Municipal code: | WC025 |
| Seat: | Worcester |
| Number of wards: | 21 |
| Total area: | 3,834 km² (1,480 square miles) |
| Population: | 212,682 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Antoinette Steyn (DA) |
About
The Breede Valley Local Municipality covers an area of 3,834 km² (1,480 square miles) and is divided into 21 wards.
It includes a middle section of the Breede River Valley around the town of Worcester and stretches up the Hex River Valley to the edge of the Karoo.
The Breede Valley Local Municipality is bordered by Drakenstein Municipality to the west, Stellenbosch Municipality to the southwest, Theewaterskloof Municipality to the south, Langeberg Municipality to the southeast, Laingsburg Municipality to the east, and Witzenberg Municipality to the north.
The most striking feature of the Breede Valley is its scenic beauty consisting of majestic mountains, fertile valleys, vineyards, and vast plains, covered with indigenous semi-desert vegetation.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the Breede Valley Local Municipality has a population of 212,682 residents, compared to 176,578 in 2016, and 166,825 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 2.36%.
According to the 2022 Census, 23.4% of the population is aged under 15, 70.5% is between 15 and 64, and 6.1% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 59.1% of the population in Breede Valley Local Municipality describe themselves as Coloured, 30% as Black African, 9.5% as White, and 0.4% are Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, the first language of 76% of the population is Afrikaans, while 16.1% speak Xhosa, 2.9% speak English, 2.7% speak Sotho, and 2.3% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Breede Valley Local Municipality are; agriculture (28.8%), community services (21.9%), finance (20.2%), manufacturing (11.3%), trade (7.7%), transport (6.1%), and construction (2.7%).
Municipal council and management
The Breede Valley municipal council consists of 41 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Twenty-one councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 21 wards, while the remaining 20 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, no party obtained a majority of seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – DA: 19 – ANC: 10 – BO: 4 – EFF: 2 – GOOD: 2 – VF PLUS: 2 – ACDP: 1 – PA: 1 |
| Executive Mayor | Antoinette Steyn |
| Deputy Mayor | Juben von Willingh |
| Speaker | Johannes van Zyl |
| Chief Whip | Pieter Marais |
| Other Council Members | – Vernon Bedworth (MMC: Sports and Culture) – Joffrey Jack (MMC: Engineering Services) – Julian Kritzinger (MMC: LED and Tourism) – Wouter Meiring (MMC: Finance) – Naomi Nel (MMC: Community Services) – Palesa Ramokhabi (MMC: Housing and Human Settlements) – Esmé van der Westhuizen (MMC: Public Services) – Felicity Vaughan (MMC: Strategic Support Services) |
| Municipal Manager | David McThomas |
| Chief Financial Officer | Rod Ontong |
| Senior Management | – R Esau (Director: Strategic Support Services) – Colin January (Manager: LED) – Jaco Steyn (Director: Technical Services) – Seon Swartz (Director: Community Services) |
| Communications Officers | – John Bulani (Communications Officer) – Chad Malgas (Manager: IDP, PMS and Communications) |
Main places
Below are the main places in the municipality.
- De Doorns
- Rawsonville
- Touws River
- Worcester
Contact details
Contact details of the Breede Valley Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | Private Bag X 3046, Worcester, 6849 |
| Physical address: | 30 Baring Street, Worcester, Western Cape |
| Telephone: | 023 348 2600 |
| Fax: | 023 347 3671 |
| Email: | ssc@bvm.gov.za |
| Website: | www.bvm.gov.za |
