The Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM) is a Category C municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa, situated northeast of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality.
Cape Winelands District Municipality
| Type of municipality: | District (Category C) |
| Province: | Western Cape |
| Municipal code: | DC2 |
| Seat: | Worcester |
| Local municipalities: | 5 |
| Total area: | 21,473 km² (8,291 square miles) |
| Population: | 862,703 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Dr Elna von Schlicht |
About
The Cape Winelands District Municipality was formerly known as the Boland District Municipality.
It covers an area of 21,473 km² (8,291 square miles) and is divided into five local municipalities namely;
- Breede Valley Local Municipality
- Drakenstein Local Municipality
- Langeberg Local Municipality
- Stellenbosch Local Municipality
- Witzenberg Local Municipality
The Cape Winelands District Municipality is a landlocked area bordered by the West Coast District to the west, the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality to the southwest, the Overberg District to the south, the Garden Route and Central Karoo districts to the east, and the Northern Cape province to the north.
The district is the second most populated region in the Western Cape province, with 862,703 people calling the area home. Together with this, the citizens are also the largest economic contributors after the City of Cape Town.
The Cape Winelands District is a superb wine-producing area, and indeed the best known in South Africa.
The region is famous for its spectacular scenery of beautiful mountains and valleys, and wine and fruit estates, all of which attract large numbers of local and foreign tourists.
The magnificent mountain ranges around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek provide ideal microclimates for the vines.
Map
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the Cape Winelands District Municipality has a population of 862,703 residents, compared to 866,001 in 2016, and 787,486 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 0.89%.
According to the 2022 Census, 22.3% of the population is aged under 15, 71.1% is between 15 and 64, and 6.6% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 62.1% of the population in the Cape Winelands District Municipality describe themselves as Coloured, 23.7% as Black African, 12.9% as White, and 0.4% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, the first language of 74.8% of the population is Afrikaans, while 16.6% speak Xhosa, 4.3% speak English, 1.9% speak Sotho, and 2.4% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of the district are; finance and business services (23.9%), manufacturing (19.6%), wholesale and retail trade (15.2%), agriculture, forestry and fishing (13.1%), transport and communication (9%), and construction (4.5%).
District council and management
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – DA: 9 – ANC: 4 – EFF: 1 – GOOD: 1 – PA: 1 – VF PLUS: 1 |
| Executive Mayor | Dr Elna von Schlicht |
| Deputy Mayor | Margaret Sampson |
| Speaker | Donovan Joubert |
| Chief Whip | Thys Blom |
| Other Council Members | – Deon Carinus – Xoliswa Mdemka – Danie Nel (MPAC Chair) – Minnie Petersen |
| Municipal Manager | Henry F Prins |
| Chief Financial Officer | Fiona du Raan-Groenewald (Financial and Strategic Support Services) |
| Senior Management | – Deon Carinus (Infrastructure Services) – Gayle Daniels (Manager: LED) – Bianca Daries (IDP) – Abdul Gabier (ICT Officer) – Gail Gilberts (Human Resources Manager) – Esther Groenewald (Corporate Services) – Xoliswa Mdemka (Municipal Health) – Clara Meyer (Disaster Management) – Wilmari Neethling (Legal Services) – Minnie Petersen (Rural and Social Development) – Koos Steyn (Economic Development) – Dirk Swart (Sport, Arts and Culture) – Francois van Eck (Executive Director: Technical Services) – Pietie Williams (Community Development and Planning Services) |
| Communications Officers | Jo-Anne Otto |
Main places
Below are some of the main places in the district.
- Ashton
- Bonnievale
- Ceres
- De Doorns
- Franschhoek
- Gouda
- Klapmuts
- McGregor
- Montagu
- Op-Die-Berg
- Paarl
- Pniel
- Prince Alfred Hamlet
- Rawsonville
- Robertson
- Saron
- Stellenbosch
- Stellenbosch Farms
- Touws River
- Tulbagh
- Wellington
- Wolseley
- Worcester
Contact details
Contact details of the Cape Winelands District Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | P.O. Box 100, Stellenbosch, 7599 |
| Physical address: | 46 Alexander Street, Stellenbosch |
| Telephone: | 0861 265 263 |
| Email: | admin@capewinelands.gov.za |
| Fraud Hotline: | 021 888 5130 |
| Emergency Services: | 021 887 4446 |
| Website: | www.capewinelands.gov.za |
