Hessequa Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the southwestern region of the Garden Route District Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B3 (small towns) |
| Province: | Western Cape |
| District: | Garden Route |
| Municipal code: | WC042 |
| Seat: | Riversdale |
| Number of wards: | 9 |
| Total area: | 5,733 km² (2,214 square miles) |
| Population: | 71,918 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Grant Riddles |
About
Hessequa Local Municipality is geographically situated in the southwestern part of the Garden Route District Municipality.
Hessequa Municipality is about 320 kilometres from Cape Town on the N2 National Route. It is flanked by the lower Breede River to the west and the Gourits River to the east.
Before 24 June 2005, Hessequa Local Municipality was known as Langeberg Municipality
The name Hessequa, meaning “people of the trees”, refers to the indigenous Khoikhoi people that used to live in the region.
Hessequa is gently curving the edge of the continent just east of the southernmost tip of Africa.
Hessequa is the entrance to the world-famous Garden Route and is nestled in the shadow of the Langeberg Mountain, and in the embrace of the warm Indian Ocean, stretching from the magnificent Breede River in the west, and the majestic Gourits River in the east, and surrounded by rugged mountains and indigenous forests to the north.
Hessequa Local Municipality is a region rich in natural beauty with rolling hills of pristine limestone and mountain fynbos, dune thicket, and Renosterveld. Pristine beaches stretch the entire length of her coastline.
Ecological assets in the municipality include four estuaries, a world heritage forest site, and several nature reserves that guard several rare and endangered floral species.
Hessequa Local Municipality covers an area of 5,733 km² (2,214 square miles) making it the largest local municipality in the Garden Route District.
The municipality is divided into 9 wards.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Hessequa Local Municipality is in Riversdale.
Hessequa Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Kannaland Local Municipality to the north
- Oudtshoorn Local Municipality to the northeast
- Mossel Bay Local Municipality to the east
- The Indian Ocean to the south
- Swellendam Local Municipality in the Overberg District
Hessequa Local Municipality has a moderate climate. Rainfall occurs predominantly in winter and reaches totals of 300mm inland to 1,000mm on the coast.
The Little Karoo in the rain shadow of the Langeberg is the driest region. Agricultural activities are largely determined by the local rainfall pattern.
Most of the basal geology in Hessequa has been influenced by the Cape Fold Belt, which has caused the east-west heading mountains generally comprising hard quartzite sandstone and thin shale bands of the Table Mountain Group.
Hessequa’s vegetation falls within the Cape Floral Kingdom, which is characterised by its exceptional richness in plant species. More than 8,700 species are known to occur, of which two-thirds are endemic.
About 75% of all plants in the South African Red Data Book are found in the Cape Floral Kingdom. Of these species, about 1,700 are threatened with extinction. The major biomes occurring within Hessequa may be divided into nine major vegetation groups.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Hessequa Local Municipality has a population of 71,918 people, compared to 54,237 in 2016, and 52,642 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 3.03%.
According to the 2022 Census, 21.4% of the population is under the age of 15, 66.3% is between 15 and 64, and 12.3% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 72.5% of the population in Hessequa Local Municipality describe themselves as Coloured, 22% as White, 4.5% as Black African, and 0.3% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 92.4% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 3.6% speak English, 2.1% speak isiXhosa, and 1.9% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Hessequa Local Municipality are finance and business services, trade, manufacturing, agriculture, transport, communication, community services, and construction.
Municipal council and management
The Hessequa municipal council is comprised of 17 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Nine councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 9 wards, while the remaining 8 are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.
In the November 2021 local government elections, the Democratic Alliance (DA) won a majority of seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – DA: 9 – ANC: 6 – PA: 1 – VF PLUS: 1 |
| Controlling party | Democratic Alliance |
| Executive Mayor | Grant Riddles |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | Gerald Boezak (Community Services Portfolio Committee) |
| Speaker | Tinus van den Berg |
| Chief Whip | n/a |
| Other Council Members | – Gerald Boezak (Community Services Portfolio) – Hendrik Saayman (Development Planning Portfolio) – Ben Smith (Corporate Management Portfolio and Financial Services Portfolio) – Betsie van Noordwyk (Technical Services Portfolio Committee) |
| Municipal Manager | Albert de Klerk |
| Chief Financial Officer | Gerard Goliath (Director: Financial Services) |
| Senior Management | – Marina Griesel (Director: Corporate Management) – Rhuschan (Werner) Manho (Director: Technical Services) – Hendrik Visser (Director: Development Planning) |
| Communications Officers | Dulckerine (Didi) Budricks (Head: Public Relations, Administration and Auxiliary Services) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Hessequa Local Municipality.
- Albertinia
- Gouritsmond
- Heidelberg
- Jongensfontein
- Riversdale
- Slangrivier
- Stilbaai
- Vermaaklikheid
- Witsand
Contact details
The contact details of Hessequa Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | P.O. Box 29, Riversdale, 6670 |
| Physical address: | Civic Centre, Van der Berg Street, Riversdale |
| Telephone: | 028 713 8000 |
| Email: | info@hessequa.gov.za |
| Website: | www.hessequa.gov.za |
| WhatsApp: | 071 598 3175 |
| Ambulance: | 028 713 4554 |
| 24-hour emergency number (accidents/fires/disasters): | 084 014 1828 or 028 713 2222 |
| Traffic department: | 028 713 7817 or 028 713 7917 |
