Knysna Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the eastern 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: | B2 (large town) |
| Province: | Western Cape |
| District: | Garden Route |
| Municipal code: | WC048 |
| Seat: | Knysna |
| Number of wards: | 11 |
| Total area: | 1,109 km² (428 square miles) |
| Population: | 96,055 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Aubrey Tsengwa |
About
Knysna Local Municipality is geographically situated in the eastern part of the Garden Route District Municipality and stretches from Swartvlei Lake in Sedgefield in the West to Bracken Hill in the East.
Knysna Local Municipality covers an area of 1,109 km² (428 square miles) making it the second-smallest local municipality in the Garden Route District as it accounts for about 5% of the district’s geographical area.
Knysna is situated on the N2 National Route, 520 kilometres from Cape Town and 330 kilometres from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape Province.
The municipality can be accessed by air transport through George Airport in George and Plettenberg Bay Aerodrome in Plettenberg Bay.
The municipality is divided into 11 wards.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Knysna Local Municipality is in Knysna.
Knysna Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Bitou Local Municipality to the east
- George Local Municipality to the north and west
- The Indian Ocean to the south
Knysna Local Municipality is the historic, geographic, and cultural epicentre of the Garden Route and a region high on the must-see list of most visitors to South Africa, and with good reason.
The 300 kilometres stretch of coastline from Mossel Bay in the west to Storms River in the east gets its name from the area’s ecologically diverse range of topography, terrain, vegetation, and wildlife.
Pristine beaches, many with “Blue Flag” status, and warm waters dissolve inland into picturesque lagoons and lakes, tropical forests, rolling hills, and eventually, the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountain ranges that divide the Garden Route from the arid Klein Karoo.
The Garden Route National Park and 9 other nature reserves cover thousands of hectares, embracing the varied ecosystems of the area. The indigenous forests and the unique Cape Fynbos are home to a myriad of wildlife and birds.
Along the coastline, marine reserves are the domain of soft coral reefs, dolphins, seals, seahorses, and more, while bays serve as nurseries for the endangered Southern Right Whale.
Fed by the Knysna River, the 18km² Knysna Estuary is home to at least 200 species of fish and opens into the Indian Ocean between two towering sandstone cliffs known as The Heads – proclaimed by the British Royal Navy to be the most dangerous harbour entrance in the world.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Knysna Local Municipality has a population of 96,055 people, compared to 73,835 in 2016, and 68,659 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 3.26%.
According to the 2022 Census, 20.9% of the population is under the age of 15, 66.9% is between 15 and 64, and 12.3% is over 65.
Most residents of the municipality live in the town of Knysna which is situated on the shores of the Knysna Lagoon; other coastal settlements are Sedgefield and Buffelsbaai. Away from the coast are agricultural settlements at Rheenendal and Karatara.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 41.3% of the population in Knysna Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 34.8 as Coloured, 21.8% as White, and 0.4% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 51.2% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 28.4% speak isiXhosa, 15.4% speak English, and 5% speak other languages.
Economy
Despite its small size in geographical area, Knysna Local Municipality has the fourth largest economy in the Garden Route District and boasts good infrastructure and basic services.
The main economic sectors of Knysna Local Municipality are tourism, Local Government – Public Sector.
Municipal council and management
The Knysna municipal council is comprised of 21 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Eleven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 11 wards, while the remaining 10 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, no party obtained a majority of seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – DA: 8 – ANC: 7 – KIM: 2 – PA: 2 – EFF: 1 – PBI: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC/PBI/PA Coalition |
| Executive Mayor | Aubrey Tsengwa |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | Alberto Marbi |
| Speaker | Mncedisi Skosana |
| Chief Whip | Mboneli Khumelwana |
| Other Council Members | – Kay Andrews (MayCo Member: Integrated Human Settlements) – Beauty Charlie (MayCo Member: Infrastructure Services) – Waleed Grootboom (MayCo Member: Community Services) – Thando Matika (MayCo Member: Finance and Governance) |
| Municipal Manager | Phaahle Simon Malepeng (Acting) |
| Chief Financial Officer | Clifford Julies |
| Senior Management | – Andiswa Dunywa (Director: Planning and Economic Development) – Adv Luvuyo Loliwe (Director: Corporate Services) – Dr Sandile Ngqele (Director: Community Services) – Lindile Petuna (Director: Integrated Human Settlements) |
| Communications Officers | Christopher Bezuidenhout (Manager: Communications) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Knysna Local Municipality.
- Brenton
- Brenton-on-Sea
- Buffels Bay
- Knoetzie
- Knysna
- Rheenendal
- Sedgefield
Contact details
The contact details of Knysna Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | PO Box 21, Knysna, 6570 |
| Physical address: | 5 Clyde Street, Knysna |
| Telephone: | 044 302 6300 |
| Fax: | 044 302 6333 |
| Email: | – knysna@knysna.gov.za – customercare@knysna.gov.za |
| Website: | www.knysna.gov.za |
| Emergency phone (Open all hours): | 044 302 8911 |
