Mossel Bay Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the southern 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: | WC043 |
| Seat: | Mossel Bay |
| Number of wards: | 15 |
| Total area: | 2,001 km² (773 square miles) |
| Population: | 140,075 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Dirk Kotzé |
About
Mossel Bay was officially proclaimed a town in 1848 and in 1852 it became a Municipality. As a result of the new municipal dispensation introduced by the South African Government in December 2000, the Municipality of Mossel Bay was merged with those of the much smaller Friemersheim, Great Brak River, and Herbertsdale to establish the present-day Municipality of Mossel Bay.
Mossel Bay Local Municipality is geographically situated in the southern part of the Garden Route District Municipality on the N2 National Route approximately halfway between the coastal cities of Cape Town and Gqeberha in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape Province.
Mossel Bay Local Municipality covers an area of 2,001 km² (773 square miles) making it the third-smallest local municipality in the Garden Route District.
The municipality is divided into 15 wards.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Mossel Bay Local Municipality is in Mossel Bay.
Mossel Bay Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Hessequa Local Municipality to the west
- Oudtshoorn Local Municipality to the north
- George Local Municipality to the east
- The Indian Ocean to the south
Mossel Bay Local Municipality’s northern boundary is the Outeniqua Mountains and its western boundary is the Gouritz River. To the east, it stretches to the Maalgate River.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Mossel Bay Local Municipality has a population of 140,075 people, compared to 94,135 in 2016, and 89,430 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 4.36%.
According to the 2022 Census, 17.9% of the population is under the age of 15, 66.7% is between 15 and 64, and 15.4% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 34.5% of the population in Mossel Bay Local Municipality describe themselves as Coloured, 34.1% as White, 29.4% as Black African, and 0.3% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 67.6% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 21.5% speak isiXhosa, 6.5% speak English, 1.3% speak Sesotho and 3.1% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Mossel Bay Local Municipality are agriculture (aloes, cattle, dairy, ostriches, sheep, timber, vegetables, and wine), fishing, light industry, petrochemicals, and tourism.
Municipal council and management
The Mossel Bay municipal council is comprised of 29 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Eleven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 15 wards, while the remaining 14 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 19 seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – DA: 19 – ANC: 5 – VF PLUS: 2 – ACDP: 1 – ICOSA: 1 – PA: 1 |
| Controlling party | Democratic Alliance |
| Executive Mayor | Dirk Kotzé |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | Clifford Bayman |
| Speaker | Venolea Fortuin |
| Chief Whip | Stephan Botha |
| Other Council Members | – Niklaas Booisen (MMC: Community Services) – Anton Dellemijn (MMC: Infrastructure Services Committee) – M Furness (MMC: Financial Services Committee) – Nicolette le Roux (MMC: Corporate and Governance Services Committee) |
| Municipal Manager | Colin Puren |
| Chief Financial Officer | n/a |
| Senior Management | – Christo Engelbrecht (Senior Manager: Human Resources Management) – Wikus Gouws (Manager: ICT) – Gwynnefer Harding (Manager: Economic Development and Tourism) – Lindilizwe Mngxekeza (Manager: Municipal Housing) – Dick Naidoo (Director: Infrastructure Services) – Elize Nel (Director: Community Service) – Annette Potgieter (Director: Corporate Services) – Carel Venter (Director: Planning and Economic Development) – H Williamson (Manager: Traffic and Law Enforcement and Acting Director: Community Safety) |
| Communications Officers | Cornelle Carstens |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Mossel Bay Local Municipality.
- Boggoms Bay
- Brandwag
- Buisplaas
- D’Almeida
- Dana Bay
- Fraaiuitsig
- Friemersheim
- Glentana
- Great Brak River
- Hartenbos
- Herbertsdale
- Hersham
- KwaNonqaba
- Little Brak River
- Mossel Bay
- Outeniqua Beach
- Reebok
- Ruiterbos
- Southern Cross
- Tergniet
- Vleesbaai
Contact details
The contact details of Mossel Bay Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | Private Bag X29, Mossel Bay, 6500 |
| Physical address: | 101 Marsh Street, Mossel Bay |
| Telephone: | 044 606 5000 |
| SMS (costs R0.50c): | 44802 |
| Fax: | 044 606 5062 |
| Email: | admin@mosselbay.gov.za |
| Website: | www.mosselbay.gov.za |
