Overstrand Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the southwestern region of the Overberg 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: | Overberg |
| Municipal code: | WC032 |
| Seat: | Hermanus |
| Number of wards: | 14 |
| Total area: | 1,675 km² (647 square miles) |
| Population: | 132,495 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Annelie Rabie |
About
Overstrand Local Municipality is geographically situated in the southwestern part of the Overberg District Municipality along the Atlantic coast between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas.
In the west, the municipality stretches from the eastern edge of False Bay to Cape Agulhas in the east.
At Overstrand’s western end, it is separated from the City of Cape Town by the Kogelberg Mountains, to the north it is separated from Theewaterskloof Local Municipality by the Kogelberg and the Kleinrivier Mountains, and to the east it borders Cape Agulhas Local Municipality along a boundary that runs generally north-south just to the west of Elim.
The western region of Overstrand Local Municipality consists mostly of a narrow coastal plain with mountains immediately behind, while the eastern region beyond the Klein River expands away from the coast to include a wider agricultural region.
Overstrand Local Municipality covers an area of 1,675 km² (647 square miles) making it the smallest local municipality in the Overberg District.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Overstrand Local Municipality is in Hermanus.
The municipality is divided into 14 wards.
Overstrand Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Cape Agulhas Local Municipality to the east
- Theewaterskloof Local Municipality to the north
- City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality to the northwest
- The Atlantic Ocean to the west and south
The main towns in Overstrand Local Municipality are Gansbaai, Hermanus, and Kleinmond.
Most of the towns in the municipality are on the coast, and due to the proximity to Cape Town, many are holiday resorts.
Hermanus, the municipality’s largest town is situated on the northern edge of Walker Bay next to the Klein River mouth.
West of Hermanus, between it and the Bot River, are Onrusrivier and Hawston on the coast, and Fisherhaven on the Bot River lagoon. On the other side of the Bot River mouth is the town of Kleinmond and beyond it along the coast are Betty’s Bay, Pringle Bay, and Rooi-Els.
East of Hermanus the municipality includes a wider agricultural area away from the coast. The village of Stanford is about 15 kilometres (10 miles) inland on the Klein River. To the south, on the opposite side of Walker Bay from Hermanus, is the second-largest town in the municipality, Gansbaai. Just south of Gansbaai, on the southern edge of the Danger Point peninsula, are Van Dyksbaai and Franskraalstrand.
A little further along the coast is Pearly Beach. Inland from Pearly Beach, separated from the coast by a range of hills, is the agricultural hamlet of Baardskeerdersbos, while Wolvengat is another agricultural hamlet in the far south-east of the municipality.
Overstrand’s unique offerings of the ultimate experience in shark cage diving, pristine Blue Flag beaches, land-based whale watching, excellent wine industry, and top-class restaurants and accommodation facilities make it an attractive tourist destination.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Overstrand Local Municipality has a population of 132,495 people, compared to 93,407 in 2016, and 80,358 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 4.85%.
According to the 2022 Census, 18.6% of the population is under the age of 15, 66.2% is between 15 and 64, and 15.2% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 38% of the population in Overstrand Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 33.5% as White, 26.9% as Coloured, and 0.3% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 53.5% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 29.2% speak isiXhosa, 12.3% speak English, 1.4% speak Sesotho, and 3.6% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Overstrand Local Municipality are transport, storage, communication, finance, insurance, real estate, business services, wholesale, manufacturing, and commercial services.
Municipal council and management
The Overstrand municipal council is comprised of 27 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Fourteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 14 wards, while the remaining 13 are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – DA: 17 – ANC: 4 – LAND: 2 – VF PLUS: 2 – ACDP: 1 – EFF: 1 |
| Controlling party | Democratic Alliance |
| Executive Mayor | Dr Annelie Rabie |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | Lindile Ntsabo |
| Speaker | Grant Cohen |
| Chief Whip | n/a |
| Other Council Members | – Arnie Africa (Management Services) – Elnora Gillion (Local Economic Development) – Clinton Lerm (Infrastructure and Investment) – Stephen Williams (Finance) |
| Municipal Manager | Dr. Dean O’Neill |
| Chief Financial Officer | n/a |
| Senior Management | – Desireé Arrison (Director: Management Services) – Solomzi Madikane (Director: Economic Development and Tourism) – Stephen Müller (Director: Infrastructure and Planning) – Neville Michaels (Director: Protection Services) – Seon Swartz (Director: Community Services) |
| Communications Officers | – R Steenkamp – Noluthando Zweni (Manager: Communication) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Overstrand Local Municipality.
- Betty’s Bay
- Birkenhead
- De Kelders
- Fisherhaven
- Franskraal
- Gansbaai
- Hawston
- Hermanus
- Kleinmond
- Onrus
- Pearly Beach
- Pringle Bay
- Rooi-Els
- Sandbaai
- Stanford
- Van Dyksbaai
- Vermont
Contact details
The contact details of Overstrand Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | PO Box 20, Hermanus, 7200 |
| Physical address: | Overstrand Civic Centre, Magnolia Street, Hermanus |
| Telephone: | 028 313 8000 |
| Municipal services 24/7: | 028 313 8111 |
| Fax: | 028 312 1894 |
| Email: | enquiries@overstrand.gov.za |
| Website: | www.overstrand.gov.za |
