Saldanha Bay Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the southern region of the West Coast 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: | West Coast |
| Municipal code: | WC014 |
| Seat: | Vredenburg |
| Number of wards: | 14 |
| Total area: | 2,015 km² (778 square miles) |
| Population: | 154,635 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | André Truter |
About
Saldanha Bay Local Municipality is geographically situated in the southern region of the West Coast District Municipality on the Western Cape west coast, approximately 140 kilometres north of Cape Town.
The municipality includes the West Coast Peninsula (also known as the Vredenburg Peninsula) and stretches southeast to include the West Coast National Park and the area around Hopefield.
Saldanha Bay Local Municipality has a coastline of 238 kilometres and covers an area of 2,015 km² (778 square miles), making it the smallest local municipality in the West Coast District as it accounts for about 6% of the district’s geographical area.
The municipality’s administrative headquarters/seat is in Vredenburg, with satellite offices in Hopefield, Saldanha, St Helena Bay, Langebaan, and Paternoster.
The municipality is divided into 14 wards.
Saldanha Bay Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Bergrivier Local Municipality to the north
- Swartland Local Municipality to the east and south
- The Atlantic Ocean to the west
The municipality’s largest town is Vredenburg, which is situated in the center of the eponymous peninsula. To the south of Vredenburg is the harbour town of Saldanha on the edge of Saldanha Bay.
There are several other fishing and holiday towns on the coast of the municipality: St Helena Bay on the northern coast of the Vredenburg Peninsula, Paternoster and Jacobsbaai on the western coast of the peninsula, and Langebaan on the opposite side of Saldanha Bay from Saldanha.
In the interior of the municipality is the town of Hopefield and the village and air force base at Langebaanweg.
Saldanha Bay Local Municipality has the largest natural port in Africa and the area is earmarked as a regional motor for the development of the Western Cape Province.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Saldanha Bay Local Municipality has a population of 154,635 people, compared to 111,173 in 2016, and 99,193 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 4.31%.
According to the 2022 Census, 23.6% of the population is under the age of 15, 69.3% is between 15 and 64, and 7.1% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 51.4% of the population in Saldanha Bay Local Municipality describe themselves as Coloured, 30.2% as Black African, 16.5% as White, and 0.5% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 72.5% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 16.4% speak isiXhosa, 6.6% speak English, 1.2% speak Sesotho, and 3.3% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Saldanha Bay Local Municipality are manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, fishing, wholesale and retail trade, catering, accommodation, finance, insurance, real estate, business services, and construction.
Municipal council and management
The Saldanha Bay 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: 13 – ANC: 6 – GOOD: 4 – CCC: 1 – EFF: 1 – PA: 1 – VF PLUS: 1 |
| Controlling party | Hung Council |
| Executive Mayor | André Truter |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | Charmaine Laubscher (Mayoral Committee: Infrastructure and Planning Services) |
| Speaker | Olwene Daniels |
| Chief Whip | Michael Schaffers (Chief Whip and Mayoral Committee: Corporate Services and Public Safety) |
| Other Council Members | – Wilhelm America (Mayoral Committee: Community and Operational Services) – Jaco Kotzé (Mayoral Committee: Finance Services) – Sinah Mamabolo (Mayoral Committee: Office of Municipal Manager) – Eventhia Vaughan (Mayoral Committee: Economic Development and Strategic Services) |
| Municipal Manager | Heinrich Mettler |
| Chief Financial Officer | Stefan Vorster |
| Senior Management | – Cornell de Kock (Director: Economic Development and Strategic Services) – Phumzile Mbaliswana (Director: Corporate Services and Public Safety) – Gerrit Smith (Director: Infrastructure and Planning Services) – Louis Volschenk (Director: Community and Operational Services) |
| Communications Officers | Ethne Lawrence |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Saldanha Bay Local Municipality.
- Hopefield
- Jacobsaai
- Langebaan
- Paternoster
- Saldanha
- St Helena Bay
- Vredenburg
Contact details
The contact details of Saldanha Bay Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | Private Bag X12, Vredenburg, 7380 |
| Physical address: | 12 Main Road, Vredenburg, 7380 |
| Telephone: | 022 701 7000 |
| Fax: | 022 715 1518 |
| Email: | mun@sbm.gov.za |
| Website: | www.sbm.gov.za |
