Stellenbosch Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the southwestern region of the Cape Winelands District Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B1 (secondary city) |
| Province: | Western Cape |
| District: | Cape Winelands |
| Municipal code: | WC024 |
| Seat: | Stellenbosch |
| Number of wards: | 23 |
| Total area: | 831 km² (321 square miles) |
| Population: | 175,411 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Gesie van Deventer |
About
Stellenbosch Local Municipality is geographically situated in the southwestern part of the Cape Winelands District Municipality.
Stellenbosch Local Municipality includes the town of Stellenbosch and stretches past Jamestown to Raithby in the South, Bottelary, Koelenhof, and Klapmuts to the North, and over the Helshoogte Pass to Pniel, Kylemore, Groendal and Franschhoek in the East.
The municipality is easily accessible by the national routes N1 and N2.
Stellenbosch Town is situated approximately 50 kilometres to the east of Cape Town and is the second-oldest town in South Africa, dating back to 1679 when an island in the Eerste River was named Stellenbosch by the then Governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel.
Stellenbosch Local Municipality covers an area of 831 km² (321 square miles), making it the smallest local municipality in the Cape Winelands District as it makes up just 4% of its geographical area.
The municipality is divided into 23 wards.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Stellenbosch Local Municipality is in Stellenbosch.
Stellenbosch Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Drakenstein Local Municipality to the north
- Breede Valley Local Municipality to the east
- Theewaterskloof Local Municipality in the Overberg District to the southeast
- City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality to the south and west
Most of the land in Stellenbosch Local Municipality is utilised for agriculture (mainly wine production).
Stellenbosch’s municipal area is famous for its beautiful environment, restaurants, street cafes, historical buildings, excellent educational institutions, wine farms, and quality wines.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Stellenbosch Local Municipality has a population of 175,411 residents, compared to 173,197 in 2016, and 155,728 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 1.16%.
According to the 2022 Census, 20.6% of the population is under the age of 15, 73.1% is between 15 and 64, and 6.3% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 37.8% of the population in Stellenbosch Local Municipality describe themselves as Coloured, 37% as Black African, 23.3% as White, and 0.5% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 67.7% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 20.8% speak isiXhosa, 7.2% speak English, 1.2% speak Sesotho, and 3.1% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Stellenbosch Local Municipality are agriculture, tourism, hospitality, finance, business, technology, and manufacturing.
Municipal council and management
The Stellenbosch municipal council is comprised of 45 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Twenty-three councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 23 wards, while the remaining 22 are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.
In the election of 1 November 2021, the Democratic Alliance (DA) received a majority of twenty-eight seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – DA: 28 – ANC: 8 – GOOD: 3 – EFF: 2 – ACDP: 1 – PA: 1 – PDM: 1 – VF PLUS: 1 |
| Controlling party | Democratic Alliance |
| Executive Mayor | Gesie van Deventer |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | Jeremy Fasser (Portfolio: Financial Services) |
| Speaker | Quintin Smit |
| Chief Whip | Patricia Crawley |
| Other Council Members | – JC Anthony (Portfolio: Youth, Sport and Culture) – Rozette du Toit (Portfolio: Human Settlements) – Peter Johnson (Portfolio: Infrastructure Services) – Joseph Joon (Portfolio: Rural Management) – Xolile Kalipa (Portfolio: Community Services) – Lwando Nkamisa (Portfolio: Corporate Services) – Reginald Pheiffer (Portfolio: Protection Services) – Carli van Wyk (Portfolio: Planning, LED and Tourism) – James Williams (Portfolio: Parks, Open Spaces and Environment) |
| Municipal Manager | Geraldine Mettler |
| Chief Financial Officer | Kevin Carolus |
| Senior Management | – Craig Alexander (Senior Manager: Development Planning) – Anthony Barnes (Director: Planning and Economic Development) – Gary Boshoff (Director: Community and Protection Services) – Stiaan Carstens (Senior Manager: Development Management) – Shane Chandaka (Director: Infrastructure Services) – Annalene de Beer (Director: Corporate Services) – Johan Fullard (Senior Manager: Roads, Transport, Storm Water and Traffic Engineering) – Clayton Hendricks (Senior Manager: Waste Management) – Dalleel Jacobs (Senior Manager: Supply Chain Management) – Alexander Kannemeyer (Senior Manager: Human Resources Management) – Charl Kitching (Senior Manager: Protection Services) – Regan Mooideen (Senior Manager: ICT) – Albert van der Merwe (Senior Manager: Community Services) – Lester van Stavel (Manager: Housing Development) – Nombulelo Zwane (Senior Manager: Electrotechnical Services) |
| Communications Officers | Stuart Grobbelaar (Manager: Communications) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Stellenbosch Local Municipality.
- Bottelary
- De Hollandsche Molen
- Dwarsrivier Valley
- Franschhoek
- Groendal
- Jamestown
- Johannesdal
- Kayamandi
- Klapmuts
- Koelenhof
- Kylemore
- Languedoc
- Pniel
- Raithby
- Robertsvlei
- Rozendal
- Stellenbosch
- Stellenbosch Farms
- Wemmershoek
Contact details
The contact details of Stellenbosch Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | PO. Box 17, Stellenbosch, 7600 |
| Physical address: | Town House Complex, Plein Street, Stellenbosch |
| Telephone: | 021 808 8111 |
| Fax: | 021 886 6749 |
| Email: | contact.stellenbosch@stellenbosch.gov.za |
| Website: | www.stellenbosch.gov.za |
| 24/7 Emergency line: | 021 808 8890 |
| Whatsapp service number: | 076 951 0768 |
| Law enforcement Whatsapp line: | 079 622 4722 |
