Theewaterskloof Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the western interior of the Overberg District Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B3 (small towns) |
| Province: | Western Cape |
| District: | Overberg |
| Municipal code: | WC031 |
| Seat: | Caledon |
| Number of wards: | 14 |
| Total area: | 3,259 km² (1,258 square miles) |
| Population: | 139,563 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | L. de Bruyn |
About
Theewaterskloof Local Municipality is geographically situated in the western part of the Overberg District Municipality.
The municipality occupies the area between the Riviersonderend Mountains to the north and the Kogelberg and Kleinrivier Mountains to the south. To the west, the municipality stretches as far as the Hottentots-Holland Mountains.
The western area of the municipality is the Elgin Valley, drained by the Palmiet River. The northern part is the valley of the Sonderend River including the enormous Theewaterskloof Dam, which provides water for Cape Town and the surrounding areas. The southeastern part is in the Overberg plain, drained by the Bot and Klein Rivers.
Theewaterskloof Local Municipality covers an area of 3,259 km² (1,258 square miles) making it the second-smallest local municipality in the Overberg District as it accounts for a third of the district’s geographical area.
The largest town in the municipality is Grabouw in the Elgin Valley. However, the administrative headquarters/seat of Theewaterskloof Local Municipality is in Caledon on the plain.
Between Grabouw and Caledon is Botrivier at the base of the Houwhoek Pass. Villiersdorp is situated in the northern part of the municipality close to the Theewaterskloof Dam. Downstream from the dam along the Sonderend River are the villages of Genadendal, Greyton, and Riviersonderend. The smallest town in the district is Tesselaarsdal, which is approximately 20 kilometres south-east of Caledon
The municipality is divided into 14 wards.
Theewaterskloof Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Overstrand Local Municipality to the south
- Cape Agulhas Local Municipality to the southeast
- Swellendam Local Municipality to the east
- Langeberg, Breede Valley, and Stellenbosch local municipalities in the Cape Winelands District to the north
- City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality to the west
Theewaterskloof Local Municipality is the gateway to the Overberg and is surrounded by unique natural assets such as the Theewaterskloof Dam, Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, illustrious vineyards, crop and fruit fields, fynbos, wildflowers, and blue cranes.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Theewaterskloof Local Municipality has a population of 139,563 people, compared to 117,167 in 2016, and 108,864 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 2.41%.
According to the 2022 Census, 21.7% of the population is under the age of 15, 72.1% is between 15 and 64, and 6.1% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 55.2% of the population in Theewaterskloof Local Municipality describe themselves as Coloured, 34.7% as Black African, 8.5% as White, and 0.3% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 73.6% of the population speaks Afrikaans as their first language, 16.9% speak isiXhosa, 3.9% speak English, 3.6% speak Sesotho, and 2% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Theewaterskloof Local Municipality are wholesale and retail trade, catering, accommodation, finance, insurance, real estate, business services, agriculture, forestry, fishing, manufacturing, general government, construction, community, social and personal services, mining and quarrying.
Municipal council and management
The Theewaterskloof 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.
In the election of 1 November 2021, the Democratic Alliance (DA) won a plurality of eleven seats on the council. The African National Congress (ANC) then formed a minority coalition government with the Patriotic Alliance which is supported by Good.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 8 – GOOD: 3 – PA: 2 – EFF: 1 – SRWP: 1 – VF PLUS: 1 – DA: 11 |
| Controlling party | ANC/GOOD/PA Coalition |
| Executive Mayor | L. de Bruyn |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | Cynthia Clayton |
| Speaker | Welldon Wells |
| Chief Whip | Raymond Nongxaza |
| Other Council Members | – Tapelo Princess Lesesa (Chairperson: Human Settlements and Planning Services) – J Mckenzie (Chairperson: Technical and Infrastructure Implementation Services) – Johan Michels (Chairperson: Economic Development) – R Mienies (Chairperson: Financial Services) – Monwabisi Raymond Nongxaza (Chairperson: Community Services) |
| Municipal Manager | Reynold Stevens (Acting) |
| Chief Financial Officer | Paul Mabhena (Acting) |
| Senior Management | – Joseph Amansure (Manager: Human Resources) – Anton Opperman (Chief Audit Executive) – Ashwille Riddles (Deputy Director: Finance) – Reynold Stevens (Acting) |
| Communications Officers | Hugo Geldenhuys |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Theewaterskloof Local Municipality.
- Bot River
- Caledon/Myddleton
- Genadendal
- Grabouw
- Greyton
- Riviersonderend
- Theewaterskloof
- Villiersdorp
Contact details
The contact details of Theewaterskloof Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | PO Box 24, Caledon, 7230 |
| Physical address: | 6 Plein Street, Caledon |
| Telephone: | 028 214 3300 |
| Fax: | 028 214 1289 |
| Email: | twkmun@twk.gov.za |
| Website: | www.twk.gov.za |
| Emergency phone: | 080 021 4730 |
