Western Cape is served by 30 municipalities: 1 metropolitan, 5 district and 24 local. Together they cover 7 433 022 residents across 256 485 square kilometres.
Western Cape at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Municipalities | 30 |
| Metropolitan | 1 |
| District | 5 |
| Local | 24 |
| Population | 7 433 022 |
| Area | 256 485 km2 |
| Combined annual spending | R93.5 billion |
| Clean audits | 21 |
| Disclaimed audits | 1 |
| Coalition governed | 17 |
| Average financial health score | 71.6 |
Metropolitan municipalities
| Metro | Population | Expenditure | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | 4 772 846 | R64.4 billion | B |
District municipalities and what they cover
| District | Local municipalities | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Winelands DM | Breede Valley, Drakenstein, Langeberg, Stellenbosch, Witzenberg | A |
| Central Karoo | Beaufort West, Laingsburg, Prince Albert | C |
| Garden Route | Bitou, George, Hessequa, Kannaland, Knysna, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn | C |
| Overberg | Cape Agulhas, Overstrand, Swellendam, Theewaterskloof | B |
| West Coast | Bergrivier, Cederberg, Matzikama, Saldanha Bay, Swartland | A |
Largest municipalities by population
| Municipality | Population | Area km2 | People per km2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | 4 772 846 | 2 441 | 1 955.3 |
| George | 294 929 | 5 191 | 56.8 |
| Drakenstein | 276 800 | 1 537 | 180.1 |
| Breede Valley | 212 682 | 3 834 | 55.5 |
| Stellenbosch | 175 411 | 836 | 209.8 |
| Saldanha Bay | 154 635 | 2 015 | 76.7 |
| Swartland | 148 331 | 3 708 | 40.0 |
| Mossel Bay | 140 075 | 2 001 | 70.0 |
| Theewaterskloof | 139 563 | 3 261 | 42.8 |
| Oudtshoorn | 138 257 | 3 540 | 39.1 |
Financial health across Western Cape
The strongest finances in the province belong to Hessequa, scoring 100.0 out of 100 with a grade of A. The weakest are Theewaterskloof at 19.7, a grade of F.
| Municipality | Type | Grade | Score | Audit outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hessequa | Local | A | 100.0 | Clean audit |
| Cape Winelands DM | District | A | 99.6 | Clean audit |
| Swartland | Local | A | 98.7 | Clean audit |
| Drakenstein | Local | A | 95.7 | Clean audit |
| Saldanha Bay | Local | A | 93.4 | Clean audit |
| Stellenbosch | Local | A | 92.8 | Clean audit |
| West Coast | District | A | 88.1 | Clean audit |
| Cederberg | Local | A | 86.2 | Clean audit |
| Witzenberg | Local | A | 85.2 | Clean audit |
| Overberg | District | B | 84.0 | Clean audit |
| Overstrand | Local | B | 81.4 | Clean audit |
| Breede Valley | Local | B | 81.2 | Clean audit |
| Cape Town | Metropolitan | B | 81.1 | Financially unqualified |
| Mossel Bay | Local | B | 80.4 | Clean audit |
| George | Local | B | 80.2 | Clean audit |
| Langeberg | Local | B | 78.7 | Clean audit |
| Bergrivier | Local | B | 75.1 | Clean audit |
| Oudtshoorn | Local | B | 74.3 | Clean audit |
| Swellendam | Local | B | 71.3 | Clean audit |
| Garden Route | District | C | 68.1 | Clean audit |
| Central Karoo | District | C | 62.4 | Financially unqualified |
| Prince Albert | Local | C | 61.8 | Qualified audit |
| Cape Agulhas | Local | C | 56.1 | Clean audit |
| Bitou | Local | D | 54.7 | Qualified audit |
| Knysna | Local | D | 53.7 | Financially unqualified |
| Matzikama | Local | D | 53.1 | Clean audit |
| Beaufort West | Local | E | 38.5 | Financially unqualified |
| Kannaland | Local | E | 30.8 | Disclaimer of audit |
| Laingsburg | Local | F | 22.5 | Adverse audit |
| Theewaterskloof | Local | F | 19.7 | Qualified audit |
Household services
Across the 25 metropolitan and local municipalities in Western Cape, an average of 85.9% of households have piped water inside the dwelling.
| Municipality | Piped water inside | Electricity | Weekly refuse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | 85.4% | 96.7% | 90.2% |
| George | 81.3% | 95.5% | 88.3% |
| Drakenstein | 88.6% | 97.9% | 89.2% |
| Breede Valley | 84.7% | 97.2% | 83.4% |
| Stellenbosch | 86.4% | 96.9% | 87.3% |
| Saldanha Bay | 86.7% | 94.7% | 89.0% |
| Swartland | 90.6% | 97.8% | 82.8% |
| Mossel Bay | 90.2% | 98.2% | 92.5% |
| Theewaterskloof | 76.0% | 93.3% | 74.7% |
| Oudtshoorn | 85.1% | 92.3% | 86.0% |
| Overstrand | 87.6% | 96.3% | 91.4% |
| Witzenberg | 84.4% | 95.8% | 75.6% |
Browse every municipality in the province, with full contact details and five years of figures, on the Western Cape page.
Figures on this page come from National Treasury, Statistics South Africa and the Auditor-General, as set out in the sources and methodology. Read the methodology