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21-733: The municipality covers an area of 3,707 square kilometres (1,431 sq mi), stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Berg River in the east. To the south it abuts on the City of Cape Town , to the east the Drakenstein Municipality , and to the north the Bergrivier Municipality and Saldanha Bay Municipality . According to the 2016 Stats SA Community Survey the municipality has

42-538: A catchment area of 7,715 km (2,979 sq mi) and empties into the Atlantic Ocean . About 65% of the Berg River area is under agriculture. The major towns in the Berg River area are Velddrif and Laaiplek near the coast, and Piketberg , Hopefield , Moorreesburg and Darling further inland. The Berg River can be subdivided into the following segments: The first known European record of

63-535: A hippo. Despite this protection, their numbers continued to dwindle as human settlement altered and destroyed their habitat. By the early 1800s, perhaps only a dozen remained, sheltering in the region of Kersefontein and the estuary. In 1829, only six hippos remained. The last known hippo was shot in 1869 by Martin Melck when it attacked and killed one of his employees." See Skead for more details. The Berg River's native fishes contain some species which are endemic to

84-406: A population of 133,762 people in 39,139 households. Of this population, 65.1% describe themselves as " Coloured ", 15.7% as " Black African ", and 18.6% as " White ". The first language of 78.13% of the population is Afrikaans , while 12.34% speak Xhosa , 5.14% speak English and 1.20% speak Sotho . The principal town and seat of the council is Malmesbury , which is situated in the south-east of

105-576: A problem in the upper Berg river. In 2022, the 1162.8 ha Berg Estuary Ramsar Site was designated around the Berg River . Around 127 species of waterbird have been recorded in the surrounding wetland habitat, including the threatened Cape cormorant . Threatened fish found within its waters include white steenbras and white stumpnose . 1995%E2%80%9396 South African municipal elections Municipal elections were held in South Africa in 1995 and 1996. Over 11 000 seats were contested of which

126-420: Is home to a number of large companies, as well as regional offices of provincial and national government departments. In 2016 the main contributors to the regional GDP were: Manufacturing (R1,689.0 million or 22.9%), wholesale and retail trade, catering and accommodation (R1,289.2 million or 17.5%), agriculture, forestry and fishing (R1,173.4 million or 15.9%) and general government (R851.0 million or 11.5%). At

147-536: The IUCN Red List – seems to have disappeared from the Berg River proper in recent times; this large species it survives elsewhere and may be suitable for fishery or aquaculture. The Berg River redfin ( Pseudobarbus burgi ) has one of its last major populations in the Berg River; its decline there seems to have stopped or at least slowed, but it too is already listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Trout are also

168-637: The election of 1 November 2021 the Democratic Alliance (DA) obtained a majority of fourteen seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the 2021 election. Berg River The Berg River (also called Great Berg River or in Afrikaans : Bergrivier ) is a river located just north of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa . It is approximately 294 km (183 mi) long with

189-506: The national elections of 1994 a process of local government transformation began, in which negotiations were held between the existing local authorities, political parties, and local community organisations. As a result of these negotiations, the existing local authorities were dissolved and transitional local councils (TLCs) were created for each town and village. In December 1994 Darling TLC replaced Darling Municipality and Greenville Management Committee. In January 1995 Malmesbury TLC replaced

210-573: The Berg River was made by bailiff Abraham Gabbema in 1657 when Dutch Governor Jan van Riebeeck sent him to trade with the Khoikhoi for meat for the settlement at the Cape. Gabbema named the river the ‘Groot Berg Rivier’. In years to follow many of van Riebeeck's men relied on the river waters and followed its winding course as they ventured northwards. Despite Gabbema's visit, the Berg Catchment

231-528: The Official Opposition Ayanda Bans MMP Municipal: The municipal council consists of twenty-three members elected by mixed-member proportional representation . Twelve councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twelve wards , while the remaining eleven are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In

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252-796: The Swartland Municipality was established as a single local authority incorporating both rural and urban areas. The Hon Alan Winde MMP The Seventh Provincial Parliament Speaker Daylin Mitchell MMP Deputy Speaker Reagan Allen MMP Chief Whip of the Majority Party Gillon Bosman MMP Leader of the Opposition Khalid Sayed MMP Chief Whip of

273-845: The West Coast District Council was established, replacing the West Coast Regional Services Council. Transitional representative councils (TRCs) were also elected to represent rural areas outside the TLCs on the District Council; the area that was to become Swartland Municipality included much of the Malmesbury TRC and a small part of the Paarl TRC. At the local elections of December 2000 the TLCs and TRCs were dissolved and

294-486: The end of the apartheid era, in the area that is today the Swartland Municipality there were municipal councils for Malmesbury , Moorreesburg , Darling , Riebeek-Kasteel , Riebeek West and Koringberg , and a local council for Yzerfontein . These councils were elected by the white residents, while the coloured residents of Malmesbury, Moorreesburg, Greenville (Darling), Riebeek-Kasteel ( Esterhof ) and Riebeek West were governed by management committees subordinate to

315-426: The farmlands expanded. The 2004 government report on the river said: “Historically, the Berg River was one of many habitats in the Cape inhabited by hippos but, in the late 1600s, hunters began overexploiting the hippos for their meat and hides, resulting in a decline in their numbers. By the mid-1700s, they had declined to such an extent that governor Tulbagh introduced a fine of 1000 guilders for anyone caught killing

336-540: The municipalities of Malmesbury, Riebeek-Kasteel and Riebeek West, as well as their respective management committees. In the same month Moorreesburg TLC replaced the merged Moorreesburg Municipality. In October 1995 Koringberg Municipality and Yzerfontein Local Council were each converted to TLCs. The transitional councils were initially made up of members nominated by the various parties to the negotiations, until May 1996 when elections were held . At these elections

357-506: The municipality and has a population (according to the 2011 census) of 25,176. Other large towns are Moorreesburg (pop. 12,877) to the north, and Darling (pop. 10,420) to the west. In the Riebeek Valley north-east of Malmesbury are the sister towns of Riebeek-Kasteel (pop. 4,761) and Riebeek West (pop. 4,350). In the vicinity of Malmesbury there are the smaller villages of Abbotsdale , Chatsworth , and Kalbaskraal , while in

378-525: The region such as the Cape galaxias (Galaxias zebratus) and Berg River redfin ( Pseudobarbus burgi ). They have been adversely affected by unsustainable human use of the water, but mainly by expanding stocks of exotic fishes, which were originally introduced to establish a European-type fishery. Most problematic among these is the predatory Smallmouth Bass ( Micropterus dolomieu ). The Cape whitefish ( Pseudobarbus capensis ) – listed Endangered in

399-759: The vicinity of Moorreesburg is found the village of Koringberg . Yzerfontein on the Atlantic coast is a fishing village and holiday town. Malmesbury is the administrative centre of the Municipality and fulfils an important urban niche in the region and the province. Its high development potential can be attributed to factors such as its relative accessibility along the N7 road/rail corridor; closeness to Cape Town; diversified economic base, which not only accommodates agriculture but also well-developed industrial and commercial sectors; and supportive infrastructure. Malmesbury

420-468: The white councils. The remaining rural areas were served by the West Coast Regional Services Council. While the negotiations to end apartheid were taking place a process was established for local authorities to negotiate voluntary mergers. Moorreesburg took part in this process, which resulted in the municipality merging with its management committee to form a new non-racial municipality in June 1993. After

441-600: Was not developed until Governor Simon van der Stel ’s time (1679–1699), prior to which settlement was limited to the Peninsula. Governor van der Stel visited the area with the first free burghers, and prompted by the Berg River’s fertility and beauty, he established the first European settlements at Paarl and in the Drakenstein valley in 1687. Wellington , Franschhoek and Tulbagh were established shortly after this as

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