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The Swellendam Municipality was created by a proclamation dated 23 June 1843 published in Government Gazette No 1958 of 30 June 1843. The municipality was proclaimed under the provisions of Ordinance No 9 of 15 August 1836.

In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structure Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Swellendam Municipality together with Barrydale Municipality, Bredasdorp Transitional Representative Council, Infanta Transitional Local Council, Langeberg Transitional Representative Council, Suurbraak Transitional Local Council, Swellendam Transitional Representative Council, and Wynland Transitional Representative Council was disestablished and Swellendam Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5591, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 496, 22 September 2000). The Swellendam Local Municipality forms part of the larger Overberg District Municipality.

On 21 December 1818, the farms Langerug and Roodedraay in the valley of the Breede River were purchased from the brothers Pieter and Wilhelm du Toit by the Cape Government for 140,000 guilders. At Roodedraay the Governor, Lord Charles Somerset placed a Deputy Landdrost under the Landdrost of Tulbagh and called the place Worcester, in honor of his brother, the Marquis of Worcester. An advertisement titled “Sale of several lots of ground, situated at the entrance of the Hex Rivers Kloof, adjacent to the new sub-drostdy Worcester” appeared in the Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser, No 723 dated 20 November 1819.

On 28 and 29 February 1820 the first sale of the plots took place when eighty- nine were sold. On 13 October 1841 in terms of the provisions of Ordinance no 9 dated 15 August 1836 titled “An ordinance for the creation of Municipal Boards in the towns and villages of this Colony, on which the local regulations of each shall be founded”, a meeting of resident householders was held at Worcester. At this meeting, certain municipal regulations were adopted and forwarded to the Governor, Sir George Napier for approval.

The approved and amended regulations, among other things stated:
The municipality of Worcester shall comprehend the town, the common pasture, and other lands formerly belonging to the places “Rodewal” and “Langerug”, in their present extent;
The town shall be divided into four wards, to each ward one wardmaster with an assistant shall be appointed by the commissioners, who shall draw out their instructions;
Three commissioners shall be elected for the Municipality … and any two of them shall form a quorum.” The council met for the first time on 5 January 1842. On 30 September 1895, Sir Hercules Robinson proclaimed the Municipality of Worcester, a municipality under the provisions of the “Municipal Act, 1882”.
The municipality was to be bounded as follows:
“North-west by Aan de Mond van Hartebeeste Rivier, Crown Land, and Hartebeeste Rivier, West by Hartebeeste Rivier, North-east by Glen Heatlie, Zeekoegats Berg, Meirings Berg, and Tweefonteinen, South-east by Meirings Berg, Annex Oude Wagendrift, Aan de Doorn Rivier, and Papenkuils Vallei, West by Oude Wagendrift, and Papenkuils Vallei, South-west by Papenkuils Vallei, and the Breede River”. The Municipal Council was to consist of six members.
Ordinance No 10 of 1912 titled “Ordinance to consolidate and amend the Law relating to Municipalities” consolidated and revised the regulations governing municipal authorities in the Cape Province. This Ordinance formed the basis of municipal government from 1912 to 1950. During this period various minor additions and amendments were made to municipal legislation in the Cape Province and these also became applicable to the Municipality of Worcester.
Under the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 (Act 209 of 1993), the local government bodies within the Worcester Forum Area, namely the Municipality for the Area of Worcester and Zweletemba Town Council, were dissolved with effect from 1 October 1994, and the Worcester Transitional Local Council was established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 4882, 30 September 1994, Proclamation No 57, 30 September 1994).
Under the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998), the existing Worcester Transitional Local Council, along with other municipalities, was disestablished, and the Breede Valley Local Municipality was established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5590, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 490, 22 September 2000). The Breede Valley Local Municipality forms part of the larger Cape Winelands District Municipality.