On 31 March 1989, the Divisional Council Area of Wynland and portions of the Divisional Council Areas of Witzenberg and Matroosberg were established as the Breërivier Regional Services Council (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 4580 of 31 March 1989, Provincial Notice No 331 of 31 March 1989).
In terms of Proclamation No 152 of 15 December 1995 (Establishment of Rural Local Government Structures), the Breërivier Regional Services Council was disestablished and replaced by the Breërivier District Council (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5004 of 15 December 1995).
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. «
Under Ordinance No 11 of 1921, the Kleinmond Local Board was declared on 30 July 1929 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 1223, 23 August 1929, Proclamation No 147, 30 July 1929). In terms of Ordinances Nos 10 and 11 of 1921, the Local Board of Kleinmond ceased to exist in December 1947, and the Village Management Board of Kleinmond came into existence (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 2327, 24 December 1947, Proclamation No 198, 22 December 1947). Under Municipal Ordinance, 1951 (Ordinance No 19), the Village Management Board of Kleinmond was declared a municipality from 1 August 1959 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Provincial Gazette No 2969, 1 May 1959, Proclamation No 58, 21 April 1959). In terms of the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 (Act 209 of 1993) the local government bodies within the Kleimond/Hangklip Forum Area, namely the Municipalities of Kleinmond and Hangklip was dissolved with effect from 1 January 1995 and the Hangklip/Kleinmond Transitional Local Council established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 4915, 30 December 1994, Proclamation No 122, 29 December 1994). In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998), the existing Hangklip/Kleinmond Transitional Local Council, together with other municipalities, was disestablished, and the Overstrand Local Municipality was established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5591, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 492, 22 September 2000). The Overstrand Local Municipality forms part of the larger Overberg District Municipality. Despite numerous attempts from 1964 – 1999 for the Municipality of Kleinmond to transfer its records (and those of the Village Management Board) to the archives, only four boxes of correspondence files were moved in April 1991 (volumes 3/KMD 2/1 – 2/5). In 2017, the Overstrand Municipality transferred the records of the previous Municipality of Kleinmond.
The Municipality of Overstrand was established in terms of the Local Government Structure Act, 1998 (Act No. 117 of 1998) on 22 September 2000. The following municipalities were disestablished: Bredasdorp Transitional Representative Council, Caledon Transitional Representative Council, Municipality for the area of Gansbaai, Greater Hermanus Transitional Local Council, Hangklip/ Kleinmond Municipality, Hermanus Transitional Representative Council, Nuweberg Transitional Representative Council, and Stanford Transitional Local Council.
Gansbaai was founded in 1881 after fisherman Johannes Cornelis Wessels walked there across the dunes from Stanford and discovered excellent fishing in the area. He settled there, and soon after, other families followed suit. The settlers called it “Gansgat” after the colony of Egyptian geese that gathered at the freshwater fountain in the present-day Gansbaai Harbour. It was later altered to the more respectable Gansbaai. The Local Board of Gansbaai was proclaimed on 1 February 1932 (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 1371, 5 February 1932, Proclamation No 18 of 1 February 1932). The Village Management Board of Gansbaai was established on 16 November 1935 in terms of Proclamation No 173 under the provisions of section 2(a) of Ordinance No 11 of 1921 and section 4(a) of Ordinance No 10 of 1921 (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 1604, 29 November 1935). In terms of section 8 of the Municipal Ordinance, 1951 (Ordinance No 19 of 1951), the Village Management Board became the Municipality of Gansbaai on 1 April 1962 (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 3109, 24 November 1961, Proclamation No 229 of 16 November 1961). On 5 December 2000, the municipalities of Gansbaai, Stanford, Greater Hermanus and Hangklip/Kleimond amalgamated to become the Overstrand Municipality.
