By virtue of Proclamation No 408 of 26 November 1974 under provision of the Saldanha Bay Municipal Administration Ordinance No 16 of 1974 and Municipal Ordinance No 19 of 1951, the Municipality of Vredenburg was combined with the Municipality of Saldanha and the name Vredenburg-Saldanha Municipality assigned to it (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 3808, 29 November 1974).
In terms of the Local Government Transition Act (Act No 209 of 1993), the Municipality of Vredenburg-Saldanha was dissolved and the West Coast Peninsula Transitional Council was established in terms of Proclamation No 104 of 1994, dated 30 December 1994 (Province of the Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary, No 4914, 30 December 1994) to govern and represent in respect of its area of jurisdiction in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Ordinance, 1974 (Ordinance 20 of 1974).
The Village Management Board of Ritchie was established on 30 April 1909 under Proclamation No 223 of 1909 in terms of the provisions of the Villages Management Act 1881.
Most of the archives were damaged by floods which occurred in the Ritchie District during 1974.
The Village Management Board of Hopefield was constituted on 24 December 1902 in terms of Proclamation No 282 of 1902 under provision of the Villages Management Act of 1881 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 8505, 30 December 1902).
According to a declaration signed by the Town Clerk, Hopefield on 3 October 1984, the majority of early archives were not preserved.
The Municipality of Hopefield was constituted on 2 April 1914 in terms of Proclamation No 95 of 1914 under provision of Ordinance No 10 of 1912 (Provincial Gazette of Cape of Good Hope No 134, 24 April 1914).
In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Municipality of Hopefield together with the Municipality of Langebaan, the Malmesbury Transitional Representative Council and the West Coast Peninsula Transitional Council was disestablished and the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5589, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 484, 22 September 2000). The Saldanha Bay Local Municipality forms part of the larger West Coast District Municipality.
According to a declaration signed by the Town Clerk, Hopefield on 3 October 1984, a certain portion of archives have not remained preserved.
The Village Management Board of Great Brak River was established on 1 December 1943 under provision of section one (1) of Ordinance No 11, 1921 in terms of Proclamation No 135 of 1943 (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 2075, 3 December 1943). The Board ceased to function with effect from 1 January 1975 when the Municipality of Great Brak River was established.
The Municipality of Great Brak River was established with effect from 1 January 1975 under the provisions of Section 5(1) and 8(1) of the Municipal Ordinance No 20, 1974 in terms of Proclamation No 414, 1974 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Extraordinary Official Gazette, No 3809, 3 December 1974).
In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Municipality of Great Brak River together with the municipalities of Mossel Bay and Herbertsdale, the Friemersheim Transitional Council, and the transitional representative councils of Mossel Bay and Outeniqua, was disestablished and the Mossel Bay Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5592, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 500, 22 September 2000). The Mossel Bay Local Municipality forms part of the larger Eden (now Garden Route) District Municipality.
The Village Management Board of Niekerkshoop was constituted on 18 June 1906 under provision of Proclamation No 199 in terms of the Villages Management Act of 1881 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 8873, 10 July 1906).
Prior to the establishment of the Village Management Board, a Village Commission was chosen by the inhabitants of Niekerkshoop in 1903 when the village was founded. The Commission ceased to exist on the formation of the Board (3/NKP 1/2/1).
The community council system introduced by the Community Councils Act, 1997 (Act 125 of 1997) functioned as the forerunner of municipal authorities for Black urban areas. The latter were established in terms of the Black Local Authorities Act, 1982 (Act 102 of 1982) and replaced the councils. The new Black local authorities were comparable with those existing for white areas (JJN Cloete: South African Local Government and Administration, 1989, p 27).
Mfuleni was one of seven townships with an own local town council in the Western Cape metropolitan area, established in terms of the Black Local Authorities Act, 1982. The town was established as a transit area for migrant workers in 1974, prior to this act. It consisted mainly of hostels, until some free-standing homes were erected in 1976 (Correspondence file of Mfuleni Town Council, 10/1/3/3).
Extensive changes at local government level were brought about by the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 (Act 209 of 1993). Previously separate local authorities were amalgamated and the creation of metropoles and substructures were provided for. In terms of this act, the Cape Metropolitan Council was established in 1995. One of the substructures under its control was that of Tygerberg which was made up of the municipalities of Bellville, Parow, Durbanville, Mfuleni, Lingelethu West and areas such as Elsies River, Belhar, Matroosfontein, Delft, Richwood and Bothasig (Provincial Gazette of the Western Cape Province, No 4929 of 6 February 1995, Proclamation No 18 of 3 February 1995).
The Municipality of Tulbagh was constituted on 27 August 1861 in terms of Proclamation No 61, 1861 under provision of Ordinance No 9, 1836 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 3285, 3 September 1861).
The lacunae in the archives up to 1969 resulted from the earthquake which occurred in Tulbagh during that year (Cape Archives File 12/4/2 Tulbagh Vol 1).
In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Tulbagh Municipality together with the Municipality of Ceres, Matroosberg Transitional Representative Council, Municipality of Prince Alfred’s Hamlet, Witzenberg Transitional Representative Council and Municipality of Wolseley was disestablished and the Witzenberg Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5590, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 487, 22 September 2000). The Witzenberg Local Municipality forms part of the larger Cape Winelands District Municipality.
The Village Management Board of Glen Lily, Fairfield and Parow was constituted on 4 December 1903 under provision of Proclamation No 369 in terms of the Villages Management Act, 1881 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette, No 8605, 15 December 1903).
The Municipality of Parow was established with effect from 8 September 1939 under provision of Proclamation No 126 of 1939 in terms of Ordinance No 10 of 1921 and Ordinance No 10 of 1912 (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 440, 8 September 1939).
In terms of Proclamation No 27 of 28 May 1996 the Tygerberg Substructure was established on 29 May 1996 with the amalgamation of Parow, Bellville, Goodwood, Lingelethu West, Durbanville, Mfuleni and parts of Cape Town, Milnerton and the Cape Metropolitan Board (The Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary, No 5051, 28 May 1996).
By proclamation of 18 November 1847 a municipal board for Port Elizabeth was established, consisting of eight commissioners (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 2190 of 18 November 1847). By Act No 3 of 1860 Port Elizabeth became a municipality under the control of a mayor and town council. This act was re-enacted with amendments by Act No 14 of 1868. By Ordinance No 13 of 1913 the status of the municipality was elevated to that of a city.
In 2001, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality was formed as an administrative area covering Port Elizabeth, the neighbouring towns of Uitenhage and Despatch and the surrounding agricultural areas.
In 2019, the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee (ECGNC) announced that the city of Port Elizabeth would likely have its name changed to Gqeberha, a Xhosa word used to refer to the Baakens River, which flows through the city. The proposal garnered significant local opposition. Despite this, on 23 February 2021, the city was officially renamed Gqeberha.
The Local Board of Jeffreys Bay was established on 30 October 1925 in terms of Proclamation No 210 under provision of section 1(1) of Ordinance No 11, 1921 (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 1003, 16 November 1925).
The Village Management Board of Jeffreys Bay was established on 18 July 1930 in terms of Proclamation No 121 under provision of section 4(a) of Ordinance No 10, 1921 and section 2(a) of Ordinance No 11, 1921 (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 1275, 25 July 1930).
