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The first regular meeting of the Village Management Board was held on 19 December 1913.

The Municipality of Engcobo was constituted on 6 March 1917 under Proclamation No 34 of 1917.

The Village Management Board of De Rust was constituted on 24 July 1905 under Proclamation No 245 of 1905 in terms of the Villages Management Act of 1881.

The Municipality of De Rust was established on 27 November 1974 in terms of sections 5.1 and 8.1 of Municipal Ordinance No 20, 1974 according to Proclamation No 414 of 1974 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette Extraordinary No 3809 dated 3 December 1974).

In terms of the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 (Act 209 of 1993) the local government bodies within the De Rust Forum Area, namely the Municipality of De Rust and Blomnek Management Committee, was dissolved with effect from 1 December 1994 and the De Rust/Blomnek Transitional Local Council established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 4896, 30 November 1994, Proclamation No 80, 29 November 1994).

In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing De Rust/Blomnek Transitional Local Council as well as the Bo-Langkloof Transitional Representative Council, Dysselsdorp Transitional Council, Oudtshoorn Municipality and Oudtshoorn Transitional Representative Council was disestablished and the Oudtshoorn Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5592, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 502, 22 September 2000). The Oudtshoorn Local Municipality forms part of the larger Garden Route District Municipality (previously known as the Eden District Municipality).

The Village Management Board of Mount Fletcher was constituted on 29 June 1908 in terms of Proclamation No 79 of 1901 under provision of Proclamation No 287 of 1980 (Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 9087, 28 July 1908).

From 1 November 1963 Mount Fletcher fell under the jurisdiction of the Transkeian Government and in 1994 Mount Fletcher became part of the Eastern Cape Province. It forms part of the Elundini Local Municipality, one of three local municipalities that falls under the Joe Gqabi District Municipality.

The Village Management Board of Tylden was established on 1 June 1911 in terms of Proclamation No 126, 1911 under provision of the Villages Management Act, No 1881 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 123, 11 July 1911). The Board continued to function until December 1974.

In terms of the provisions of Section 5 of the Municipal Ordinance No 20, 1974 all local authorities in existence prior to the promulgation of the said ordinance, were deemed municipalities. The first meeting of the Tylden Municipal Council was held on 21 January 1975 (volume 3/TDN 1/1/1/1).

The Municipality of Tylden was abolished with effect from 1 June 1976 and the area as defined in Proclamation No 126, 1911 and situated in the Queenstown division was declared a local area in terms of Proclamation No 177, 1976 under provision of the Municipal Ordinance, 1974 and the Divisional Councils Ordinance, 1952 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 3890, 28 May 1976).

A Local Board at Delportshoop was constituted on 31 September 1925 in terms of Ordinance No 11 of 1921. It would appear that the local board commenced to functions as from September 1926. This board was abolished on 24 February 1931 and a Village Management Board was constituted in terms of Ordinance No 10 of 1921.

In 1994 Delportshoop became part of the Northern Cape Province. It forms part of the Dikgatlong Local Municipality, one of four local municipalities that falls under the Frances Baard District Municipality.

Blanco Local Board was constituted on 12January 1923 in terms of Ordinance No 11 of 1921 (The Province of Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 843 of 19 January 1923, Proclamation No 15 of 12 January 1923).

The board ceased to exist in December 1973, having been incorporated with George Municipality (The Province of Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 3755 of 14 December 1973, Proclamation No 446 of 6 December 1973).

The Village Management Board of Gordon’s Bay was established on 19 November 1902 under provision of the Villages Management Act, 1881, in terms of Proclamation No 248, 1902 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette, No 8494, 21 November 1902). Under provision of section 8 of the Municipal Ordinance, 1951 (0rdinance No 19, 1951), the Village Management Board area of Gordon’s Bay became a municipality as from 1 February 1961 in terms of Proclamation No 172 of 1960 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 3046, 16 September 1960).

Under provision of section 8 of the Municipal Ordinance, 1951 (Ordinance No 19, 1951), the Village Management Board area of Gordon’s Bay became a municipality as from 1 February 1961 in terms of Proclamation No 172 of 1960 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 3046, 16 September 1960).

On 1 February, the local authorities of Somerset West Municipality, Strand Municipality, Gordon’s Bay Municipality, Lwandle Town Council, Macassar Management Committee and Sir Lowry’s Pass Management Committee were dissolved and each one replaced by a Transitional Metropolitan Substructure. The new Cape Metropolitan Council was created which included all the substructures (The Province of the Western Cape Official Gazette No 4929, Proclamation no 18).

On 28 May 1996, the substructures were dissolved, and a new Helderberg Substructures was created, remaining part of the Metropolitan Council (The Province of the Western Cape Official Gazette No 5051, Proclamation No 27).

On 4 December 2000, the Cape Metropolitan Council and the substructures were abolished, and the new City of Cape Town was created (The Province of the Western Cape Official Gazette No 5588, Proclamation No 479).

The Village Management Board of Garies was constituted on 27 May 1910 in terms of Proclamation No 235 of 1910 under provision of the Village Management Act, 1881.

In 1994 Garies became part of the Northern Cape Province. It forms part of the Kamiesberg Local Municipality, one of seven local municipalities that falls under the Namakwa District Municipality.

In April 1806 a Superintendent of Government Lands and Woods was appointed and entrusted with the care of Government Woods. Overseers were stationed at some woods and made responsible to him. The postholder at Plettenberg Bay, Saldanha Bay and elsewhere, the Landdrosts and Heemraden, and, upon the abolition of the latter, the Civil Commissioners, also had functions to perform in connection with forests.

In 1847 a Superintendent of Crown Forests was appointed, and later in the same year he was replaced by a Conservator of Forests, stationed at George. From that date Rangers and Conservators of Crown Forests were stationed in various divisions, and in some of them both these offices existed, while in others there was only a Ranger.

It was, however, not until 1866 that a Ranger was appointed for Crown Forests in the division of King William’s Town. A letter dated 3 November 1866 informed Baron Johan de Fin that “His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to appoint you Ranger of the Crown Forests in the Division of King William’s Town with a salary of £120 per annum from the date of entering on your duties”. Baron de Fin commenced his duties on the 8th of the same month, so that 8 November 1866 must be regarded as the date of establishment of this office.

No forestry records are available for the first sixteen years of this office’s existence, but the duties of Baron de Fin seem to have been limited to the protection of the property of the Crown against needless destruction, and to the issuing of licences for felling timber. Reports of Rangers and Conservators of Forests in the early part of the second half of the 19th century were virtually limited to these matters, and no mention was made of reclamation and reforestation of overexploited areas.

Even Baron de Fin, after seventeen years of service as Ranger and Conservator, was unable to define his own duties and functions. In March 1883 the Civil Commissioner of King William’s Town wrote to the Commissioner of Crown Lands and Public Works that “Mr Nettelton (De Fin’s temporary successor) has a very slight idea of what he is expected to do, and Baron de Fin could give him no information at all”. In his reply the Commissioner gave the following exposition of the Ranger’s duties: “His chief function will be to see that no one cuts wood without authority nor obtains such authority except very sparingly as the Governor has been much alarmed by the destruction in the forests”.

The Ranger of Crown Forests for King William’s Town forwarded his correspondence via the Civil Commissioner, but when “Crown Forests and Plantations” became a separate division of the Department of the Commissioner of Crown Lands and Public Works in 1876, the Conservator (as he was called after 1876) corresponded directly with the ministerial office.

In 1881 the Forest Department was reorganised by Count de Vasselot de Régné, who held the appointment of Superintendent of Woods and Forests for the Cape Colony, from January 1881 to September 1891, when this office was abolished. Count de Vasselot sub-divided the Colony into four Forest Conservatories, namely the Western, Midland, Eastern and Transkeian. Each of these areas was placed under the control of a Conservator of Forests, assisted by District Forest Officers, Superintendents of Plantations and Foresters, who were directly responsible to him.

In 1883 Baron De Fin was succeeded as Conservator by Mr DE Hutchins. With Hutchins’ appointment, the office of the Conservator was transferred from Keiskama Hoek (where it was situated since 1866) to King William’s Town. In 1886 the area of jurisdiction of this office was extended to the whole eastern part of the colony.

In May 1888 Mr J Storr Lister was transferred to the Eastern Province and instructed to proceed to King William’s Town to replace Mr Hutchins as Conservator of the Eastern Conservancy. It was, however, not until October 1888 that he actually commenced service at King William’s Town.

Lister’s appointment was of great importance for the future development of this office. His first effort was directed towards reorganising the forest staff in accordance with Count de Vasselot’s suggestions. With the approval of Government he provisionally divided the Eastern Conservancy into five forestal districts, namely King William’s Town, Keiskama Hoek, Stutterheim, Alexandria and East London. Each forestal district was placed under the immediate supervision of a District Forest Officer. This reorganisation was carried out in accordance with Forest Act No 28 of 1888.

A Government Notice dated 13 June 1889 declared the Eastern Conservancy to consist of the following magisterial divisions: Port Elizabeth, Jansenville, Graaff-Reinet, Middelburg, Hanover, Colesberg, Albert, Cradock, Somerset East, Alexandria, Bathurst, Albany, Bedford, Fort Beaufort, Tarka, Aliwal North, East London, King William’s Town, Cathcart, Komgha, Stutterheim, Barkly East, Herschel and Stockenström. For the first time since 1866 we find a precise definition of the duties of the Conservator for the Eastern Conservancy. These duties may be briefly summarised as follows: The Conservator of Forests, Eastern Conservancy was entrusted with the control of all Crown Forests in this area and was authorized to issue, cancel or amend all licences issued with regard to the felling of timber, grazing of livestock on forest lands, squatting, igniting of fires as well as the hunting of and protection of game. The Conservator was further charged with the disposal of all forest produce, as well as the sub-division of forests into sections for rotational felling.

After the abolition of the post of Superintendent of Woods and Forests in 1891, the Eastern Conservancy as well as the other conservancies existed as independent administrations for the following fourteen years (1891 – 1905). Each conservancy was administrated by its Conservator who was directly responsible to the Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands and Public Works.

In 1902 Act No 20 was passed as an amendment to the Forest Act and it dealt chiefly with the control of Commonage by municipalities and village management boards.

The Forest Department was reorganised on 1 October 1905 with Mr Lister, who had formerly been Conservator for the Eastern Conservancy, appointed in the new post as Acting Chief Conservator of Forests for the Cape Colony. This position became permanent from 1 July 1906 when he was appointed Chief Conservator of Forest for the Cape Colony. From that date the Conservator of Forests, Eastern Conservancy, once again resorted under the office of the Chief Conservator of Forests (formerly called the office of the Superintendent of Woods and Forests).

This reorganisation had little administrative effect in the Eastern Conservancy, except for the series of letters despatched which was changed accordingly with each step in the reorganisation.

By the extension of the duties and powers of this office by the Forest Act of 1888 and its amendment in 1902, both the staff and the archives of this office showed a corresponding growth. In 1886 the staff of the Eastern Conservancy consisted of the Conservator, assisted by one clerk, while the field personnel totalled seven. By 1910 the office staff was increased by the addition of a clerk and accountant, while the field staff had increased to thirty one. The bulk of the archives originated in the late 1890s.

List of Conservators of Forests:
Baron Johan de Fin, 1866 – 1883
Thomas Nettelton (temporary), 1883
David Ernest Hutchins, 1883 – 1888
Joseph Storr Lister, 1888 – 1905
John Spurgeon Henkel, 1906 – 1907
Arthur William Heywood, 1907 – 1910
Charles Ross, 1910 – 1917
EB Dwyer, 1918 –

The office of Colonial Veterinary Surgeon was created in consequence of a resolution by the House of Assembly in 1875.

Mr WC Branford, Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery at the Royal Veterinary College, Edinburgh, was appointed, for a period of three years commencing from the date of his embarkation in May 1876, to investigate the causes of the various diseases which prevailed amongst sheep and cattle in the Cape Colony and to report thereon to the Government. He was also to make suggestions regarding the prevention and cure of these diseases. His head office was to be in Cape Town.

Initially this post fell under the supervision of the Colonial Secretary to whom the annual reports for the period 1876 – 1879 were submitted.

Mr D Hutcheon, who succeeded Prof Branford on 22 March 1880, established his headquarters in the Eastern Province where there was a greater demand for his services. Apparently his headquarters were, first, at the government farm Lieuwfontein in the district of Adelaide but were later moved to Port Elizabeth.

From 1880 – 1886 this office was placed under the ministerial department of Crown Lands and Public Works. With the creation of the Department of Agriculture in 1887, the office of the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon functioned as a sub-department.

The increasing duties and activities of the veterinary services, especially in the eastern part of the colony, necessitated the appointment in 1890 of two Assistant Veterinary Surgeons with headquarters at Port Elizabeth and King William’s Town respectively. At the same time the headquarters of the senior Veterinary Surgeon were removed from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town for reasons of departmental convenience.

When the Department of Agriculture ceased to exist on 31 December 1892, on its amalgamation with the Department of Lands, Mines and Agriculture, the office of the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon fell under the supervision of the new department. By Act No 14 of 1893, however, the office of Secretary for Agriculture and consequently the Department of Agriculture, as a separate ministerial division, was created comprising, inter alia the Veterinary Branch.

The activities of this office increased rapidly and more veterinary surgeons were appointed. In 1894 there were, apart from the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon, seven veterinary surgeons stationed at Stellenbosch, Mossel Bay, Beaufort West, Somerset East, Hopetown, King William’s Town and Queenstown respectively.

No detailed description of the powers and functions of the chief of this office prior to 1905 has been traced. It seems that initially he functioned only in an advisory capacity. From annual reports it was gleaned that he had to watch for the outbreak of new diseases, make inspection tours, furnish details of diseases and recommendations for treatment thereof. From 1890 onwards he was also responsible for the administration and control of the veterinary surgeons appointed in the various areas.

From the correspondence and circulars available in this archives group, it was ascertained that he issued instructions and circulars to veterinary surgeons and Resident Magistrates in connection with diseases scheduled under the Animal Diseases Act. Government veterinary surgeons were to report on diseases to the Resident Magistrates of the relevant districts who in turn, were to report to the Chief Veterinary Surgeon. The latter then issued instructions to the veterinary surgeons for the treatment of diseases or any other action necessary.

In 1905 a reorganisation of the Department of Agriculture took place and the various functions thereof were grouped under several officers. A Director of Agriculture was appointed on 1 August 1905 and the Veterinary Branch was one of the offices under his control. At the same time the powers of the Chief Veterinary Surgeon were clearly defined and extended.

During the ensuing years the denomination of the head of this office changed in succession from Colonial Veterinary Surgeon and Chief Veterinary Surgeon, which were both in use until about 1905, to Assistant Principal Veterinary Surgeon (Cape) (March 1911), Senior Veterinary Officer (Cape) (January 1912), Senior Veterinary Surgeon (Cape) (February 1913) and again Senior Veterinary Officer (Cape) (1916 – 1922).

With unification in 1910 a Minister of Agriculture was appointed for the Union with a fully equipped Department of Agriculture. The activities of the department were maintained by a number of divisions and offices i.e. the Veterinary Division with headquarters in Pretoria. For veterinary purposes the Union was initially divided into five areas in charge of Senior Veterinary Surgeons, who were responsible for the control of diseases within those areas.

Reorganisation of several divisions of the Department of Agriculture took place during 1924 following upon an inspection by the Public Service Commission. Thereby the Veterinary Field Division and the Division of Veterinary Research were amalgamated.

Concerning veterinary field work in the Cape Province, it was realised that, owing to the extensive area of the Cape, the work could not be controlled as efficiently by the Senior Veterinary Officer at Cape Town as was desired. It was then decided to divide the province into two sections and another Senior Veterinary Officer was appointed for the eastern section and stationed at Queenstown as from December 1924. The Senior Veterinary Officer, Cape Town retained control of the western portion.

List of Chiefs, Veterinary Services (Cape):
WC Branford, 1876 – 1879
D Hutcheon, 1880 – 1906
JD Borthwick, 1906 – 1911
RW Dixon, 1911 – 1921
J Spreull, 1921 – 1922