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Cape Town first received local self-government in 1839, with the promulgation of a municipal ordinance by the government of the Cape Colony. When it was created, the Cape Town municipality governed only the central part of the city known as the City Bowl, and as the city expanded, new suburbs became new municipalities, until by 1902 there were 10 separate municipalities in the Cape Peninsula. During the 20th century, many of the inner suburban municipalities became unsustainable; in 1913 the first major unification took place when the municipalities of Cape Town, Green Point and Sea Point, Woodstock, Mowbray, Rondebosch, Claremont, Maitland, and Kalk Bay were unified to create the first City of Cape Town. In 1927 the municipality of Wynberg was also merged with Cape Town, with the result that all of the Southern Suburbs were incorporated into the City.

Many new municipalities were established during the 20th century. Durbanville achieved municipal status in 1901, Goodwood in 1938, Parow in 1939, Bellville and Fish Hoek in 1940, Pinelands in 1948, Kuils River in 1950, Milnerton in 1955, Kraaifontein in 1957, Gordon's Bay in 1961, Brackenfell in 1970. In 1979 Bellville was upgraded to city status. The areas not included in a municipality were governed by divisional councils. Most of the Cape metropolitan area fell under the Divisional Council of the Cape, while the eastern parts around Brackenfell, Kuils River and the Helderberg area formed part of the Divisional Council of Stellenbosch, and an area in the northeast around Kraaifontein formed part of the Divisional Council of Paarl.

In earlier years the right to vote in local elections was not restricted by race, but the policies of the apartheid government aimed for complete segregation of local government. A 1962 amendment to the Group Areas Act introduced management committees for the areas designated for Coloured and Indian residents. These management committees were subordinate to the existing local authority – either a municipality or the divisional council. From 1972 no new non-white voters could be registered as voters for municipal or divisional councils, and existing non-white voters lost their voting rights when a management committee was established for the area where they lived.

In 1982 the Black Local Authorities Act created elected town councils for black communities. Five such councils were established in the Cape metropolitan areas. They were generally regarded as under-resourced and unsustainable, and were opposed by the United Democratic Front and other civic organisations. Turnout in BLA elections was very low.

In 1987 the divisional councils of the Cape, Paarl and Stellenbosch were dissolved, and the Western Cape Regional Services Council (RSC) was created in their place. The RSC councils were indirectly elected, consisting of representatives nominated by all the local authorities within its area, including municipalities, management committees and town councils. The Cape Rural Council represented the rural areas of the RSC that were not included in any local authority. Also in 1987, an act of the House of Assembly allowed the creation of local councils for white communities in peri-urban areas.

Thus at the end of apartheid in 1994, there were over 50 different local authorities in existence in the metropolitan area, listed below.
• Western Cape Regional Services Council (RSC)
o Cape Rural Council
• Cities
o City of Cape Town
o City of Bellville
• Municipalities
o Brackenfell Municipality
o Durbanville Municipality
o Fish Hoek Municipality
o Goodwood Municipality
o Gordon's Bay Municipality
o Kraaifontein Municipality
o Kuils River Municipality
o Milnerton Municipality
o Parow Municipality
o Pinelands Municipality
o Simon's Town Municipality
o Somerset West Municipality
o Strand Municipality
• Management Committees (indicating in brackets the local authority to which they were subordinated)
o Athlone and District MC (City of Cape Town)
o Atlantis MC (RSC)
o Belhar MC (RSC)
o Cravenby MC (RSC)
o Elsie's River MC (RSC)
o Grassy Park MC (RSC)
o Kensington MC (City of Cape Town)
o Kraaifontein MC (Kraaifontein Municipality)
o Macassar MC (RSC)
o Matroosfontein/Nooitgedacht MC (RSC)
o Melton Rose/Blue Downs/Delft MC (RSC)
o Mitchells Plain MC (City of Cape Town)
o Morningstar MC (Durbanville Municipality)
o Ocean View MC (RSC)
o Proteaville MC (City of Bellville)
o Ravensmead MC (Parow Municipality)
o Retreat/Steenberg MC (City of Cape Town)
o Rylands Estate MC (City of Cape Town)
o Sarepta MC (Kuils River Municipality)
o Schotschekloof MC (City of Cape Town)
o Scottsdene MC (RSC)
o Sir Lowry's Pass MC (RSC)
o Strand MC (Strand Municipality)
o Strandfontein MC (City of Cape Town)
o Temperance Town MC (Gordon's Bay Municipality)
o Wittebome/Wynberg MC (City of Cape Town)
o Woodstock/Walmer Estate/Salt River MC (City of Cape Town)
• Town Councils
o Crossroads Town Council
o iKapa Town Council (Langa, Gugulethu and Nyanga)
o Lingelethu West Town Council (Khayelitsha)
o Lwandle Town Council
o Mfuleni Town Council
• Local Councils
o Atlantis Industria LC
o Bloubergstrand LC
o Constantia LC
o Kommetjie LC
o Llandudno LC
o Melkbosstrand LC
o Noordhoek LC
o Ottery East LC
o Scarborough LC
• Mamre Board of Management

As part of the post-1994 reforms, municipal government experienced a complete overhaul. The existing local authorities, political parties, ratepayers' organisations, and community organisations were brought together into a negotiating forum. This forum agreed on the creation of a two-level local government system consisting of multiple transitional metropolitan substructures (TMSs), brought together in a transitional metropolitan council named the Cape Metropolitan Council (CMC). The CMC would replace the Regional Services Council and take over its responsibilities; it would also be responsible for metro-level planning and co-ordination, improving service delivery in disadvantaged areas, and cross-subsidization of poorer areas with revenue from affluent areas. Initially, in a period called the "pre-interim phase", the existing local authorities would become TMSs but their councils would be replaced by councillors nominated by the members of the negotiating forum. This agreement came into effect, and the pre-interim phase began, on 1 February 1995.

The second phase of the transformation, known as the "interim phase" began on 29 May 1996 when local elections were held. The pre-interim TMSs were dissolved, and six new TMSs were established covering the whole metropolitan area: City of Cape Town (Central), City of Tygerberg, South Peninsula Municipality, Blaauwberg Municipality, Oostenberg Municipality, and Helderberg Municipality. The Cape Metropolitan Council continued with its coordinating functions.

In 1998 Parliament enacted legislation (the Municipal Structures Act) determining the final form of local government in post-apartheid South Africa. This legislation determined that metropolitan areas would be governed by unified metropolitan municipalities. Local elections were held on 5 December 2000; the Cape Metropolitan Council and the six interim TMSs were dissolved and replaced by the unified City of Cape Town. It is for this reason that the City of Cape Town is sometimes referred to as the "Unicity". At the time of the 2000 election the northern boundary of the metropolitan area was also extended to include Philadelphia, Klipheuwel, and the surrounding farmland.

The current municipality covers Cape Point in the south-west, Somerset West in the south-east, and Atlantis in the north, and includes Robben Island.

During the period 1881 – 1882 Claremont, Mowbray, Rondebosch and Wynberg had all been given Village Management Boards.

In October 1882, however, the inhabitants of these four suburbs petitioned the Government to establish a municipality which would incorporate them all.

As a result by Proclamation 97 of June 1883 the Municipality of Liesbeek was established. The municipal regulations were published in February 1884 and in the same month the Municipal Council of Liesbeek began to function.

The Liesbeek Municipality was comprised of the following wards: Wynberg and Diep River (ward 1), Claremont (ward 2), Newlands (ward 3), Rondebosch (ward 4), and Mowbray (ward 5). Each had its own Ward Committee which met separately but fell under the control of the Central Municipal Council of Liesbeek.

Under Proclamation 115 of July 1886 the designation of the Municipality of Liesbeek was altered and the municipality was from then on known under the name of the Municipality of Wynberg, which only included Wynberg and Diep River. The other wards were severed and became independent municipalities – Mowbray falling under Rondebosch until September 1890 and Newlands divided between Claremont and Rondebosch.

The Village Management Board of Wynberg was created under Proclamation No 103 of July 1882.

Wynberg obtained municipal status through Proclamation No 115 of 1886. This municipality functioned until 1927 when it was amalgamated with the Cape Town Municipality.

The Local Board of Milnerton was constituted on 24 December 1925 in terms of Proclamation No 243, 1925 under provision of the Local Board Ordinance No 11, 1921 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 1011, 31 December 1925). The Board ceased to exist at the end of June 1955 when a Municipal Council was established.

The Municipality of Milnerton was constituted on 1 July 1955 in terms of Proclamation No 30 dated 22 February 1955 under provision of Ordinance No 19, 1955 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 2746, 11 March 1955).

On 1 February 1995 all local authorities were dissolved and each one was replaced by a Transitional Metropolitan Substructure. The new Cape Metropolitan Council was created which included all the substructures (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette, No 4929, Proclamation No 18).

On 28 May 1996 the substructures were dissolved and a new Blaauwberg Substructure was created, remaining part of the Cape Metropolitan Council (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary, No 5051, 28 May 1996). Local elections were held for these structures on 29 May.