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 purpose of the Department of Agricultural Credit and Land Tenure was to promote the stabilisation of the undertakings of farmers and prospective farmers who could not obtain credit from normal financial institutions, and to acquire land and control State land.

ORGANISATION AND MAIN FUNCTIONS

Land Tenure Board: Advised the Minister on the value of land, and any rights in or over land; the alienation and allocation of non-agricultural State land, and on any other matter which the Minister may refer to the Board.

Agricultural Credit Board: Decisions on the nature and extent of assistance to farmers or prospective farmers, as well as the conditions of such assistance. The Board was assisted by agricultural credit committees in each magisterial district. The Board also advised the Minister on matters concerning agricultural land.

Land Acquisition Branch: Acquisition of land for specific public purposes.

State Land Control Branch: Control over the State's interests in land.

Assistance Branch: Granting of financial assistance for agricultural purposes.

Survey Branch: Control of all matters regarding cadastral, topographic and geodetic surveying. The Branch consisted of two main divisions, namely the offices of the surveyors-general which dealt with cadastral surveys on a provincial basis, and the trigonometrical survey office which controlled topographic, cartographic and geodetic work.

National Parks Board of Trustees: This Board was a statutory board controlling State land proclaimed national parks. The Department made available the required land as well as certain funds, and handled all legislative measures.

The purpose of the Department of Community Development was to promote the housing and settlement of all the different population groups in the country and the development of sound communities, and to remove, by means of slum clearance and urban renewal, poor conditions impeding proper community development.

The functions of the Department included: professional and technical planning of and control over housing programmes for the National Housing Commission and the Community Development Board; settlement and development of communities and provision of alternative facilities; activation of and assistance to local authorities to provide housing in terms of the Slums Act, 1934, and the Housing Act, 1966, and to develop areas for specific population groups with or without financial assistance from the Department, buying, selling and letting properties within the framework of the activities of the Department; renewal and replanning of depressed urban areas; provision and maintenance of official quarters for certain public servants; administration of the housing loan plan for public servants, of the Slums Clearance Act, and the Rents Act, of government villages, and of permits in terms of the Group Areas Act, 1966, in respect of proclaimed group areas.

There were eight regional offices in South Africa - in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Pietermaritzburg, Pretoria and Port Elizabeth.

A Native Commissioner for the district of the Cape was appointed with effect from 1 October 1928. Simultaneously an Assistant Native Commissioner for the districts of the Cape, Wynberg and Simonstown and the sub-district of Somerset West was appointed. Criminal jurisdiction was conferred upon the Assistant Native Commissioner for the district of Wynberg as from 19 August 1935. At the same time a Native Commissioner for Wynberg, who was to hold court sessions at Langa on Mondays, was appointed. On 17 February 1937 this court was abolished and replaced by a Native Commissioner’s Court for the districts of the Cape, Wynberg and Simonstown, with court sessions to be held in Cape Town and Langa. On 16 September 1939 Cape Town was replaced by Salt River as one of the seats of the court.

In 1941 criminal jurisdiction was conferred upon the Native Commissioner of Salt River. A court of the Native Commissioner of the Cape Peninsula, comprising the magisterial districts of the Cape, Bellville, Simonstown and Wynberg, was constituted on 22 December 1951 and criminal jurisdiction conferred upon the Native Commissioner. The designation was later changed to Bantu Affairs Commissioner, and still later to Commissioner.