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).