The office of Market Master was established in terms of Market Regulations which were promulgated on 14 October 1847 by virtue of Ordinance No 6 of 1837 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 2185, 14 October 1847).

The Municipality of Wellington was constituted on 6 March 1873 under provision of Proclamation No 21, 1873, in terms of Ordinance No 9 of 1836 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 4536, 18 March 1873).

In terms of the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 (Act 209 of 1993) the local government bodies within the Wellington Forum Area, namely the Municipality of Wellington and the Management Committee of Wellington, was dissolved with effect from 1 January 1995 and the Wellington Transitional Council established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette No 4914, 30 December 1994, Proclamation No 105, 28 December 1994).

In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Wellington Transitional Local Council together with the Matroosberg Transitional Representative Council, Paarl Transitional Representative Council, Paarl Municipality, Saron Transitional Local Council and Witzenberg Transitional Representative Council was disestablished and the Drakenstein Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5590, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 488, 22 September 2000). The Drakenstein Local Municipality forms part of the larger Cape Winelands District Municipality.