Oudtshoorn Local Municipality: History
At the end of the apartheid era, the area that is today the Oudtshoorn Municipality formed part of the Klein Karoo Regional Services Council (RSC). The towns of Oudtshoorn and De Rust were governed by municipal councils elected by their white residents. The coloured residents of Bridgton (Oudtshoorn) and Blomnek (De Rust) were governed by management committees subordinate to the white councils. Dysselsdorp was also governed by a management committee. Bongolethu was governed by a town council established under the Black Local Authorities Act, 1982.
After the national elections of 1994 a process of local government transformation began, in which negotiations were held between the existing local authorities, political parties, and local community organisations. As a result of these negotiations, the existing local authorities were dissolved and transitional local councils (TLCs) were created for each town and village. In December 1994 the De Rust/Blomnek TLC replaced the Municipality of De Rust and Blomnek Management Committee. In January 1995 the Oudtshoorn TLC replaced the Municipality of Oudtshoorn, Bridgton Management Committee and Bongolethu Town Council. In the same month the Dysselsdorp TLC replaced the Dysselsdorp Management Committee.
The transitional councils were initially made up of members nominated by the various parties to the negotiations, until May 1996 when elections were held. At the time of these elections the Klein Karoo District Council was established in place of the Klein Karoo RSC, and transitional representative councils (TRCs) were elected to represent rural areas outside the TLCs on the District Council. The area that was to become Oudtshoorn Municipality included the Oudtshoorn TRC and a small part of the Bo-Langkloof TRC.
At the local elections of December 2000 the TLCs and TRCs were dissolved and the Oudtshorn Municipality was established as a single local authority. At the same election the Klein Karoo District Council was dissolved and replaced by the Eden District Municipality.