Millionaire hotspot town placed under administration

The Knysna Municipal Council is set to be dissolved by the Western Cape Provincial Government, with an administrator expected to take over all executive and legislative functions.

The decision, confirmed at a special Provincial Cabinet meeting, comes amid service delivery failures and concerns that the municipality is unable to meet its constitutional obligations to residents.

The Garden Route town, known for its lagoon, forests, and the Knysna Heads, has long struggled with governance and service delivery issues affecting its 100,000 residents.

Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, announced that fresh municipal elections will be held within 90 days to establish new political leadership.

Bredell explained that the decision is based on a thorough review, highlighting “repeated sewage spills, prolonged water shortages, and inconsistent refuse removal” as critical reasons for the intervention.

He said the provincial government had first signaled its intention to intervene as early as June 2025, citing “reasonable grounds” that Knysna Municipality was failing in its executive duties under the Constitution.

After assessing the municipality’s response to an earlier notice, the Provincial Cabinet concluded that dissolution is the only viable option. Premier Alan Winde described the move as “an act of last resort.”

Following formal notification to the National Minister of Cooperative Governance and the National Council of Provinces, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will organise elections within 90 days.

“Our priority is clear: restoring essential services to the people of Knysna, stabilising municipal operations, and laying the foundation for a council that can govern effectively and responsibly.”

The administration

The MEC said that appointed administrator will assume full executive and legislative authority, tasked with stabilizing the municipality and implementing urgent recovery plans.

According to Bredell, this approach ensures that critical interventions are “unhindered by entrenched political interests, mismanagement, or lack of oversight”, which he said had contributed to Knysna’s service delivery decline.

The administrator’s mandate includes enforcing national service delivery standards, overseeing budget approval, managing revenue-raising efforts, and implementing recovery strategies aimed at restoring essential municipal services.

Service delivery failures in Knysna are extensive and long reported.

Chronic infrastructure breakdowns, sewage spills, and water supply disruptions have left communities exposed to serious health and safety risks.

A recent assessment provincial government assessment revealed that of 67 sewage pump stations inspected, only 11 were fully functional, 32 lacked backup pumps, and 24 were non-functional.

Raw sewage is contaminating streets, homes, and waterways, including the ecologically sensitive Knysna estuary, reflecting systemic governance lapses and inadequate oversight in wastewater, water provision, and solid waste management.

Bredell said that despite previous support from the Western Cape Government (WCG), including a Section 154 Support Plan, emergency water tankers, backup generators, and over R9.7 million in Water Resilience Grant funding in 2024, the municipality has failed to address these failures.

According to the WCG, service delivery crises have worsened over time, signaling deep-rooted management and accountability problems.

Mayor and ANC Respond

Knysna Mayor Thando Matika said the council disagrees with the provincial decision, calling it “not in the best interests of Knysna or its people.”

The mayor added that the council had already “resolved to pursue a course of action” and urged residents to rely solely on official municipal communications, cautioning against misinformation.

The municipality said a more detailed statement would follow.

The ANC in the Western Cape said recent by-election wins in Knysna demonstrated continued community support for the party.

In a statement, the ANC claimed the DA and Bredell were attempting to undermine the progress of the ANC-led coalition, which includes the EFF, PA and PBI.

It said it had stabilised senior management, adopted a fully funded 2025/2026 budget, and implemented water and waste services plans with civil society and local business support.

The party highlighted improvements reported by the Auditor-General for 2023/2024, describing them as “substantial progress” under the Section 154 support plan initiated in late 2023.

“From infrastructure rehabilitation and audit remediation to environmental enforcement and institutional upskilling, our progress is documented, measurable and continuous,” said Matika.

Mixed reactions

The DA has dismissed the ANC’s claims of political interference as “unsubstantiated”, with spokesperson Dave Bryant insisting the intervention is in the “best interests of the residents of Knysna”.

Ryan Smith, DA Constituency Head for Knysna, described the provincial decision as a “very good step in the right direction”, citing pollution of the Knysna lagoon, decaying infrastructure, and corruption linked to coalition politics.

The DA reaffirmed its commitment to winning a stable political majority in future elections to restore service delivery and safeguard Knysna’s status as a “jewel of the Garden Route”.

Eugene Vermaak from the Knysna Infrastructure Group said that the group is “not in agreement in dissolving the Knysna Council at this late stage and so close to the new local government elections in 2026.”

KIG argues that such a move would plunge the town into 4–5 months of uncertainty, ultimately bringing back mostly the same councillors and officials through by-elections, with little to no meaningful change.

Instead, they point to recent progress made in 2025. Vermaak noted that all director posts have been permanently filled for the first time in years, and that the new mayor, deputy mayor, speaker, and MPAC chair are “making a positive impact.”

“KIG has proven that collaboration, working together towards a common goal, will serve Knysna and its residents best. The recent water emergency and the resolving thereof with the KIG’s facilitation and collaboration is proof of the success that can be achieved.”

“KIG calls on all National, Provincial and Local Political Leadership not to use Knysna as a political platform,” he said.