The Western Cape Government today at a special Cabinet meeting confirmed that it has taken a decision to place the Knysna Municipality under administration, in terms of Section 139(1)(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
After careful consideration of all available evidence, the Provincial Cabinet resolved to dissolve the Knysna Municipal Council and appoint an Administrator, who will assume all executive and legislative authority, with the support of the provincial government, until a newly elected Municipal Council is elected.
The appointment of an Administrator under section 139(1)(c) of the Constitution represents a decisive intervention mechanism designed to address exceptional circumstances where a municipality has failed to fulfill its executive obligations, thereby enabling a comprehensive turnaround and trajectory correction.
By dissolving the Municipal Council and vesting temporary authority in an impartial Administrator, this provision facilitates the swift implementation of recovery strategies unhindered by entrenched political interests, mismanagement, or lack of oversight that may have perpetuated the decline.
The Administrator can enforce essential national standards for service delivery, impose recovery plans, assume responsibility for critical obligations such as budget approval and revenue-raising measures, and prevent actions prejudicial to the Municipality’s recovery. This external oversight not only stabilises immediate operations but also lays the groundwork for long-term governance improvements, culminating in fresh elections for a new Municipal Council better positioned to sustain accountable and effective local administration.
The Provincial Executive will, in accordance with Section 139(3) of the Constitution, notify the National Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the National Council of Provinces.
Once the dissolution is confirmed, the Municipal Council must be reconstituted through fresh elections held within 90 days of the dissolution taking effect. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will be responsible for conducting these elections.
This decision follows repeated governance and service delivery failures in the Municipality, which have caused severe harm to residents, compromised basic services, and placed the environment at continued risk.
Despite extensive support interventions, including a Section 154 Support Plan and ongoing technical assistance, Knysna Municipality has been unable to fulfil its executive obligations. Knysna Municipality has for several years experienced chronic infrastructure breakdowns, ongoing sewage spillages and water supply disruptions, leaving communities vulnerable to health and safety risks.
Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, said “This has not been an easy decision to take. It is an act of last resort. But ultimately, we must act in the interest of the residents of Knysna. It is unacceptable that residents must endure this level of dysfunction. The situation has become untenable, and the impact on basic services has compelled us to take decisive action to stabilise the municipality, in line with the Constitution. I urge residents and the Municipal Council to support this intervention.”
Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development planning said that the decision to dissolve the Council and appoint an Administrator comes after sustained and escalating failures that have harmed residents and undermined service delivery.
The Municipality’s failures are associated with and caused by systemic governance issues; the Municipality neglecting its duty to effectively plan, implement, and monitor service delivery in alignment with legal, regulatory, and community expectations; Council’s failure of a prioritised response; prolonged infrastructure neglect; budget allocation decisions; accountability failures in the Municipality's management of wastewater/sewerage, water provision, and solid waste management; municipal officials not being transparent in disclosing the extent of these problems; and the inadequate and deficient oversight over the implementation of the section 154 Support Plan and Consolidated Executive Obligations’ Monitoring and Enforcement Framework (“CEOMEF”) Plan by the Municipal Council. These issues have led to sewage spills, water shortages, and inconsistent solid waste management, severely impacting residents and the environment.
Minister Bredell noted that a recent assessment of the sewage pump stations in and around the town of Knysna in the first week of September 2025 by the Provincial Government’s engineering team confirmed systemic infrastructure breakdowns. 67 sewer pump stations were inspected. Of these, 11 were found to be fully functional with all the pumps required to operate effectively, 32 were functional but lacked back-up pumps, and 24 were non-functional. In addition to the above, out of the 136 pumps required for the sewage pump station system in and around the town of Knysna to operate effectively, only 56 of these were found to be functional pumps, 28 were non-functional, 50 pumps had been removed completely and 2 were not able to be assessed. These Municipal failures are causing raw sewage (containing bacteria, viruses, chemicals, nutrients, and toxins) to flow into streets, homes, and nearby waterways and the Knysna estuary posing severe health risks.
Over the years, the WCG has provided extensive support, including emergency water tanker services during shortages, the provision of backup generators to maintain pump station operations during load shedding, and refuse removal vehicles. In 2024 alone, the Department allocated more than R9.7 million in Water Resilience Grant funding to the municipality. Technical support has been ongoing with regular site visits and assistance with refuse and water resilience measures. WCG officials have also been seconded to the municipality to drive the acceleration of water and wastewater infrastructure projects with the grant funding which was provided.
Despite various interventions, the municipality has not prioritised addressing its executive obligation failures. Consequently, the situation continues to deteriorate, even with the assistance from the national and provincial governments. The quality of municipal services is worsening over time, with service delivery crises becoming more frequent. It is foreseeable that basic service delivery will continue to degrade unless the WCG intervenes in the municipality.
The consequences have been severe: repeated sewage spills, prolonged water shortages, and inconsistent refuse removal have had a serious impact on residents, businesses and the environment. The municipality's failure to rectify its lapses in service delivery resulted in numerous directives and notices being issued by agencies tasked with environmental compliance and enforcement. Citizens have organised themselves and taken it upon themselves to attend to some of the service delivery failures at their cost.
“Our foremost priority is to protect the rights and wellbeing of the people of Knysna, restore stability, and ensure the delivery of basic services. We are committed to working with all other stakeholders, including national government, the Garden Route District Municipality and Knysna’s civil society to support recovery.”
Minister Bredell cautioned that, given the current dysfunctionality within the Municipality, the road to recovery will be long. “We acknowledge the frustration and hardship that Knysna residents have endured and assures the community that restoring reliable, accountable, and sustainable governance is its top priority. Please work with us to rebuild this municipality, which was once the crown jewel in the Western Cape, to its former glory.”
Contact:
Wouter Kriel
Spokesperson for Minister Anton Bredell
Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
Cell: 079 694 3085
E-mail: Wouter.kriel@westerncape.gov.za
