PLETTENBERG BAY, WESTERN CAPE — Voters in Plettenberg Bay say the postcard image of this Garden Route holiday town hides a harder reality of housing shortages, uneven service delivery, rising crime and unemployment — and that repeated coalition changes in the Bitou Local Municipality have made those problems harder to fix. As residents prepare to head back to the polls, the message from the town’s growing neighbourhoods is consistent: they want leadership that listens, stays put, and delivers.
Population growth is outpacing services
Census figures show the Bitou municipal area’s population rose from just over 49,000 in 2011 to more than 65,000 in 2022 — a significant shift for a coastal town best known internationally as a tourist destination.
That growth has brought economic opportunity, but it has also piled pressure onto housing, infrastructure and basic services. Development is no longer confined to the town centre. Communities including KwaNokuthula, New Horizons, Qolweni and Kurland are all reporting rising demand for housing as the town’s footprint expands.
Three governing arrangements since 2021
Political instability has become a defining feature of the current council term.
In the 2021 local government elections, the DA emerged as the largest party with five of the 13 council seats. The ANC took four, while the Active United Front (AUF), the PDC, the IPM and the Patriotic Alliance won one seat each.
The DA initially governed through a coalition with the PDC and the IPM. That arrangement collapsed in February 2024, when the PDC joined forces with the ANC, the IPM and the Patriotic Alliance. The new bloc lasted just over six months.
In August 2024, the DA returned to power through a fresh coalition with the Active United Front and the IPM. The current governing arrangement holds seven of the 13 council seats.
For residents in areas such as New Horizons, the churn has raised pointed questions about accountability — and about whether campaign commitments ever translate into visible change.
One resident said voters end up choosing candidates who secure positions for themselves rather than for the community, leaving families and children to carry the consequences. Others who once promised help, the resident said, are rarely seen again until the next election, adding that residents would think carefully about where to place their cross rather than hand over support automatically.
“Leadership is jumping” — residents question the churn
A second resident described a leadership that keeps “jumping” without accomplishing anything, saying promises were made and then abandoned when the administration changed.
The resident questioned why locally based representatives were removed from positions of responsibility when they understood community needs first-hand, and argued that smaller parties should not be sidelined. While the DA discourages voting for small political parties, the resident said, larger parties should work with them precisely because those parties understand what individual communities need and want.
Crime grows with the town
Safety and security featured strongly among residents’ concerns, with several linking the town’s expansion directly to a rise in crime.
One resident said that as the town gets bigger, crime grows with it — and that voting remains the only way to raise those concerns. The resident argued that residents must participate so that whoever is elected as the next mayor is mandated to deal with the issues the community is worried about, noting that those who do not vote forfeit the ability to complain.
Land access remains the sharpest divide
Land and access to housing remain especially urgent in Plettenberg Bay’s historically disadvantaged communities. With property development continuing and demand for affordable housing climbing, residents say they want a municipality that grasps the needs of a growing population.
One long-time resident said the town has not been the same for more than 15 years, and argued that the next leadership must know the whole town — not only its tourist core — pointing to a previous mayor as someone who understood the area well.
The resident said black residents in particular struggle to secure land on which to build homes, describing the process as a prolonged battle. Despite the frustration, the resident confirmed an intention to vote in the coming election, saying change is coming.
What is at stake for the next council
As Plettenberg Bay continues to expand, the next council will inherit the same balancing act: sustaining development and economic growth while responding to communities that still feel left behind.
After years of shifting alliances in Bitou, the coming election will test whether voters want a change of leadership outright — or simply a stable administration that lasts long enough to keep its promises.
