September is Tourism Month, and this dedication couldn’t come at a more opportune time as the tourism and travel sector bounce back and prepare to welcome visitors back for the summer and the festive season.  In addition to this the Overstrand is honouring it’s title as the world’s best land based whale watching destination with numerous whale sightings recorded daily.

Overstrand Executive Mayor Dr Annelie Rabie is optimistic about the increase in visitor numbers seen in the Overstrand and encourages industry stakeholders to get ready for a bumper festive season.  “The world is eager to travel and the Overstrand has everything travellers could possibly want for.”

Tourism Month urges South Africans to travel domestically to sustain jobs and help tourism to move from recovery to growth. World Tourism Day is on 27 September and the theme is “Rethinking Tourism”. 

The month of September marks three of the most important events in the South African calendar- Heritage Month, Tourism Month and Arbour Month.

On the eve of this busy month, the Overstrand Municipality is proud to celebrate the many achievements of the wonderful champion athletes from our area. The sense of pride and patriotism that comes with seeing the South African flag flying high at an event is undeniable - whether it's blowing graciously at a sporting event or seeing the flag next to a name on television.

One such achievement was the news that the Legacy Martial Arts Academy in Hermanus won seven gold and four silver medals in various weight classes and fighting modes at the WAKO African Continental kickboxing championship in Benoni over the weekend.

A reminder that Mayor Annelie Rabie and her team will be in Gansbaai on 1 September 2022 from 17:00 - 19:00. The First Thursday meeting will be hosted in the Gansbaai Tourism Hall.

No appointment is needed to meet Mayor Annelie Rabie and her Mayoral Committee Members, as well as the Municipal Manager, Dean O'Neill, and all the Directors.

Residents are most welcome to raise issues that they are encountering or to express their concern about service delivery challenges.

Sessions are kept brief in order to accommodate as many people as possible and will be conducted on a first come, first serve basis.

On Friday, 26 August 2022, Overstrand Municipality handed the first of 150 houses over to the beneficiaries of the Blompark housing project amidst a great deal of joy.

These houses were completed as part of phase 1 of this housing project, while building works for the second phase is already underway with the anticipation that a further 100 houses will be delivered by June 2023.

Development of the rest of the housing units and serviced plots will be placed on hold till the next financial year as and when funds become available.

First to cut the red ribbon at her new home’s front door was Emily Fourie: “Today, I can only thank the Lord for making this dream come true. I am 76 years old and have never had a home of my own. The Heavenly Father truly blessed me,” a rather overwhelmed Emily said.