The municipality covers a total area of 2,015 square kilometres (778 sq mi) which includes the West Coast Peninsula (also known as the Vredenburg Peninsula) and stretches southeast to include the West Coast National Park and the area around Hopefield.

According to the 2022 South African census, the municipality had a population of 154,635 people, with an average annual growth rate of 4.4% between 2011 and 2022.

[5] The seat of the municipality and its largest town is Vredenburg, which is situated in the center of the eponymous peninsula and according to the 2011 census has a population of 38,382.

There are several other fishing and holiday towns on the coast of the municipality: St Helena Bay (pop.

Hopefield took part in this process, merging the municipal council with the management committee in November 1992.

The transitional councils were initially made up of members nominated by the various parties to the negotiations, until May 1996 when elections were held.

Fourteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fourteen wards, while the remaining thirteen are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.

In the election of 1 November 2021 the Democratic Alliance (DA) won a plurality of thirteen seats on the council.