Municipal Snapshot 03/2018

This fact sheet analyzes the impact of water scarcity on the Stellenbosch Municipality (SM), highlighting that high urban growth and irrigated agriculture could lead to a significant water deficit by 2040, potentially costing the local economy R10.3 billion per year and 56,602 jobs.

• Water scarcity poses a major risk to the future development of Stellenbosch Municipality (SM) due to rapid urban growth and a high concentration of high-value irrigated crops. By 2040, the resulting water deficit could cost the local economy approximately R10.3 billion per year, representing 77% of the current economy, and lead to the loss of 56,602 jobs per year, which is 87% of current employment.
• Urban water requirements in Stellenbosch Municipality are projected to grow by 96% by 2040, driven by a population growth rate of 2.2%, which is among the highest in the region. To mitigate this, the municipality is advised to decouple population growth from water consumption using demand measures and water conservation.
• Agriculture is a primary driver of water usage in the municipality, with grapes alone consuming 88% of all irrigated water. Climate change is expected to increase agricultural water requirements by 38% between 2015 and 2040, with specific increases of 34% for grapes and 29% for stone fruit.
• Stellenbosch Municipality is a significant contributor to the regional water deficit of the Berg Water Management Area (WMA). The total water supply deficit for SM is estimated at 32.8 million m3 per year by 2025 (23% of the Berg WMA's total deficit) and is projected to increase to approximately 48.7 million m3 per year by 2040 (15% of the Berg WMA's total deficit).

APA

GreenCape (2018). Municipal Snapshot 03/2018. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/STELLENBOSCH-SNAPSHOT-5.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Municipal Snapshot 03/2018. 2018. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/STELLENBOSCH-SNAPSHOT-5.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Municipal Snapshot 03/2018 |date=March 2018 |url=https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/STELLENBOSCH-SNAPSHOT-5.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2018municipal, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Municipal Snapshot 03/2018}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2018}, month = mar, url = {https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/STELLENBOSCH-SNAPSHOT-5.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }