What Saldanha Bay Municipality does

Saldanha Bay Municipality (SBM) is a Category B local government authority in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, operating under the Municipal Systems Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act. It delivers constitutionally mandated municipal services — water supply, electricity distribution, sanitation, refuse removal, roads, public safety, libraries, building control, and spatial planning — to residents, businesses, and visitors across seven towns (Vredenburg, Saldanha, Langebaan, Hopefield, St Helena Bay, Paternoster, and Jacobsbaai) organised into 14 electoral wards. The seat of the municipality is at 12 Main Road, Vredenburg, with satellite offices in Saldanha, Langebaan, St Helena Bay, and Hopefield, supported by a 24-hour call centre, nine municipal libraries, a digital citizen application, and an active ward committee system.

The municipality's technology portfolio centres on three digital infrastructure initiatives. The Baobab Fibre Project is an open-access fibre network rolled out across all seven towns via a public-private partnership: Amoeba TSC was appointed through competitive tender T54-18-19 as the technology solutions contractor, Zoom Fibre acts as Funder, Infrastructure Owner, Build Partner, and Operator (DBOM), and SBM Smart City (Pty) Ltd serves as the Special Purpose Vehicle for execution. The Saldanha Digital Citizen Application — activated on 1 July 2022 across iOS, Android, and Huawei — provides communication tools, an emergency button, utility management, digital wallet and payments, document repository, and events calendar. A Smart Water Meter Replacement Programme is deploying Kamstrup MULTICAL 21 ultrasonic meters to replace legacy mechanical meters. Performance is tracked through an annual Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP) linked to the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), with approvals recorded continuously from FY2020/21 through FY2026/27.

As a non-profit public entity, SBM's revenue mechanics are governed by statute rather than market pricing. Income is derived from service tariffs (water, electricity, sanitation, refuse), property rates on rateable properties (with rebate categories for indigent households, pensioners, agricultural properties, and public benefit organisations), municipal fees (building control, SCM bids, driving licences), and fibre network services via the Baobab Project. No commercial pricing tiers are publicly disclosed. The municipality is governed by an elected council led by Executive Mayor Marius Koen and Municipal Manager Heinrich Mettler, with a directorate covering Corporate and Public Safety, Economic Development and Strategic Services, Community and Operational Services, Infrastructure and Planning, and Energy and Electro-Technical Services. The entity is wholly state-owned at the municipal level, with no private equity or venture capital structure; partner entities such as Zoom Fibre and Amoeba TSC operate under contractual rather than ownership arrangements.

Name

Saldanha Bay Municipality

Legal name

Saldanha Bay Municipality

Website

https://sbm.gov.za

Company type

Public

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Saldanha Bay Municipality is a Western Cape local government authority providing water, electricity, sanitation, waste management, and digital infrastructure services to residents, businesses, and visitors across seven towns and 14 electoral wards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD), Public Works / In-House Municipal Collection Operations (EUAIAAAF), Municipal Tax & Revenue Administration (Local) (BPAIACAD)

Keywords

• Municipal utility services
• Local government administration
• Open access fibre network
• Citizen engagement platform
• Public infrastructure management

Headquarters

HQ city

Vredenburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Service Tariffs: Municipal service tariffs for electricity, water, sanitation, and refuse collection. Revenue collected from residential and commercial consumers based on consumption and service provision.
2. Property Rates and Taxes: Property rates levied on rateable properties within the municipal area. Rebate benefits available for indigent subsidies, pensioners, agricultural properties, and public benefit organisations.
3. Municipal Fees and Charges: Various municipal fees including building control fees, SCM bids/tenders, driving licence fees, and other administrative charges.
4. Fibre Network Services: Revenue from fibre infrastructure services through the Baobab Project, enabling ISP services delivery on the open access network.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Saldanha Bay Municipality delivers statutory local government services to residents, businesses, and visitors across 14 wards in seven towns of the Western Cape, including water, electricity, sanitation, and refuse removal billed via usage-based tariffs, property rates, building control, licensing, public safety, libraries, and community development programmes. It also operates the Baobab Open Access Fibre Network (delivered via SBM Smart City Pty Ltd and Zoom Fibre) and the SBM Digital Citizen mobile application as digital infrastructure and citizen engagement channels.

Product overview

Saldanha Bay Municipality operates a suite of digital citizen-facing products and infrastructure projects. The flagship is the Baobab Fibre Project, an open-access fibre network (OAN) rolled out across all seven towns in the municipal area, delivered through a public-private partnership with Amoeba TSC and Zoom Fibre. Complementing this is the Saldanha Digital Citizen Application (mobile app for iOS, Android, and Huawei), which provides communication tools, emergency services, utility management, digital payments, document repository, and events management. The municipality also runs a Smart Water Meter Replacement Programme, replacing mechanical meters with Kamstrup MULTICAL 21 ultrasonic smart meters. Performance management and service delivery are tracked via Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP) documents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Saldanha Digital Citizen App: Mobile application for digital citizen engagement, utility management, payments, and municipal services.
• Baobab Fibre Project

Products and services

• Baobab Fibre Project Open-access fibre (OAN) infrastructure spanning all seven towns of the Saldanha Bay municipal area, providing broadband connectivity to residents and businesses via approved Internet Service Providers on a shared infrastructure model.
• Saldanha Digital Citizen Application Mobile application available on iOS, Android, and Huawei platforms that delivers communication tools, emergency button, helpdesk, utility management, digital wallet and payments, document repository, events calendar, and facility management to residents and businesses in the Saldanha Bay area.
• Smart Water Meter Replacement Programme (Kamstrup MULTICAL 21) Programme deploying ultrasonic Kamstrup MULTICAL 21 smart water meters across the municipal area to improve accuracy and reliability of water consumption measurement without moving parts, reducing wear and tear over time.
• Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP) Annual performance management and service delivery monitoring framework required under the Municipal Systems Act, aligning the municipal budget to the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and tracking progress against strategic objectives, with directorate-level performance agreements.
• Consumer Online Viewing Facility (municipal billing and payment portal) Self-serve consumer portal for residents and businesses to view municipal accounts and pay for utilities, rates, and other municipal charges.
• Municipal utility services (water, electricity, sanitation, refuse removal) Core statutory services delivered to residential and commercial consumers: water supply, electricity distribution, sanitation, and refuse collection, billed via usage-based municipal tariffs.
• Municipal library services Network of nine municipal libraries providing lending, reference, and community programmes to residents across the service area.
• Building control and planning approvals Statutory building plan approvals, inspections, and building control services delivered to residents and businesses undertaking construction in the municipal area.
• Supply Chain Management (SCM) bids and tenders Public procurement and tendering platform through which suppliers and contractors bid for municipal contracts, including bid documentation, awards register, and compliance documents.
• Public safety and fire services Statutory public safety services including fire and rescue, traffic law enforcement (with periodic 50% reduction campaigns on traffic fines of R400 and above), and emergency response coordination.
• Municipal resorts and tourism facilities Municipally operated resorts and tourism facilities providing accommodation and recreation services to visitors and residents in the Saldanha Bay area.
• SBM Youth Database (Local Economic Development) Local Economic Development (LED) programme establishing a Youth Database of residents aged 18-35 for skills development, training, and job creation initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 48% reduction in physical network installation costs through open access model
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Amoeba TSCcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Saldanha Bay Municipality appointed Amoeba TSC via public competitive tender (T54-18-19) as the primary technology solutions contractor for the Baobab fibre project. Amoeba TSC is responsible for overall project execution and coordination.
• Zoom FibrecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Zoom Fibre was appointed by Amoeba TSC as the Funder, Infrastructure Owner, Build Partner, and Operator (DBOM) for the Baobab fibre project. They are responsible for network infrastructure deployment and operations.
• SBM Smart City (Pty) LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationSpecial Purpose Vehicle (SPV) responsible for executing the deliverables of tender T54-18-19 and the SLA. Manages day-to-day operations of the Baobab fibre project.
• Local Internet Service Providers (ISPs)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMultiple ISPs including Accelerit, Afrihost, Axxess, Cell C, Cool Ideas, Fibrestream, HomeConnect, Mweb, Netdirect, WebAfrica, Bluedog Technologies, Cway, Flynet, ICT Globe, and Vox can deliver services on the Baobab open access network. Requires ICASA/ISP License and onboarding agreement with SBM Smart City and Zoom Fibre.
• SARS (South African Revenue Service)minorOthersSARS mobile tax unit conducts periodic pop-up visits to the Saldanha Bay municipal area, providing tax services to residents at locations including Vredenburg, Louwville, and St Helena Bay.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Openserve: South Africa's largest open-access fibre infrastructure provider. Comparable as a wholesale open-access network operator partnering with ISPs and property developers, though operating nationally as a private entity rather than at municipal level.
• Vumatel: Major South African open-access fibre-to-the-home operator partnering with ISPs on a shared infrastructure model similar in concept to the Baobab project, though operating as a private-sector deployment rather than a municipal-led initiative.
• Zoom Fibre: DBOM partner and infrastructure owner for the Saldanha Bay Baobab fibre project; operates as a fibre infrastructure partner to municipalities and developments. Comparable as an execution partner for municipal-scale open-access fibre, though not a municipality itself.

Direct peers

• Stellenbosch Municipality: Adjacent Western Cape local municipality providing similar municipal services (water, electricity, sanitation, refuse) to multiple towns with comparable scale and digital citizen initiatives. Direct peer in terms of service offering, regulatory environment, and demographic profile.
• Swartland Municipality: Neighbouring Western Cape municipality serving a similar small-town footprint across multiple wards with comparable tariff-based revenue model and infrastructure management responsibilities. Directly comparable in scale and service scope.
• Overstrand Municipality: Western Cape coastal municipality with comparable tourism-adjacent service area, multi-town delivery model, and similar revenue mix of property rates and utility tariffs. Operates in the same regulatory environment with comparable digital transformation maturity.

Broad incumbents

• eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality (Durban): Large South African metropolitan municipality with a digital citizen engagement programme and similar municipal service delivery model. Comparable as a public-sector digital transformation reference, though operating at significantly greater scale.
• Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality: South African metropolitan municipality with comparable portfolio of municipal services including water, electricity, sanitation, refuse, and fibre/digital initiatives. Relevant incumbent peer in the broader South African local government digital transformation landscape.
• City of Cape Town: Larger metropolitan municipality in the same Western Cape province operating the same municipal service categories at much greater scale. Comparable in service portfolio and regulatory framework, though not in geographic scope or digital initiative scale.

Regional players

• West Coast District Municipality: District-level municipality encompassing Saldanha Bay within its jurisdiction, providing district-scale services (water, sanitation) that interface with Saldanha's local services. Relevant as a regional coordination and funding counterpart.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/saldanhabaymunicipality
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saldanha-bay-municipality

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saldanha Bay Municipality