 | Drakenstein’s Sustainability Journey
11 June 2025 | Press Releases |
11 June 2025
Drakenstein Municipality, located in the Western Cape province of South Africa, is traditionally a farming community, and in many cases, a multi-generational farming community. The people and the environment are its passion, its livelihood and its future. Sustainability is in its DNA.
The Municipality's sustainability vision is to grow the area and build a city of excellence for its people. It wants to attract investment to stimulate development, economic growth and job creation so that it can improve people's lives – without compromising the quality of the environment for Drakenstein's future generations.
The Municipality and the Drakenstein area have garnered recognition and various awards for its commitment to sustainable and environmentally conscious practices:
Sustainability Impact Award for Anglophone Africa – Drakenstein Municipality has just received a Sustainability Impact Award for the Anglophone Africa region for its outstanding efforts in turning sustainability ambition into action and achieving its decarbonisation goals in 2024. The Municipality received the prestigious award from Schneider Electric, recently named the World's Most Sustainable Corporation 2025 by Corporate Knights and the only company to rank first in the Global 100 twice. This is just another feather in the cap of the Municipality, which is already regarded a pacesetter regarding sustainability and caring for the environment.
Recognising Drakenstein's own dedicated sustainability journey, the Sustainability Impact Award shines the spotlight on the Municipality's unwavering commitment to sustainable leadership and its forward-thinking approach to ensuring a sustainable future for its coming generations. The award is part of Schneider Electric's ongoing initiative to empower its partners, customers and suppliers to become more sustainable and commend noteworthy contributions on the journey to net zero.
The Municipality's decarbonisation goals include starting to replace its existing 11kV oil electricity distribution infrastructure and adopting Schneider Electric's more modern, digitised and green RM AirSeT air-powered ring main unit, reducing the Municipality's carbon footprint by using pure air instead of SF6 gas. This forms part of the Municipality's long-term vision - not only to have an upgraded, sustainable and well-maintained electricity distribution network, but also to be a decarbonising frontrunner in the local government space.
Green Electricity Technology Trailblazer – Drakenstein Municipality continues to be a trailblazer in the green electricity technology space as it implements forward-thinking solutions to eradicate SF6 gas, described as the most powerful greenhouse gas in terms of global warming potential (GWP). At the same time, the Municipality guarantees a safer and more sustainable operating environment with less downtime and quicker response times to electrical distribution outages. In 2023, the Municipality became the first municipality in Africa and South Africa, and the third globally, to deploy specific innovative green electricity technology. The Municipality adopted Schneider Electric's green RM AirSeT air-powered ring main unit – not only reducing its carbon footprint by using pure air instead of SF6 gas, but also boosting grid reliability. View this video for more.
Transforming Sewerage Sludge into Green Energy – Constantly investigating innovative ways to generate energy while at the same time protecting the environment, Drakenstein Municipality is planning to build a centralised Sludge Treatment Facility at its Paarl Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) which will transform sewerage sludge into green energy. Sludge naturally forms on the surface of wastewater, releasing methane gas into the atmosphere. Not only will this process reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it will also lower the electricity demand at the Paarl WWTW, saving the Municipality over R120 million per year.
Climate Partnership – In 2014, Drakenstein Municipality and the Stadt Neumarkt in Germany formed the Climate Partnership, focusing on climate change, fair trade and environmental education. The Climate Partnership was established under the 50 Municipal Climate Partnerships by 2015 Project, driven by Engagement Global – a German non-profit limited organisation that supports and strengthens the developmental commitment of civil society.
The Climate Partnership, which works to address climate-related issues, biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability, receives funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Of Drakenstein's total area of 1 538 km², altogether 260 km² is designated as a biodiversity priority area, with 157 km² being formally protected.
The partnership's Joint Programme of Action, originally signed on 16 October 2015, includes the establishment of the Paarl Arboretum Climate Smart Park (featuring a classroom, made from sustainable or recycled materials, that serves as an environmental education centre); clearing the banks of the Berg River of invasive alien vegetation; environmental education for schools; coordinating collaborations between two technical universities situated in each of the municipalities; and an exchange programme between Drakenstein and Neumarkt to stimulate the exchange of expert knowledge.
Fair Trade City – In 2020, Drakenstein Municipality became the first town in Southern Africa to self-declare as a Fair Trade City, making it the fourth on the continent. A significant milestone, this declaration signifies the Municipality's support for goods produced using fair labour practices and environmentally friendly production processes. The Municipality's Fair Trade City campaign focuses on creating sustainable social enterprises; encouraging sustainable, ethical and fair trade practices in businesses; promoting sustainability and fair trade education; encouraging consumer sustainability practices; and promoting triple bottom-line enterprises (profit, environmental and social impact). View this video and this video for more.
The Municipality was also selected as the host destination of the first-ever International Fair Trade Cities and Towns Conference in Africa, held from 20 to 22 September 2024 at the Nederburg Wine Estate, Paarl. Leaders and decision makers in the fair trade movement and sustainability sector gathered to discuss, workshop and network around the theme of “Cultivating Equitable Economies". View Drakenstein Municipality's conference promotion video here.
CESA National Innovation Winner – Drakenstein's Leliefontein Pump-As-Turbine (PAT) Station, deemed the first of its kind in South Africa, was named the CESA (Consulting Engineers South Africa) National Winner in 2019. Leliefontein uniquely uses the same set of pumps to both pump water and generate electricity by reversing the flow through the pumps. The Leliefontein project is a perfect example of how municipalities can use low-cost, off-the-shelf equipment – such as centrifugal pumps and induction motors – to generate clean power using potential energy in their existing infrastructure.
Integrating Informal Recyclers – Drakenstein Municipality's groundbreaking initiative to integrate former illegal recyclers, now called “wastepreneurs", into its official waste management system, has made the Municipality a standout leader in waste management in the Western Cape and South Africa. This progressive solid waste management strategy earned the Municipality the prestigious 2019 Petco South Africa Award for the most innovative recycling plan, and today empowers these “wastepreneurs" to earn a much better income. They also receive training and personal protection equipment through this initiative. View this video for more.
Reducing Water Losses – Drakenstein Municipality has earned countrywide respect for its exceptional efforts in reducing non-revenue water and achieving low water loss percentages. Despite having older infrastructure, as the third oldest European settlement in the country, Drakenstein's water loss figure currently stands at 21.6% – compared to the national average which is up to 30%. The Municipality also secured a Water Service Infrastructure Grant of R16 million to address its aging water reticulation infrastructure in the 2023/24 financial year.
In 2023, the Municipality aced Blue Drop certifications for both its Welvanpas Water Treatment Works (in Wellington) and Hermon Water Supply System, scoring an impressive 96% and 95.7% respectively at the national Department of Water and Sanitation's (DWS) Water and Wastewater Awards Ceremony.
In addition, the Municipality earned a No Drop Award as well as a third place nationally in the category of Best Technical Site for its Welvanpas Water Treatment Works. Drakenstein Municipality received an overall Municipal Blue Drop Score of 94.1%. The Blue Drop programme wants to ensure compliance of water supply systems with the national drinking water quality standards, while the No Drop regulatory programme was established to encourage the management of water losses through the DWS water conservation and demand management programme.
Winelands Sustainable Tourism Route – In 2024, Drakenstein Municipality launched what is said to be South Africa's very first sustainable tourism route. Crisscrossing the Paarl-Wellington destination, the Winelands Sustainable Tourism Route features a blend of both brand-new and established sustainable attractions that can be explored with purpose – from distinctive fynbos experiences and wine farms promoting regeneration to wildlife sanctuaries, eco-friendly transport and upcycling innovation. Each stop on the route is dedicated to delivering quality, authentic moments and memories, leaving a positive footprint on local communities and the environment. Here sustainability is visitors' compass. View the route map and destinations here.
South African Tourism has further defined Paarl-Wellington as “setting the bar for #SustainableSouthAfrica by partnering with various local and national tourism organisations to create valuable opportunities". View this video for more.
Gouda Wind Farm – Drakenstein is home to the Gouda Wind Farm, which produces enough electricity every year to power 200 000 South African homes. Grid-connected in 2015, the Gouda Wind Farm was the largest of its kind in the Western Cape upon completion. Today, it is a well-known and impressive landmark on the R44 between Gouda and Saron in Drakenstein. Generating 138 megawatts of clean energy, the Gouda Wind Farm features 46 wind turbines (mounted on concrete towers) that avoid 406 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. Installed by ACCIONA, it employs several highly skilled individuals tasked with maintaining the operation. View this video for more.
Green School South Africa – Drakenstein is home to the first Green School in Africa and the third globally. The school forms part of a global network of schools in Bali, New Zealand and South Africa, committed to making the world sustainable through education. This distinctive educational institution, situated in Simondium, Paarl, emphasises a different approach to teaching and learning, while focusing on skills development and adapting to a changing world. View this video for more.
Greenest Municipality – In 2019, Drakenstein Municipality received the Greenest Municipality in the Western Cape Top Achiever Award for consistently pioneering smart sustainable practices. It also won the award for the Most Improved Municipality for Climate Change, achieving 96%, and the award for the Most Improved Municipality for Waste Management, achieving 79.8%.
Drakenstein Municipality further took home two Innovation Awards for its landfill waste entrepreneurs project and its Leliefontein Reservoir electricity generation, respectively. In addition, it took top honours as the best performing municipality in two of six fields, namely waste management and air quality. As a city of excellence, this highlights the Municipality's continued quest to grow Drakenstein's economy in a sustainable manner – through innovation – and to ensure that its social practices remain environmentally sound.
Green Building Initiative – The Municipality's Solid Waste Management administrative building in Distillery Street, Paarl, is the first municipal building in Drakenstein to incorporate sustainable green building principles. It features energy-efficient lighting, water-saving fixtures, solar hot water geysers, rainwater harvesting, and zero-water landscaping.
For more information on Drakenstein Municipality, view this video, or visit or contact:
Website: https://www.drakenstein.gov.za/
Facebook: @DrakensteinMunicipality
Instagram: @drakensteinmunicipality
LinkedIn: Drakenstein Municipality
YouTube: @DrakensteinMunicipality1
Call: 080 131 3553 toll free (in South Africa)
Email: customercare@drakenstein.gov.za
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Issued by: Communication and Marketing, Drakenstein Municipality
