Crackdown on dog owners in one of the best-run municipalities in South Africa
One of South Africa’s best-run municipalities is cracking down on dog owners who ignore local bylaws after receiving a growing number of complaints about pets being walked off-leash in public spaces.
Overstrand Municipality, which includes Hermanus, Gansbaai and Kleinmond, said it will apply its existing dogs and cats bylaw more strictly, with law enforcement officers issuing fines to owners who fail to keep their dogs on a leash in public areas.
Overstrand Municipal Manager Dean O’Neill said the municipality has experienced a noticeable increase in complaints about dogs being walked without leashes in recent weeks.
“That has been a problem for quite some time, but we did get a lot of complaints the last couple of weeks of dogs walking off leashes,” he said in an interview with CapeTalk.
He added that the municipality has also received reports of dog owners responding aggressively when other residents ask them to follow the rules.
O’Neill said the concern is not simply about whether individual dogs are friendly, but about the unpredictable nature of encounters between animals in busy public spaces.
“We’ve got a lot of nice walks along the beach, the cliff paths and other beaches as well, and even in the other towns like Kleinmond,” he said.
“The main problem is that the dogs are off-leash, and then you come past with your dogs on their leashes, and you never know what the reaction of the dogs is going to be.”
He said many owners argue that their pets are harmless, but warned that instinct can override training.
“The typical attitude is, ‘My dog is a calm dog. He won’t attack or anything.’ But dogs are dogs. They’ve got instincts, and you can’t really control them once that instinct kicks in.”
O’Neill said the issue could often be resolved through simple consideration for others. “If you see me approaching with my dogs on a leash, just put yours on a leash as well.”
What the by-laws say about dogs and cats in the municipality
He stressed that the municipality’s tougher approach is part of a broader effort to enforce all municipal bylaws consistently, rather than singling out dog owners.
“Once we start with our law enforcement implementing that and fining people, they would play the victim and say, ‘You’re choosing us because we’re easy targets.’”
He said the same principle applies to motorists who fail to stop at stop streets, park on pavements or block driveways.
“But saying that and still walking your dog without a leash is the same thing. It’s against the law, and that’s a fact,” O’Neill said.
He encouraged residents to report bylaw violations so officers can investigate and said that while most residents respect the rules, problems tend to increase during busy holiday periods.
“I think the culture is mainly law-abiding, but there are a number of people, especially in holiday times when we have a lot of visitors,” he said.
“It seems like people’s brains are also on holiday when they come for a holiday here. They just seem to think everything is fine and we can do what we want.”
Section 6(2) of the Overstrand Municipality’s amended by-law on the keeping of dogs and cats clearly states: “No person may allow any dog to be in a public place unless it is kept on a leash and under the control of a person.”
Public spaces include roads, paths, parks, beaches, and any area managed by the Municipality.
Currently, there are no designated dog parks or off-leash areas within the Overstrand Municipality. However, the development of such spaces is being considered for the future.
The move comes as the municipality continues to be recognised as one of the country’s strongest-performing local governments.
Overstrand was recently named among the top five municipalities in Ratings Afrika’s Municipal Financial Sustainability Index (MFSI), alongside Drakenstein, Hessequa, Saldanha Bay and Swartland.
The MFSI assessed the financial health of South Africa’s 120 largest local municipalities and eight metropolitan municipalities using audited financial results for the year ended June 2025.
The index measures municipalities across six areas: operating performance, liquidity management, debt governance, budget practices, affordability and infrastructure development.
Ratings Afrika said the highest-ranked municipalities share characteristics including prudent budgeting, effective expenditure control, strong revenue collection, long-term financial planning and the ability to maintain service delivery while investing in infrastructure.
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