A great honour fell upon the former mayor when she was named mayoral candidate for the Overberg Municipality.
Although she controversially resigned from her position as Overstrand mayor, Dr Annelie Rabie achieved many successes during her time in office.
Dr Rabie’s term as Executive Mayor from January 2022 to April 2025 was characterised by excellence across multiple sectors, establishing Overstrand as a benchmark for municipal performance in South Africa.
Perhaps most notably, Rabie has overseen an unprecedented 12 consecutive clean audits, spanning from the 2020-’21 financial year through to 2023-’24. This remarkable streak of financial transparency and accountability earned her the Salga Women Leadership Excellence Award for clean audits and financial governance in 2022.
The municipality’s commitment to good governance was further recognised when Overstrand was ranked among the top 10 municipalities in South Africa by Good Governance Africa’s 2024 index, with Standard Bank also acknowledging the municipality’s excellence in local governance.
Under Rabie’s leadership, Overstrand has also emerged as a national environmental champion. The municipality claimed the National Arbour City Award in 2022 for excellence in greening efforts, and has consistently maintained Blue Flag status for multiple beaches, including Grotto Beach, Hawston, Kleinmond, and Castle Beach.
The environmental achievements culminated in 2025 when Overstrand secured first place in the Municipal Waste Management Recognition Awards, the Western Cape’s version of the former Greenest Municipality competition. This followed a second-place finish in 2024 and the title of Best Municipality in the Western Cape for waste management in 2023.
Overstrand’s water services have set national standards under Dr Rabie’s stewardship. In 2023, the municipality achieved an extraordinary Blue Drop Score of 99,99%, winning eight Blue Drop Awards and ranking as the best in South Africa for drinking water quality. The municipality secured both first and second place nationally in “Best Performing Water Supply System” out of 958 water supply systems.
Additionally, Overstrand earned joint third position in the National Green Drop Programme with an 89% score for wastewater management, and achieved a remarkable No Drop Score of 101%, making it the top performer in non-revenue water management.
“Dr Rabie’s achievements during her tenure as Executive Mayor speak to her exceptional leadership capabilities and commitment to excellence in municipal governance,” noted local government observers. “Her appointment to the district level represents a natural progression for someone who has consistently delivered outstanding results.”
