Media Statement: GRDM Council and Municipal Manager Part Ways by Mutual Agreement

During an In-Committee Council meeting held today, 28 July 2026, the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Council and Municipal Manager, Monde Stratu, mutually agreed to terminate his employment contract. Mr Stratu served as the Municipal Manager since March 2017, leading the municipality for almost two full consecutive terms over a period of more than nine years.

A MESSAGE FROM EXECUTIVE MAYOR, ALD. MARAIS KRUGER

Executive Mayor, Ald. Marais Kruger said the following after the Council meeting took place: “I want to thank MM Stratu for approaching me and the way our conversations and consultations was handled. In my nearly 15 months of working with the MM, he has always treated me, council, and the officials with respect. I know his decision was not one he takes lightly, but I do want to wish him all the best. We are proud to have obtained 5 consecutive clean audits under his tenure and will continue to build on his work.

I want to thank him for his work, his knowledge, and his professionalism that he added to the Garden Route District Municipality. I wish him and his family all the best in health, love, and well-deserved rest. Thank you, MM, for the past 9 years at GRDM we appreciate it”.

STRATU’S TENURE

Highlights during Stratu’s tenure was ensuring the GRDM attained five (5) consecutive Clean Audits from the Auditor General of South Africa. The GRDM saw its first municipal-owned regional fire station.

The Garden Route Skills Mecca (GRSM) was also established during Mr Stratu’s tenure, creating a regional platform that brings together government, industry, academia and communities to address skills development, employment and economic growth across the district. The Garden Route Skills Mecca is the first-of-its-kind in Africa.

Under his leadership, the GRDM’s Municipal Health Services also received multiple provincial accolades, including Gold Certificates of Recognition from the Western Cape Government, while maintaining a Municipal Health Compliance Rate of 88% and achieving an exceptional 97.8% score for technological advancement in Environmental Health Norms and Standards during 2025/26. The municipality’s Communication, Marketing and Brand Management Unit  earned national recognition as South Africa’s most proactive and innovative district communications team, as well as a SALGA award for the country’s most updated social media platforms.

GRDM also pioneered South Africa’s first Municipal Health Dashboard, presented nationally on SALGA TV. The GRDM was also  recognised for developing one of the Western Cape’s most simplified Integrated Development Plans. Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), recognised the GRDM’s One Plan as one of the best countrywide.

The GRDM’s name was also changed from Eden to Garden Route in 2018. This was done to better align the district municipality’s brand name with one of South Africa’s best-known tourism identities, recognised worldwide, whereas “Eden” was far less familiar to visitors and investors.

Lastly, Stratu also oversaw the development to date of the Regional Waste Management Facility, a landmark infrastructure project that will provide a long-term, environmentally sustainable waste disposal solution for the Garden Route while strengthening regional cooperation in waste management.

STRATU’S FINAL ADDRESS TO COUNCIL

During his farewell address to Council, outgoing Municipal Manager Monde Stratu expressed gratitude for the opportunity to have served the people of the Garden Route, reflecting on both the rewards and challenges of his tenure. He described his time at the GRDM as a period of significant personal and professional growth, saying, “I leave this municipality a changed man. I have learned a lot in terms of the actual work, made wonderful friends, met good comrades, brothers and sisters.”

He acknowledged that while his first term had been fulfilling, his second term had been more challenging, noting that difficult experiences had given him a greater appreciation for “the small things in life”. Stratu thanked colleagues for their support throughout his tenure and said he was proud to leave behind an institution that remained one of the country’s top-performing districts.

Stratu also paid tribute to his family, thanking his wife and children for standing by him through what he described as “really painful periods” during his tenure. Quoting from Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Ulysses, he concluded with the words, “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield,” before thanking the Executive Mayor, councillors, municipal leadership and staff for their support and expressing his hope that he would leave the Garden Route without any hard feelings.