The West Coast District Municipality covers the Matzikama, Cederberg, Bergrivier, Saldanha Bay and Swartland Local Municipalities.

District municipalities administer and make rules for a district, which includes more than one local municipality. The purpose of district municipalities and local municipalities sharing the responsibility for local government in their areas is to ensure that all communities, particularly disadvantaged communities, have equal access to resources and services. This will help some local municipalities who don't have the capacity (finances, facilities, staff or knowledge) to provide services to their communities. It will also help to cut the costs of running a municipality by sharing resources with others. The 'richer' areas will help the 'poorer' areas.

Some of the functions and powers of district municipalities include:

• to plan for development for the district municipality as a whole
• bulk supply of water that affects a large proportion of the municipalities in the district
• bulk supply of electricity that affects a large proportion of the municipalities in the district
• bulk sewerage purification works and main sewerage disposal
• waste disposal sites for the whole district municipality area
• municipal roads for the whole district municipality area
• regulating passenger transport services
• municipal health services for the whole area
• fire-fighting services for the whole area
• control of fresh produce markets
• control of cemeteries
• promoting local tourism for the whole area
• municipal public works.