Checked 27 October 2026
Where the facts in this claim come from
Every fact on the claim page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
What does the evidence show?
Why it is Verified
Councils must follow set rules when they spend public money. In 2024-25, Cape Town broke them on R905.5 million of spending. The Auditor-General says the City's controls did not stop rule-breaking when it bought goods and services. It also says the City dealt with all its irregular spending from earlier years.
Auditor-General of South Africa. Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: PDF page 3, row 167 'City of Cape Town Metro' under 'Financial audits (audit opinion before consolidation of controlled entities, where applicable)', last three columns: unauthorised '-', irregular 905,5m, fruitless and wasteful 23,8m
Auditor-General of South Africa. Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: Printed page 213 (PDF page 217), City of Cape Town dashboard: 'Irregular expenditure over administration R1,59bn (4 years)'; 'Fruitless and wasteful expenditure over administration R0,03bn (3 years)'; 'Dealing with prior-year irregular expenditure balance: All dealt with'. Printed page 214 (PDF page 218), paragraph 3: 'recurring procurement findings indicate that preventative controls and consequence management remain ineffective in preventing non-compliance and irregular expenditure'
What did the council do, and when?
Who ran the council
Mayor: Geordin Hill-Lewis (DA). Council run by DA. From Nov 2021 to present.
SABC News. Published 18 November 2021.
Where to look: Paragraph 1 (the City elected Hill-Lewis as mayor); paragraph 4 (141 votes out of 224 councillors present in the 231-seat council); paragraph 5 (embedded City post: 'today, 18 November 2021, during a full Inaugural Meeting of the Council')
Daily Maverick. Published 19 November 2021.
Where to look: Paragraph 1: Hill-Lewis 'was on Thursday elected Cape Town's executive mayor by 141 votes out of 224 ballots returned'
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 23 May 2022.
Where to look: Page 4 of 6, 'Total Party Seats' table: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE 135 (83 ward, 52 PR); page 6 of 6: total 231 seats (no printed date; date is the PDF creation date, 23 May 2022)
Auditor-General of South Africa. Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: PDF page 182 (printed page 178), table 'Instability in key leadership positions': City of Cape Town, mayor incumbents over the past four years: 1
EWN. Published 20 August 2026.
Where to look: Headline ('... in final council address') and paragraph 3 ('In his final address to council for the term on Thursday, Hill-Lewis ...')
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