Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Ba-Phalaborwa come from
Every fact on the Ba-Phalaborwa page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
Back to the Ba-Phalaborwa page
Which party controls the council?
Dated reports
As of 27 May 2026: The Ba-Phalaborwa 2026/27 final IDP has a foreword from the mayor, 'Mayor: Cllr MM Malatji'.
Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. Published 27 May 2026.
Where to look: 'Foreword from the Mayor' (contents page 12)
As of 6 Feb 2026: The Ba-Phalaborwa 2024/25 annual report lists Cllr M.M. Malatji as full-time Mayor, representing the ANC.
Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. Published 6 February 2026.
Where to look: Appendix A 'Councillors, Committees Allocated and Council Attendance', second row (PDF page 137); PDF dated 6 Feb 2026
As of 30 Jan 2026: Cllr M.M. Malatji is listed as Mayor in the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality's audited (checked by an auditor) annual financial statements. They cover the year that ended on 30 June 2025. They list Cllr N.O. Mabunda as Speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). They list Cllr D.M. Rapatsa as Chief Whip (the councillor who organises party members for council votes).
National Treasury. Page is undated.
Where to look: General Information, p. 1; as_of is the upload date in the file name
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 37 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: p. 3 of 3, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). African National Congress: 24 (17 ward, 7 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 5 (0 ward, 5 party). Democratic Alliance: 4 (2 ward, 2 party). National Independent Party: 2 (0 ward, 2 party). Mopani Independent Movement: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Freedom Front Plus: 1 (0 ward, 1 party).
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: winning party per ward for every by-election since 2021 (dashboard data files: MapsJason/2021/ByElections.js and LoadCouncillorsService); read 2026-10-18
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: ward councillor rows for this council (party per ward elected in 2021)
The seats now
Who holds the 37 seats now, counted up to 24 Jun 2026. How we count: This is our own count, not an official IEC table. We start with the 2021 party seats from the IEC. Then we add the party that last won each ward, in 2021 or in a by-election. Party seats stay with their party, and councillors can't switch parties. So only ward by-elections change these totals. An empty seat is counted with the party that last held it. The IEC lists by-elections on 5 Oct 2022, but it does not show who won them. So any ward that changed hands that day is not counted.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: winning party per ward for every by-election since 2021 (dashboard data files: MapsJason/2021/ByElections.js and LoadCouncillorsService); read 2026-10-18
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: ward councillor rows for this council (party per ward elected in 2021)
What the official records say
Audit result
The Auditor-General gave Ba-Phalaborwa a qualified audit opinion for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
Auditor-General of South Africa. Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: 'Audit outcome for 2024-25' box and the change from 2023-24 under it (audit of separate financial statements, finalised by 30 April 2026)
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