Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Beaufort West come from
Every fact on the Beaufort West page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
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Which party controls the council?
Dated reports
As of 16 Sep 2026: The June 2024 by-elections gave the DA more than half of the seats in Beaufort West. DA mayor Sias Reynolds resigned nine months later. Four months after that, the ANC's Castro de Bruin was elected mayor, with the help of a DA councillor who was later expelled. De Bruin then resigned ahead of a motion of no confidence (a council vote to remove the mayor or speaker). Gina Duimpies (DA) has been mayor since August 2025.
GroundUp. Published 16 September 2026.
Where to look: paragraphs beginning 'The Beaufort West Local Municipality has been one of the most politically unstable' and 'The June 2024 by-elections gave the DA an outright majority'
As of 16 Sep 2026: GroundUp reports that Beaufort West has been under provincial administration (the province steps in to run the council) since August 2021 because of its finances.
GroundUp. Published 16 September 2026.
Where to look: paragraph beginning 'The municipality has been under provincial administration since August 2021'
As of 3 Sep 2025: Gina Duimpies (DA) is mayor of Beaufort West. October Haarvoor (DA) was elected deputy mayor at a special council meeting.
IOL. Published 3 September 2025.
Where to look: paragraphs 3-4
As of 12 Feb 2024: Beaufort West had five mayors between the 2021 election and early 2024.
Daily Maverick. Published 12 February 2024.
Where to look: paragraphs 5 and 13
As of 12 Feb 2024: Beaufort West is run by a coalition of the PA, ANC and KDF.
Daily Maverick. Published 12 February 2024.
Where to look: paragraph 6
As of 12 Feb 2024: Beaufort West had five mayors between the 2021 election and February 2024. It was then run by a coalition of the PA, ANC and Karoo Democratic Force. PA councillor Gideon Pietersen was to become mayor.
Daily Maverick. Published 12 February 2024.
Where to look: paragraphs 1, 6 and 13
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 13 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: p. 1 of 2, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). Democratic Alliance: 7 (4 ward, 3 party). African National Congress: 3 (3 ward, 0 party). GOOD: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Karoo Democratic Force: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Patriotic Alliance: 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 13 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 Beaufort West an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2024-25. That is better than in 2023-24, when it got a qualified opinion.
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)
Government stepped in
In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at Beaufort West is ongoing. It began in August 2021, under section 139(5)(a) of the Constitution.
Department of Cooperative Governance. Published 3 July 2026.
Where to look: reply (a), table of municipalities under intervention, 'Beaufort West LM' row: type of intervention, date instituted, status Ongoing
In May 2025, Parliament's Budget Office described the recovery plan like this: "FRP is implemented, and the municipality is demonstrating full commitment"
Parliamentary Budget Office. Published 1 May 2025.
Where to look: p. 10, Table 1 'Active municipal interventions and their performance', 'Beaufort West LM' row, FRP IMPLEMENTATION STATUS column
Doubt it can pay its bills
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Beaufort West in 2024-25, for the ninth year in a row.
Auditor-General of South Africa. Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: p. 50 (PDF page 54), 'Sixty-two municipalities with going concern uncertainty and consecutive years in this position', Western Cape, 'Beaufort West LM' row; p. 49 explains the measure
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