Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Bergrivier come from
Every fact on the Bergrivier page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
Which party controls the council?
Dated reports
On the council's website, no date shown: Alderman Ray van Rooy is executive mayor, according to the municipality's page about its councillors. Alderman Mario Wessels is deputy executive mayor, and Randall Swarts is speaker. The speaker is the councillor who runs council meetings.
Bergrivier Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: councillor list, first three entries (undated, read 2026-10-18)
As of 26 May 2026: Executive Mayor Alderman Ray van Rooy presented Bergrivier Municipality's final 2026/27 budget at a council meeting in Piketberg on 26 May 2026.
Bergrivier Municipality. Published 26 May 2026.
Where to look: home page news item 'Mayor's Budget Speech 2026/2027' (read 2026-10-18)
As of 21 Apr 2026: IOL reported in April 2026 that Bergrivier is one of 11 municipalities 'currently under' DA governance. The DA named Mario Wessels as its Bergrivier mayoral candidate.
Cape Argus. Published 21 April 2026.
Where to look: DA section (paragraphs 12-13): 'named candidates for 11 municipalities, all currently under its governance', followed by the list
As of 9 Nov 2021: Ray van Rooy was elected as a DA ward councillor (Ward 4) for Bergrivier in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: WC013 - Bergrivier rows, ward 10103004 (VAN ROOY, RAYNOLD MATHEW, Democratic Alliance)
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. 2 of 2, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). Democratic Alliance: 8 (7 ward, 1 party). African National Congress: 3 (0 ward, 3 party). GOOD: 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 Bergrivier a clean audit (unqualified with no findings) 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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