Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Blue Crane Route come from
Every fact on the Blue Crane Route page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
Back to the Blue Crane Route page
Which party controls the council?
Dated reports
On the council's website, no date shown: Bonisile Amos Manxoweni is mayor of Blue Crane Route. The mayor is an ANC PR councillor. A PR councillor has a seat that the party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.
Blue Crane Route Local Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: Council Overview page, first entry ('PR Councillor (Mayor)')
As of 6 Aug 2026: Blue Crane Route mayor Bonisile Manxoweni received two vehicles from the Sarah Baartman District Municipality on 6 August 2026.
Sarah Baartman District Municipality. Published 14 August 2026.
Where to look: news item dated 14 August 2026, paragraph 2 ('received by Mayor Bonisile Manxoweni')
As of 29 Jul 2026: Bonisile Amos Manxoweni (ANC) is mayor of Blue Crane Route, and Sibusisiwe Platyi (EFF) is speaker. The council list shows 5 ANC, 5 DA and 1 EFF councillors.
Blue Crane Route Local Municipality. Published 29 July 2026.
Where to look: p. 12 Mayor's foreword signature ('CLR B.A. MANXOWENI, HON. MAYOR'); p. 17 section 1.2.2 Political Structure (11 councillors with party, counted line by line: ANC 5, DA 5, EFF 1). Date is the PDF's creation date (29 Jul 2026)
As of 25 Apr 2024: The DA won Ward 4 of Blue Crane Route from the ANC in a by-election on 24 April 2024. The council now has no party with more than half of the seats. The ANC and the DA have 5 seats each, and the EFF has 1.
Daily Maverick. Published 25 April 2024.
Where to look: section 'Eastern Cape', entry 'Ward 4 (Pearston) Blue Crane Route', paragraph beginning 'The Blue Crane Route council is now hung'
As of 25 Apr 2024: Herbert Chowles (DA) won Ward 4 of Blue Crane Route in the 24 April 2024 by-election. The ANC won that seat in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 25 April 2024.
Where to look: 'The new DA councillors are:' first entry
As of 9 Nov 2021: Bonisile Amos Manxoweni was elected as an ANC PR councillor in Blue Crane Route in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: Eastern Cape, EC102 Blue Crane Route, AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS PR(1)
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 11 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). African National Congress: 5 (3 ward, 2 party). Democratic Alliance: 5 (3 ward, 2 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 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 11 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 Blue Crane Route 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)
Doubt it can pay its bills
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Blue Crane Route in 2024-25, for the second 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', Eastern Cape, 'Blue Crane Route LM' row; p. 49 explains the measure
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