Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Buffalo City come from
Every fact on the Buffalo City page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
Who is the mayor, and which parties run the council?
Princess Faku (ANC)
Mayor from 23 Mar 2023 to now. Parties running the council: ANC.
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. Published 27 March 2023.
Where to look: Lead paragraph ('elected as the new Mayor of Buffalo City Metro during the Special Council meeting on Thursday evening 23 March 2023'); paragraph 2 ('takes over from Cllr Xola Pakati who resigned on Monday 20 March')
SABC News. Published 23 March 2023.
Where to look: Paragraph 1 (Faku elected; Pakati 'resigned on Monday'; the ANC PEC 'recalled Pakati two weeks ago citing poor audit outcomes, wasteful expenditure and failure to collect revenue'); paragraph 3 ('62 votes against the 22 for Bentley'); paragraph 5 (EFF did not vote). Paragraph 2 is a linked video title.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 22 November 2021.
Where to look: Page 3 of 4, seat table: 'AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS 61 43 18' (total, ward, PR seats); page 4: 'Total Party Seats 100 50 50'. Printed on 2021/11/22.
Daily Maverick. Published 1 October 2026.
Where to look: Buffalo City mayoral candidates section: 'The ANC has yet to confirm its candidate. The ANC has offered incumbent mayor Princess Faku, former deputy minister Nocawe Mafu, Simphiwe Dzengwa and Ncedo Kumbaca as its potential candidates.'
Xola Pakati (ANC)
Mayor from 23 Nov 2021 to 20 Mar 2023. Parties running the council: ANC.
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. Published 25 November 2021.
Where to look: Lead paragraph ('inaugural sitting of Council for the 2021-2026 term of office ... on Tuesday, 23 November 2021'); paragraph 2 (election of 'the Executive Mayor, Cllr Xola Pakati' and Deputy Executive Mayor Princess Faku)
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. Published 27 March 2023.
Where to look: Paragraph 2 ('takes over from Cllr Xola Pakati who resigned on Monday 20 March')
SABC News. Published 23 March 2023.
Where to look: Paragraph 1 (Pakati 'resigned on Monday'; the ANC PEC 'recalled Pakati two weeks ago citing poor audit outcomes, wasteful expenditure and failure to collect revenue during his tenure')
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 22 November 2021.
Where to look: Page 3 of 4, seat table: 'AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS 61 43 18' (total, ward, PR seats); page 4: 'Total Party Seats 100 50 50'. Printed on 2021/11/22.
Dated reports
On the council's website, no date shown: The ANC runs Buffalo City and has more than half of the seats.
News24. Page is undated.
Where to look: section 'The Ruling Coalition'
On the council's website, no date shown: The current mayor of Buffalo City is Princess Faku (ANC).
News24. Page is undated.
Where to look: section 'The Party Contest'
As of 31 Aug 2026: Princess Faku is mayor of Buffalo City. She is the ANC regional chair for Dr WB Rubusana.
Daily Dispatch. Published 31 August 2026.
Where to look: standfirst/summary ('ANC Dr WB Rubusana chair and Buffalo City Metro mayoral hopeful Princess Faku') and photo caption ('Buffalo City Metro Municipality mayor Princess Faku'); article body paywalled
As of 18 Aug 2026: The ANC runs Buffalo City and has more than half of the seats. Princess Faku is the current mayor.
News24. Page is undated.
Where to look: section 'The Ruling Coalition' ('The City is run by the ANC with an outright majority of 59.4%') and 'The Party Contest' ('current mayor Princess Faku'); as_of is the latest date among the News24 articles linked on the page, not a printed date
As of 11 Mar 2026: Buffalo City mayor Princess Faku announced changes to her mayoral committee in March 2026.
Daily Dispatch. Published 11 March 2026.
Where to look: headline, standfirst and lead photo caption ('mayor Princess Faku' with the new political leadership after a swearing-in ceremony at East London City Hall); body paywalled
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 100 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: pp. 3-4 of 4, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). African National Congress: 61 (43 ward, 18 party). Democratic Alliance: 20 (7 ward, 13 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 13 (0 ward, 13 party). African Christian Democratic Party: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). African Independent Congress: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). African Transformation Movement: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Pan Africanist Congress of Azania: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). United Democratic 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 100 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 Buffalo City 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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