Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Dr AB Xuma come from
Every fact on the Dr AB Xuma 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: Councillor S. Zangqa is mayor of Dr AB Xuma.
Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: home page, 'Honourable Mayor' section ('S. Zangqa, Cllr', 'Municipal Mayor')
As of 25 May 2026: Councillor S. Zangqa is mayor of Dr AB Xuma, according to the municipality's final 2026/27 Integrated Development Plan.
Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality. Published 25 May 2026.
Where to look: p. 6 mayor's foreword signature ('CLLR. S. ZANGQA, HON. MAYOR'); p. 90 list of councillors ('Hon. Cllr. Zangqa S, Mayor (Full time)'). Date = PDF creation date; file uploaded Oct 2026
As of 20 May 2026: Siyabulela Zangqa is on the list of members of the ANC's 39-member Eastern Cape provincial task team, announced in May 2026.
TimesLIVE. Published 20 May 2026.
Where to look: list of task team members ('... Siyabulela Zangqa, Mpumelelo Khuzwayo ...'), after the officials
As of 30 Nov 2025: A Chris Hani District news item from November 2025 names 'Hon Mayor Cllr Siyabulela Zangqa'. It says this was on a visit to check on the Engcobo Waste Water Treatment Works in Dr AB Xuma.
Chris Hani District Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: home page news item (image upload November 2025): 'Hon Mayor Cllr Siyabulela Zangqa alongside the Chris Hani District Municipality Executive Mayor'
As of 9 Nov 2021: Siyabulela Zangqa was elected as an ANC PR councillor on the Dr AB Xuma council in 2021. The council was then called Engcobo. A PR councillor has a seat that the party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: Eastern Cape, EC137 - Engcobo, AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS PR(1), ZANGQA SIYABULELA, seat type LC PR
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 39 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: 32 (20 ward, 12 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 2 (0 ward, 2 party). United Democratic Movement: 2 (0 ward, 2 party). African Transformation Movement: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Democratic Alliance: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Pan Africanist Congress of Azania: 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 39 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 Dr AB Xuma an unqualified audit opinion with 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)
Doubt it can pay its bills
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Dr AB Xuma in 2024-25. It did not report one the year before.
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, 'Dr AB Xuma LM' row; p. 49 explains the measure
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