Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Garden Route come from
Every fact on the Garden Route 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: Marais Kruger (DA) is executive mayor of the Garden Route District.
Garden Route District Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: 'Executive Mayor' page heading and biography paragraph 3 (no page date; the page lists events for 19-21 October 2026); as_of is the access date
As of 21 Apr 2026: IOL reported in April 2026 that the Garden Route District is one of 11 municipalities 'currently under' DA governance. The DA named Marais Kruger as its mayoral candidate for the Garden Route District.
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 25 Aug 2024: At district level the DA works with Icosa in the Garden Route.
Daily Maverick. Published 25 August 2024.
Where to look: paragraph 19
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 14 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: pp. 1-2 of 2, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats voters choose directly, by party. Democratic Alliance: 7. African National Congress: 3. GOOD: 1. Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa: 1. Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners: 1. Freedom Front Plus: 1.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: pp. 1-2 of 2, seat table, Total Party Seats column
What the official records say
Audit result
The Auditor-General gave the Garden Route district council 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)
Government stepped in
In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at the Garden Route district council is ongoing. It began in October 2024, under section 139(1)(a) of the Constitution.
Department of Cooperative Governance. Published 3 July 2026.
Where to look: reply (a), table of municipalities under intervention, 'Garden Route DM' row: type of intervention, date instituted, status Ongoing
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