Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about George come from
Every fact on the George 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: Browen Johnson (DA) is executive mayor of George.
George Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: 'Executive Mayor' page listing ('EXECUTIVE MAYOR Browen Johnson (DA) Ward 23'); page shows notices dated 13-15 October 2026; as_of is the access date
As of 30 Apr 2026: After the April 2026 by-elections the George council has 55 seats. They are DA 25, ANC 9, PA 6, PBI 5, FF Plus 4, GOOD 3, EFF 2 and ACDP 1. The ruling coalition of the DA, FF Plus and ACDP controls 30 of the 55 seats.
Daily Maverick. Published 30 April 2026.
Where to look: Uniondale (George) section, paragraph beginning 'The new council composition in George is'
As of 21 Apr 2026: IOL reported in April 2026 that George is one of 11 municipalities 'currently under' DA governance. The DA named Browen Johnson as its George 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 22 Jan 2026: In January 2026 the ACDP joined the DA and FF Plus in a new governing coalition in George. This was to keep the coalition's majority steady.
Daily Maverick. Published 22 January 2026.
Where to look: George section, paragraph beginning 'This meant the DA with its 27 seats only had 24 councillors on the council'
As of 25 Aug 2024: The FF Plus and the DA work together in George.
Daily Maverick. Published 25 August 2024.
Where to look: paragraph 8
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 55 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: p. 2 of 4, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). Democratic Alliance: 25 (15 ward, 10 party). African National Congress: 9 (8 ward, 1 party). Patriotic Alliance: 6 (5 ward, 1 party). Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners: 5 (0 ward, 5 party). Freedom Front Plus: 4 (0 ward, 4 party). GOOD: 3 (0 ward, 3 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 2 (0 ward, 2 party). African Christian Democratic Party: 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 55 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 George 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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