Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about !Kai !Garib come from
Every fact on the !Kai !Garib 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: M.M.M. Matthys, Ward 9, is mayor and E. Vass, Ward 10, is speaker, according to the municipality's council page.
Kai !Garib Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: 'Members of the Municipal Council' (Mayor, Speaker, ward and PR members); undated, read 2026-10-18
As of 30 Jun 2025: Councillor M.M.M. Matthys was mayor of Kai !Garib and Councillor N.E. Vas was speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings) at 30 June 2025. This is from the audited financial statements (the accounts, checked by auditors).
Kai !Garib Municipality. Published 27 January 2026.
Where to look: Members of the Municipal Council, pp. 5-6 (19 names, no parties shown); signed 31 August 2025
As of 12 Oct 2023: The ANC held Kai !Garib Ward 3 in Kakamas in a by-election in October 2023 with 38%. It kept its outright majority.
Daily Maverick. Published 12 October 2023.
Where to look: section 'Ward 3 (Kakamas) Kai !Garib in ZF Mgcawu'
As of 9 Nov 2021: Marshall Michael Mervyn Matthys was elected as the ANC's Ward 9 councillor in Kai !Garib in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: NC082 Kai !Garib rows: ward 30802009, MATTHYS MARSHALL MICHAEL MERVYN, African National Congress
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 19 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: p. 2 or 3 of 3 (marker placement unclear), seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). African National Congress: 10 (10 ward, 0 party). Hope for the Future: 4 (0 ward, 4 party). Democratic Alliance: 3 (0 ward, 3 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 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 19 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 !Kai !Garib 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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