Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Lephalale come from
Every fact on the Lephalale 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
As of 16 Oct 2026: The Lephalale Local Municipality's website names Cllr Thabitha Modise as mayor.
Lephalale Local Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: home page, Mayor's profile panel; undated, as_of is the date read
As of 10 Oct 2026: A council meeting on 28 September 2026 re-elected Aaron Mokgehle as Lephalale mayor. He replaced Thabitha Modise, who had been mayor since May 2026. Modise says she is still mayor. The ANC reportedly ended Mokgehle's membership. The SACP says he is its member. The article says he is no longer a councillor.
The Citizen. Published 10 October 2026.
Where to look: paragraph 3 (re-elected, replaces Modise who held post since May); paragraph 4 (membership terminated, no longer a councillor); paragraph 15 (Modise: still mayor); paragraphs 20-21 (SACP); paragraph 21 (municipality declined comment)
As of 10 Oct 2026: The SACP in Limpopo said Aaron Mokgehle and two others were challenging the ANC's decision to expel them in the Polokwane High Court. It also said that no council meeting had been held since the 28 September 2026 meeting that elected Mokgehle. Thabitha Modise said she remained mayor.
The Citizen. Published 10 October 2026.
Where to look: sections ''I'm still the mayor' - Modise' and ''Council will not remove me'', paragraphs quoting Modise and SACP provincial secretary Chuene Malebana
As of 17 May 2023: ANC councillor Aaron Mokgehle was elected Lephalale mayor at a council meeting. He replaced ANC councillor Louisa Shongwe, who had resigned. He is the fourth mayor since the 2021 elections.
SABC News. Page is undated.
Where to look: paragraphs 1-3 (page undated; as_of from the Polity/Creamer Media report of 17 May 2023 in leads)
As of 13 Oct 2022: DA councillor Nico Pienaar was elected Lephalale mayor after three ANC councillors voted against their party's candidate.
Sowetan. Published 13 October 2022.
Where to look: opening paragraphs
As of 9 Nov 2021: Aaron Mokgetle is spelled Mokgehle in news reports. Aaron Mokgetle and Thabitha Modise were both elected to the Lephalale council in 2021 as ANC PR councillors. A PR councillor holds a seat a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes. Their ANC list numbers were 1 and 4.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: Limpopo, 'LIM362 - Lephalale' rows: AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS PR(1) MOKGETLE RABOTLHOKO AARON; PR(4) MODISE RAMOKONE THABITHA
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 29 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 now, by party (ward seats and party seats). African National Congress: 19 (12 ward, 7 party). Democratic Alliance: 3 (2 ward, 1 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 3 (0 ward, 3 party). African Transformation Movement: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Lephalale Residents Party: 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 29 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 Lephalale 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)
Nothing matches. Try another word.