Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Makana come from
Every fact on the Makana 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 1 Apr 2026: Yandiswa Vara is executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions) of Makana. The council has 27 seats. The ANC has 14, the DA 5, the Makana Citizens Front 5, the EFF 2 and one independent.
Makana Local Municipality. Published 1 April 2026.
Where to look: p. 7 foreword (signed 'Ms. Y. Vara, Executive Mayor'); p. 19 office-bearers table; p. 20 council composition ('ANC (14), DA (5), and EFF (2), MCF (5), IND (1)'). Date: uploaded April 2026.
As of 9 Nov 2021: Yandiswa Portia Vara was elected as an ANC PR councillor in Makana in 2021. 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, EC104 Makana, AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS PR(2) (name printed 'YANOISWA')
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 27 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: 14 (11 ward, 3 party). Democratic Alliance: 5 (2 ward, 3 party). Makana Citizens Front: 5 (0 ward, 5 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 2 (0 ward, 2 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 27 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 Makana a disclaimer of 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)
Government stepped in
In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at Makana is ongoing. It began in 2019, under section 139(5) of the Constitution.
Department of Cooperative Governance. Published 3 July 2026.
Where to look: reply (a), table of municipalities under intervention, 'Makana LM' row: type of intervention, date instituted, status Ongoing
In May 2025, Parliament's Budget Office described the recovery plan like this: "Current FRP reviewed for improved focus: under implementation"
Parliamentary Budget Office. Published 1 May 2025.
Where to look: p. 9, Table 1 'Active municipal interventions and their performance', 'Makana LM' row, FRP IMPLEMENTATION STATUS column
Doubt it can pay its bills
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Makana in 2024-25, for the ninth year in a row.
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, 'Makana LM' row; p. 49 explains the measure
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