Election day Wed 4 Nov

Checked 16 October 2026

Where the facts about Makhuduthamaga come from

Every fact on the Makhuduthamaga page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.

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Which party controls the council?

Dated reports

As of 15 Jan 2026: Cllr M.M. Mahlase is listed as Mayor in the Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality's audited (checked by an auditor) annual financial statements. They cover the year that ended on 30 June 2025. They list Cllr M.J. Nkgadima as Speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). They list Cllr M.M. Thamaga as Chief Whip (the councillor who organises party members for council votes). The report says Mahlase was appointed on 16 November 2023 after the previous mayor resigned on 15 November 2023.

Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality: Audited Annual Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2025 (opens in a new tab)

National Treasury. Page is undated.

Where to look: General Information, p. 1; p. 5 Accounting Officer's Report; as_of is the upload date in the file name

Saved copy: not added yetOfficial record

As of 13 Feb 2025: The Sekhukhune executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions) gave remarks on 13 February 2025. They address 'Honourable Mayor of Makhuduthamaga Local Mayor Cllr Merah Mahlase'.

Remarks by Executive Mayor Minah Bahula at the Makhuduthamaga strategic planning session, 13 February 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Sekhukhune District Municipality. Published 13 February 2025.

Where to look: page 1, list of dignitaries

Saved copy Official record

As of 9 Nov 2021: Masekwele Merah Mahlase was elected to the Makhuduthamaga council in 2021 as an ANC PR councillor. A PR councillor holds a seat a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes. Her ANC list number was 10.

LGE 2021 Councillor Lists (9 Nov 2021) (opens in a new tab)

Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.

Where to look: Limpopo, 'LIM473 - Makhuduthamaga' row: AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS PR(10) MAHLASE MASEKWELE MERAH

Saved copy Official record

How were the seats split?

The 2021 result

Who won the 62 seats in 2021.

LGE 2021 Seat Calculation Detail: LIM473 Makhuduthamaga (opens in a new tab)

Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.

Where to look: p. 3 of 4, seat table, Total Party Seats column

Saved copy: not added yetOfficial record

Every party

The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). African National Congress: 40 (30 ward, 10 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 15 (0 ward, 15 party). South African Maintenance and Estate Beneficiaries Associati: 2 (0 ward, 2 party). Democratic Alliance: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Democratic Artists Party: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). National Communist Congress: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Socialist Agenda of Dispossessed Africans: 1 (0 ward, 1 party).

IEC Results Dashboard: municipal by-elections (opens in a new tab)

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

Saved copy Official record
LGE 2021 Councillor Lists (9 Nov 2021) (opens in a new tab)

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)

Saved copy Official record

The seats now

Who holds the 62 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.

IEC Results Dashboard: municipal by-elections (opens in a new tab)

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

Saved copy Official record
LGE 2021 Councillor Lists (9 Nov 2021) (opens in a new tab)

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)

Saved copy Official record

What the official records say

Audit result

The Auditor-General gave Makhuduthamaga an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.

Consolidated general report on local government audit outcomes 2024-25: Makhuduthamaga (opens in a new tab)

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)

Saved copy: kept on fileOfficial record