Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Masilonyana come from
Every fact on the Masilonyana 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 7 May 2026: OFM reported on Masilonyana mayor Dimakatso Modise. On 6 May 2026 she handed in her letter to resign. Before this, the ANC provincial secretary had asked her to resign as councillor and mayor.
OFM. Published 7 May 2026.
Where to look: paragraphs 2-3 ('allegedly submitted her resignation letter on Wednesday (6/5)')
As of 1 Nov 2025: In November 2025 Dimakatso Elizabeth Modise was mayor of Masilonyana Local Municipality. The speaker was Nkone Makate. A speaker is the councillor who chairs council meetings.
Free State COGTA. Page is undated.
Where to look: Masilonyana (FS 181) row: Mayor/Executive Mayor 'Dimakatso Elizabeth Modise', Speaker 'Nkone Makate'; header 'NOVEMBER 2025' (no day given)
As of 18 Sep 2025: IOL reported an ANC letter saying Dimakatso Modise, mayor of Masilonyana, had not handed in a resignation as the party told her to. The ANC letter said she refused and was suspended.
IOL. Published 18 September 2025.
Where to look: paragraphs 6-9 (as reported from the ANC letter; not independently confirmed)
As of 17 Sep 2025: In a letter dated 16 September 2025 the ANC in the Free State suspended Masilonyana mayor Dimakatso Modise as a party member. This was after she refused to resign as the party told her to.
OFM. Published 17 September 2025.
Where to look: paragraphs 1-2
As of 22 Aug 2025: In August 2025 the ANC in the Free State spoke about these councils. It said it would redeploy their mayors, speakers and chief whips. To redeploy is to move someone to a different post. A chief whip is the councillor who keeps a party's members voting together. The councils are Mafube, Moqhaka, Letsemeng, Nketoana, Nala, Masilonyana and Lejweleputswa.
IOL. Published 22 August 2025.
Where to look: paragraph 1
As of 9 Nov 2021: Dimakatso Elizabeth Modise was elected to the Masilonyana council as an ANC councillor in 2021. She was first on the ANC list.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: Free State, FS181 - Masilonyana, AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS, PR(1), MODISE DIMAKATSO ELIZABETH
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. 1 of 2, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). African National Congress: 11 (9 ward, 2 party). Democratic Alliance: 4 (1 ward, 3 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 2 (0 ward, 2 party). Forum 4 Service Delivery: 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 Masilonyana 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 Masilonyana is ongoing. It began in February 2026, under section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution.
Department of Cooperative Governance. Published 3 July 2026.
Where to look: reply (a), table of municipalities under intervention, 'Masilonyana Local Municipality (Lejweleputswa District)' row: type of intervention, date instituted, status Ongoing
Doubt it can pay its bills
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Masilonyana in 2024-25, for the second 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', Free State, 'Masilonyana LM' row; p. 49 explains the measure
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