Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about OR Tambo come from
Every fact on the OR Tambo 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: Councillor Mesuli Ngqondwana is executive mayor of OR Tambo District Municipality.
OR Tambo District Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: Executive Mayor page; also home page section 'Get to know us'
As of 18 Sep 2026: Executive Mayor Councillor Ngqondwana gave OR Tambo District Municipality's State of the District Address on 17 September 2026.
OR Tambo District Municipality. Published 18 September 2026.
Where to look: paragraph 1 ('the 2026 State of the District Address (SODA) by Executive Mayor Councillor Ngqondwana on 17 September 2026')
As of 9 Nov 2021: Mesuli Douglas Ngqondwana was elected to the OR Tambo district council on the ANC list in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: Eastern Cape, DC15 - O R Tambo, AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS PR(1), NGQONDWANA MESULI DOUGLAS, seat type DC 40%
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 24 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 voters choose directly, by party. African National Congress: 18. Economic Freedom Fighters: 2. United Democratic Movement: 2. African Transformation Movement: 1. Democratic Alliance: 1.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: p. 1 of 2, seat table, Total Party Seats column
What the official records say
Audit result
The Auditor-General gave the OR Tambo district council 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)
Government stepped in
In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at the OR Tambo district council is ongoing. It began on 8 December 2021, under section 139(5) and (c) of the Constitution.
Department of Cooperative Governance. Published 3 July 2026.
Where to look: reply (a), table of municipalities under intervention, 'OR Tambo District Municipality' row: type of intervention, date instituted, status Ongoing
In May 2025, Parliament's Budget Office described the recovery plan like this: "FRP is implemented, and the municipality is demonstrating full commitment"
Parliamentary Budget Office. Published 1 May 2025.
Where to look: p. 10, Table 1 'Active municipal interventions and their performance', 'OR Tambo DM' row, FRP IMPLEMENTATION STATUS column
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