Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Oudtshoorn come from
Every fact on the Oudtshoorn 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: Jan van der Ross is executive mayor of Oudtshoorn.
Oudtshoorn Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: 'Executive Mayor' page, text under the mayor's photo (page undated; photo uploaded 2026/08; party not stated); as_of is the access date
As of 26 Mar 2026: The PA won Ward 5 from the ANC in a March 2026 by-election (a vote to fill one empty ward seat). After that, the DA is the largest party on the 25-seat Oudtshoorn council with seven seats. The ANC has six, the PA and FF Plus have three each, and Icosa has two.
Daily Maverick. Published 26 March 2026.
Where to look: Ward 5 (Bridgton Smartie Town) Oudtshoorn section, paragraph beginning 'With this seat loss for the ANC'
As of 20 Feb 2026: A motion of no confidence in Oudtshoorn mayor Johan Allers passed by 11 votes to 6 in February 2026.
News24. Published 20 February 2026.
Where to look: paragraph 1 (rest of article behind paywall)
As of 25 Aug 2024: In 2024 the DA lost power in Oudtshoorn to a new coalition of the ANC and FF Plus with smaller regional parties.
Daily Maverick. Published 25 August 2024.
Where to look: paragraphs 1 and 5
As of 9 Nov 2021: Jan van der Ross was elected as an ANC ward councillor (Ward 11) for Oudtshoorn in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: WC045 - Oudtshoorn rows, ward 10405011 (VAN DER ROSS, JAN, African National Congress)
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 25 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: p. 3 of 3, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). Democratic Alliance: 7 (4 ward, 3 party). African National Congress: 6 (6 ward, 0 party). Patriotic Alliance: 3 (2 ward, 1 party). Freedom Front Plus: 3 (1 ward, 2 party). Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa: 2 (0 ward, 2 party). Advieskantoor: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). GOOD: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Oudtshoorn Gemeenskap Inisiatief: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Suid - Kaap Saamstaan: 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 25 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 Oudtshoorn a clean audit (unqualified with no findings) for 2024-25. That is better than in 2023-24, when it got an unqualified opinion with findings.
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)
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