Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Polokwane come from
Every fact on the Polokwane 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 Aug 2026: The Citizen names Makoro John Mpe as the ANC's current Polokwane mayor. Mpe is one of four people competing to be the ANC's mayoral candidate ahead of the 4 November 2026 elections.
The Citizen. Published 1 August 2026.
Where to look: opening paragraphs
As of 8 May 2026: Polokwane Executive Mayor Cllr John Mpe delivered the State of the City Address on 8 May 2026.
Capricorn District Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: article body, first paragraph
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 90 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: pp. 3-4 of 4, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). African National Congress: 57 (38 ward, 19 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 20 (3 ward, 17 party). Democratic Alliance: 7 (4 ward, 3 party). Freedom Front Plus: 2 (0 ward, 2 party). Abantu Batho Congress: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). African Christian Democratic Party: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Congress of the People: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Magoshi Swaranang Movement: 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 90 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 Polokwane 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)
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