Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Siyathemba come from
Every fact on the Siyathemba 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: Franklin Vaughan Louw, the Ward 2 councillor, is mayor, according to the municipality's councillors page. Giel Macdonald, the Ward 6 councillor, is speaker.
Siyathemba Local Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: Councillors table, first two rows ('Hon. Mayor Franklin Vaughan Louw (Ward 2 Councillor)', 'Hon. Speaker Giel Macdonald (Ward 6 Councillor)'); undated, read 2026-10-18
As of 14 May 2026: The ANC won Ward 2 in Prieska Bonteheuwel in a by-election (a vote to fill one empty ward seat) on 13 May 2026. It now holds 6 of the 11 seats. So it no longer needs a coalition with the Siyathemba Gemeenskap Beweging, or SGB.
Daily Maverick. Published 14 May 2026.
Where to look: Ward 2 (Prieska Bonteheuwel) section: result line and paragraph beginning 'The ANC now has six of the 11 seats'
As of 14 May 2026: Before the by-election, an ANC-SGB coalition governed the council. The SGB held the mayor's post and the ANC held the speaker's post.
Daily Maverick. Published 14 May 2026.
Where to look: Ward 2 section, paragraph beginning 'The municipality is currently governed by an ANC-SGB grand coalition'
As of 13 May 2026: Franklin Vaughan Louw won Siyathemba Ward 2 for the ANC in the by-election of 13 May 2026.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 13 May 2026.
Where to look: 13 May 2026 by-election, NC077 Siyathemba Ward 30707002: winner Franklin Vaughan Louw, African National Congress
As of 12 May 2026: Johan Andrew Phillips of the Siyathemba Community Movement was mayor, the draft 2026/27 IDP (the council's development plan) says. The IDP is dated 12 May 2026, the day before the by-election. Phillips was a PR councillor (a seat a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes). Giel Macdonald of the ANC, Ward 6, was speaker. The IDP shows the Ward 2 seat as empty.
Siyathemba Local Municipality. Published 12 May 2026.
Where to look: cover (Year 2026/27, Date 12/05/2026); section 2.8 Political Structure, councillor table (name, position, party)
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 11 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: p. 2 of 2, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). African National Congress: 6 (6 ward, 0 party). Siyathemba Community Movement: 3 (0 ward, 3 party). Democratic Alliance: 2 (0 ward, 2 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 11 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 Siyathemba a qualified audit 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)
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