Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Swellendam come from
Every fact on the Swellendam 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 16 Oct 2025: The DA no longer had more than half of the seats in the Swellendam council after it lost a seat in Barrydale in 2023. A coalition of the DA and FF Plus governs the municipality.
Daily Maverick. Published 16 October 2025.
Where to look: Ward 6 (Railton) Swellendam section, paragraph beginning 'The DA lost its outright majority in the council'
As of 16 Oct 2025: The PA won Ward 6 in Railton, Swellendam, from the ANC in an October 2025 by-election, after the ANC ward councillor moved to the PA. The ANC fell to four seats, and the PA gained its first seat on the council.
Daily Maverick. Published 16 October 2025.
Where to look: Ward 6 (Railton) Swellendam section: 'The by-election' paragraph and the paragraph beginning 'The ANC fell to four seats in the Swellendam council'
As of 14 Feb 2025: Francois du Rand (DA) was re-elected mayor of Swellendam at a special council meeting. This was about two weeks after an ANC motion, supported by the FF Plus, removed him. Jasper du Toit Laubsher (FF Plus) was elected speaker.
EWN. Published 14 February 2025.
Where to look: paragraphs 2-5
As of 3 Feb 2025: After 2021 Swellendam was run by a DA and VF+ coalition, with a DA mayor and a VF+ speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings).
Daily Maverick. Published 3 February 2025.
Where to look: paragraph 17
As of 3 Feb 2025: A motion of no confidence (a council vote to remove the mayor or speaker) removed DA mayor Francois du Rand in late January 2025.
Daily Maverick. Published 3 February 2025.
Where to look: paragraph 4
As of 3 Feb 2025: The vote for a new mayor tied 5 to 5. The VF+ speaker did not vote.
Daily Maverick. Published 3 February 2025.
Where to look: paragraphs 7-8
As of 3 Feb 2025: VF+ speaker Juan van Schalkwyk resigned on 3 February 2025. This left no mayor and no speaker.
Daily Maverick. Published 3 February 2025.
Where to look: paragraph 1; headline
As of 3 Feb 2025: Swellendam's council has 11 seats, and no party has more than half of them. The ANC and DA have five seats each, and the FF Plus has one. The council was run by a DA and FF Plus coalition.
Daily Maverick. Published 3 February 2025.
Where to look: paragraphs 16-17
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. 1 of 2, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). Democratic Alliance: 5 (2 ward, 3 party). African National Congress: 4 (3 ward, 1 party). Patriotic Alliance: 1 (1 ward, 0 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 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 Swellendam a clean audit (unqualified with no 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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