Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Tswaing come from
Every fact on the Tswaing 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 Norah Mahlangu is Mayor/Executive Mayor of Tswaing, according to National Treasury. An executive mayor is a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions. Councillor P.U. Lobelo is Speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings).
National Treasury. Page is undated.
Where to look: undated, read 2026-10-16; records 'Mayor/Executive Mayor' and 'Speaker'
As of 15 Sep 2026: In September 2026, the North West Provincial Treasury met Tswaing officials for a working session. The Provincial Executive Representative also took part. This was part of ongoing interventions in how councils run their money. National Treasury held back the July 2026 equitable share of some municipalities. This is the money the national government gives each council. Tswaing was one of them.
SAnews. Published 15 September 2026.
Where to look: paragraphs 1-2 and 6
As of 22 Apr 2026: Norah Mahlangu is mayor of Tswaing.
GroundUp. Published 22 April 2026.
Where to look: first body paragraph ('Tswaing Mayor Norah Mahlangu and the municipal council'); no party stated
As of 9 Nov 2021: In 2021, Ntombizodwa Norah Mahlangu was elected to the Tswaing council as first on the ANC's PR list. PR seats are seats that a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: NW382 - Tswaing, African National Congress, PR(1): MAHLANGU NTOMBIZODWA NORAH
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 28 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). African National Congress: 19 (14 ward, 5 party). Democratic Alliance: 4 (0 ward, 4 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 4 (0 ward, 4 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 28 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 Tswaing 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)
Government stepped in
In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at Tswaing is ongoing. It began in January 2022, under section 139(5) of the Constitution.
Department of Cooperative Governance. Published 3 July 2026.
Where to look: reply (a), table of municipalities under intervention, 'Tswaing LM' row: type of intervention, date instituted, status Ongoing
In May 2025, Parliament's Budget Office described the recovery plan like this: "Poor progress reporting points towards a lack of commitment to implementing the FRP"
Parliamentary Budget Office. Published 1 May 2025.
Where to look: p. 10, Table 1 'Active municipal interventions and their performance', 'Tswaing LM' row, FRP IMPLEMENTATION STATUS column
Doubt it can pay its bills
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Tswaing in 2024-25, for the 11th year in a row.
Auditor-General of South Africa. Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: p. 50 (PDF page 54), 'Sixty-two municipalities with going concern uncertainty and consecutive years in this position', North West, 'Tswaing LM' row; p. 49 explains the measure
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