Which party controls the council?
Voters choose the (Council The group of elected people who make decisions for a municipality. They pass its budget and choose the mayor.). The council chooses the (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.).
Anele Ntsangani has been executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions) of this (District council A council over several local municipalities. It runs services for the whole area. There are 44. Voters outside the metros also vote for it.) since August 2022. He gave the state of the district address in July 2026. He was elected as an ANC (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) in 2021. He was re-elected mayor in May 2023. In 2021, the ANC won 14 of the 19 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) voters choose directly. We did not find the (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) breakdown of the whole district council, which also has members sent by the (Local municipality A municipality for a town or rural area outside the metros. There are 205.).
What the sources said, by date
As of 27 Jul 2026
Anele Ntsangani, mayor of Amathole District Municipality, gave the state of the district address in Stutterheim in July 2026.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 11 Dec 2025
A. Ntsangani is executive mayor of Amathole District Municipality. O. Mgunculu is speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings), and N. Rulashe is chief whip (a councillor who helps organise the party's members).
As of 24 May 2023
Anele Ntsangani was re-elected mayor of Amathole District Municipality at a special council meeting.
As of 9 Nov 2021
Anele Winifred Ntsangani was elected as an ANC PR councillor in Raymond Mhlaba in 2021. A PR councillor has a seat that the party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.
How were the seats split?
Voters choose 19 of this (District council A council over several local municipalities. It runs services for the whole area. There are 44. Voters outside the metros also vote for it.) (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) directly. The (Local municipality A municipality for a town or rural area outside the metros. There are 205.) send the other members. A (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) needs 10 of these 19 seats to win more than half of them. The ANC has 14, so it did.
- ANC14
- EFF2
- ATM1
- DA1
- UDM1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 10. That is more than half of the seats voters choose directly. Each party shows in its own colour.
What has the council done?
We have not checked any claims about this (Council The group of elected people who make decisions for a municipality. They pass its budget and choose the mayor.) yet. That is not a mark for or against it.
Core servicesWater, lights, rubbish and roads: what your council runs.No checks yet
Housing and landHouses, informal settlements and title deeds.No checks yet
Safety and jobsCrime, metro police and work in your area.No checks yet
Governance and moneyCorruption, audits and budgets: how your council uses your money.No checks yet
What the official records say
From the Auditor-General and the national government. Every council gets the same checks. A council that is not on a list shows no row.
The Auditor-General gave the Amathole district council a qualified audit opinion for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
This means some parts of its accounts had big mistakes, or it could not show proof for some amounts.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at the Amathole district council is ongoing. It began in January 2021, under section 139(5) of the Constitution.
This means the province stepped in because the council was in a serious money crisis. The council must follow a plan to fix its finances (a financial recovery plan).
In May 2025, Parliament's Budget Office described the recovery plan like this: "The municipality is implementing the FRP with good reported progress." FRP is short for financial recovery plan.
Department of Cooperative Governance, 3 July 2026
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at the Amathole district council in 2024-25, for the ninth year in a row.
This means there is serious doubt that the council can keep paying its bills and keep working.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
How does voting work here?
You can only vote at the (Voting station The place where you vote, often a school or a hall. You can only vote at the one where you are registered.) where you are (Registered Your name is on the voters' roll. Registration for this election closed on 7 August 2026.).
Pick what matters to you and see which parties promised it, with a link to where it said so.
Take the quizFind your town to see your (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.), your voting station and every name on your papers.
Or check with the IEC
- Who is my ward councillor now?IEC lookup. Shows your ward and who represents it now. (IEC website)
- Voting station finderIEC map. Find the station where you are registered. (IEC website)
Spotted a mistake? Report a mistake. Every change is logged on the Corrections page.