Who is the mayor, and which parties run 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.). So the mayor can change between elections.
The ANC has run the council since 2021 and has more than half of the (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). Princess Faku (ANC) is mayor. She changed the members of her mayoral committee (the (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) the mayor picks to lead council departments) in March 2026.
Mar 2023 to now
Princess Faku (ANC)Current mayor
Council run by ANC. The council elected her on 23 March 2023, by 62 votes to 22. The ANC won 61 of the 100 seats in 2021. That is more than half.
Nov 2021 to Mar 2023
Xola Pakati (ANC)
Council run by ANC. He resigned on 20 March 2023, after the ANC's provincial leaders recalled him. The ANC won 61 of the 100 seats in 2021. That is more than half.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 100 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) now, counted up to 24 Jun 2026. A (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) needs 51 seats to run the (Council The group of elected people who make decisions for a municipality. They pass its budget and choose the mayor.) on its own. The ANC has 61, so it can choose the (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.) and pass the budget on its own.
- ANC61
- DA20
- EFF13
- ACDP1
- African Independent Congress1
- ATM1
- 3 other parties3
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 51. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the 3 other parties, with 1 seat each. One party has no colour on record, so it is grey too.
What has the council done?
Tap a topic to see what we checked.
Core servicesWater, lights, rubbish and roads: what your council runs.3 checks
- Council recordBuffalo City lost 32% of the electricity it bought in 2024-25, worth R831.43 million. Verified
- Council recordThe Auditor-General said 12 of Buffalo City's 15 sewage works were not working. Verified
- Council recordBuffalo City lost 41% of its water in 2024-25, worth R187.49 million, the Auditor-General found. Verified
Housing and landHouses, informal settlements and title deeds.3 checks
- Council recordA Buffalo City housing project in Cambridge West was 17 to 18 months late and 49% complete. Verified
- Council recordBuffalo City built 439 subsidised houses in 2024-25, against a target of 800. Verified
- Council recordIn Buffalo City, people long on the housing list were not given houses or were removed from it. Verified
Safety and jobsCrime, metro police and work in your area.2 checks
Governance and moneyCorruption, audits and budgets: how your council uses your money.3 checks
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 Buffalo City 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
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Buffalo City has 50 (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.). 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, 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.