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 (IEC The Electoral Commission of South Africa. It runs elections. It is independent, so it does not take orders from the government or any party.) says the DA won 135 of the 231 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) in 2021, which is a majority. The DA governs the city. Geordin Hill-Lewis (DA) is mayor. Since April 2026 he is also the DA's federal leader (EWN, June and September 2026). The ANC leads the opposition in council.
Nov 2021 to now
Geordin Hill-Lewis (DA)Current mayor
Council run by DA. The council elected him at its first meeting on 18 November 2021. The DA won 135 of the 231 seats in 2021. That is more than half.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 231 (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 116 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 DA has 134, 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.
- DA134
- ANC43
- EFF10
- GOOD9
- NCC7
- ACDP6
- 11 other parties22
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 116. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the 11 other parties, with 22 seats between them.
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 recordCape Town's electricity losses were above the 10% norm in each of the four years to 2024-25. Verified
- Council recordCape Town's water losses stayed within the 30% norm in each of the four years to 2024-25. Verified
- Council recordA court ruled that Cape Town's fixed water, sewerage and cleaning charges are unlawful. Verified
Housing and landHouses, informal settlements and title deeds.2 checks
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
- Council recordCape Town did not get a clean audit in 2024-25, after three clean audits in a row. Verified
- Council recordCape Town had R905.5 million in irregular spending in 2024-25. Verified
- Claim by GOODBrett Herron (GOOD) said Cape Town got R4.7 billion but "budgeted just R2.7 billion" for free basic services. Verified
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 City of Cape Town an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2024-25. That is worse than in 2023-24, when it got a clean audit.
This means its accounts were right, but the Auditor-General found other problems, such as broken laws or weak reports on its work.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Cape Town has 116 (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.