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.).
Molefe Morutse of the ANC is mayor of Ditsobotla, as News24 reported in January 2026. In September 2025, the council elected Morutse as mayor again. This ended a time with two rival mayors. Since September 2025, the national government has run an intervention (the government steps in to run the council). In 2021, the ANC won 21 of the 39 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The council closed down early in 2022. A new council was elected in December 2022, so the 2021 seats no longer apply. In that December 2022 election, the ANC won 16 of the 39 seats, the EFF 10 and the DA 6.
What the sources said, by date
On the council's website, no date shown
(Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) Molefe Morutse is named under Office of the Mayor on the (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) website. Councillor Manana Bogatsu is named under Office of the Speaker.
As of 7 May 2026
In May 2026, the national intervention in Ditsobotla was still under way. A National Cabinet Representative leads it.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 9 Jan 2026
News24 reported in January 2026 that Molefe Morutse is mayor of Ditsobotla.
As of 25 Sep 2025
At a meeting on 23 September 2025, the council elected its political office-bearers (the councillors in the top council jobs). This was under the national intervention. The statement does not name them.
As of 24 Sep 2025
Ditsobotla held a special council meeting on 23 September 2025. It elected ANC councillor Molefe Morutse as mayor again. It also elected Manana Bogatsu (EFF) as speaker again. This was under the national intervention. Before this, there were two rival mayors. There were also two rival speakers. The meeting ended that.
As of 10 Sep 2025
Cabinet approved a national intervention in Ditsobotla. It was under Section 139(7) of the Constitution. The National Executive took over the intervention role of the provincial executive.
As of 13 Mar 2025
In March 2025, Molefe Morutse (ANC) was elected mayor with the help of ANC and EFF councillors. At that time, Mazwi Moruri still held the mayoral chain. This left two mayors and two speakers (the councillors who chair council meetings) reporting for duty.
As of 15 Dec 2022
The MEC for local government closed down the council early. An MEC is a member of the provincial government. A new election in December 2022 then gave out the 39 seats. The ANC got 16 seats, the EFF 10 and the DA 6. Forum 4 Service Delivery got 2 and the Patriotic Alliance 2. FF Plus, Save Ditsobotla Movement and African Heart Congress got 1 each. A (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) needs 20 seats for a majority.
As of 15 Dec 2022
Ditsobotla held an election in December 2022. The ANC won 16 seats. The EFF won 10 and the DA won 6. Forum 4 Service Delivery won 2 and the Patriotic Alliance won 2. African Heart Congress, Save Ditsobotla Movement and FF Plus won one each. The municipality had closed down early on 14 September 2022.
How were the seats split?
Who won the 39 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) in 2021. A (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) needs 20 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 21, 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.
- ANC21
- DA6
- EFF6
- Forum 4 Service Delivery2
- FF+2
- ACDP1
- 1 other party1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 20. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the other party, with 1 seat. One party has no colour on record, so it is grey too.
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 Ditsobotla a disclaimer of opinion for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
This means it could not show proof for most of the amounts in its accounts, so the Auditor-General could not judge them.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at Ditsobotla is ongoing. It began in August 2025, under section 139(5) of the Constitution. On 3 September 2025, Cabinet approved a national intervention under section 139(7).
This means the national government stepped in, in place of the province, 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 not implementing the FRP" FRP is short for financial recovery plan.
Department of Cooperative Governance, 3 July 2026
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Ditsobotla in 2024-25, for the sixth 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
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Ditsobotla has 20 (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)
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