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.
No (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the 224 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The ANC has 86 seats. Control has changed. In 2021 a minority led by the DA ran the council under Tania Campbell. A minority has fewer than half of the seats. Campbell was removed and put back in 2022, and removed in March 2023. Sivuyile Ngodwana (AIC) came next. Nkosindiphile Xhakaza (ANC) has been mayor from 11 April 2024. A (Coalition Parties that agree to run a council together, usually because none has more than half the seats alone. Together they choose the mayor.) is a group of parties that run the council together. Until February 2026 the coalition was the ANC, EFF, ActionSA and PA. According to Sowetan, they had 136 seats. In February 2026 Xhakaza reshuffled (changed) the mayoral committee. This is a team of (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) who help the mayor. There were 16 parties in the 'Government of Local Unity'. Of these, 13 endorsed (backed) the reshuffle. The EFF (31 seats) then left. Daily Maverick (DM, 26 Feb 2026) reports that the coalition led by the ANC no longer had a majority. DM (4 May 2026) reports that a minority coalition led by the ANC governs since then. The PA and NFP are in it. The speaker, Dora Mlambo (ANC), moved to the mayoral committee. A speaker is the councillor who chairs council meetings. The ATM's John Senona was elected speaker on 5 March 2026 with 94 votes. The ANC and minority parties backed him. The DA abstained (did not vote either way). Xhakaza was still mayor in August 2026.
Feb 2026 to now
Nkosindiphile Xhakaza (ANC)Current mayor
Council run by ANC, PA and National Freedom Party. His ANC-led group has fewer than half the seats. No party holds more than half. Our (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.) count: these parties hold 91 of the 224 seats. A majority needs 113.
Apr 2024 to Feb 2026
Nkosindiphile Xhakaza (ANC)
Council run by ANC, EFF and African Independent Congress. The EFF left his coalition after he changed his mayoral committee on 17 February 2026. Daily Maverick counted 136 of the 224 seats, including ActionSA. ActionSA says it never joined.
Mar 2023 to Mar 2024
Sivuyile Ngodwana (African Independent Congress)
Council run by ANC and EFF. The council removed him by a vote of no confidence on 28 March 2024, by 42 votes to 32.
Nov 2021 to Mar 2023
Tania Campbell (DA)
Council run by DA, ActionSA, IFP, FF+, ACDP and Congress of the People. Her DA-led group had fewer than half the seats. The council removed her in October 2022 and again on 30 March 2023. In October 2022 the group had 94 of the 224 seats, Sowetan reported. That is fewer than half.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 224 (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 113 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. No party has that many. So parties must work together to 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.
- ANC86
- DA65
- EFF31
- ActionSA15
- FF+8
- PA4
- 10 other parties15
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 113. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the 10 other parties, with 15 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 recordEkurhuleni lost 15.5% of the electricity it bought in 2024-25, worth R3.07 billion. Verified
- Council recordPollution of water was not prevented at three Ekurhuleni sewage works, the Auditor-General found. Verified
- Council recordEkurhuleni lost a quarter (25%) of its water in 2024-25, worth about R1.3 billion. 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 recordEkurhuleni got a qualified audit for 2024-25, after four unqualified years. Verified
- Council recordEkurhuleni passed its R71 billion budget on 23 June 2026, after at least three failed attempts. Verified
- Council recordEkurhuleni had R137.6 million in irregular spending in 2024-25, and R0.62 billion over four years. 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 Ekurhuleni a qualified audit opinion for 2024-25. That is worse than in 2023-24, when it got an unqualified opinion with findings.
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
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at the City of Ekurhuleni in 2024-25. It did not report one the year before.
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?
Ekurhuleni has 112 (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.