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.).
Knysna has had no elected mayor since 18 September 2026. On that day the ANC removed Thando Matika as mayor. Matika disputes his removal. The deputy mayor, Morton Gericke, is acting mayor, which means standing in for now. Since August 2022 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.) (a group of (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) that run the council together) led by the ANC has governed. It was made up of the ANC, PA and PBI in 2025, and of the ANC, EFF and PBI by October 2026. In 2021, no party won more than half of the 21 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The DA won 8. Control has changed since 2021. At first a coalition led by the DA, with KIM, governed. The mayors since 2021 were Levael Davis (DA), Aubrey Tsengwa (ANC) and Thando Matika (ANC). Matika became mayor on 28 February 2025. In June 2025 the province gave notice that it was considering a Section 139 dissolution (the province steps in and closes the council down early). The council was not closed down early.
What the sources said, by date
As of 2 Oct 2026
A coalition of the ANC, EFF and Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners (PBI) has governed Knysna since August 2022. The PA has withdrawn its support.
As of 2 Oct 2026
Knysna has had no elected mayor since 18 September 2026. On that day the ANC removed Thando Matika as mayor. Matika disputes his removal. A council meeting to elect a replacement did not reach a quorum (the minimum number 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 must be there).
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 23 Sep 2026
After the ANC removed Thando Matika as mayor, deputy mayor Morton Gericke is acting mayor until a new mayor is elected. The speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings) is Mark Willemse.
As of 26 Jun 2025
In June 2025 the Western Cape MEC for Local Government (a member of the province's cabinet) gave the Knysna (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) notice. He intended to intervene under Section 139 of the Constitution. He was considering recommending that the council be closed down early.
As of 18 Mar 2025
ANC councillor Thando Matika was elected mayor of Knysna with no one running against him, at a special council meeting on 28 February 2025. He is the third mayor since the 2021 election, after Levael Davis (DA) and Aubrey Tsengwa (ANC). Knysna is led by a coalition of the ANC, PA and PBI.
As of 24 Nov 2021
After the 2021 election the DA took the post of mayor in Knysna.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 21 (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 11 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.
- DA8
- ANC7
- Knysna Independent Movement2
- PA2
- EFF1
- Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 11. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. 2 parties have no colour on record, so they are 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 Knysna an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
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?
Knysna has 11 (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.