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Who runs Kouga?

Hattingh Bornman (DA) is (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.) of Kouga, as of 6 May 2026. In 2021, the DA won 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.) in Kouga.

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Sourced, not yet reviewed.

Photo: Jeffreys Bay · Fritz Joubert, CC BY-SA 3.0

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Sourced, not yet reviewed.

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.).

Hattingh Bornman (DA) has been executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions) of Kouga since mid-2023. The Sunday Times (April 2026) says the DA runs Kouga, and TimesLIVE named Bornman as mayor in May 2026. In June 2023, mayor Horatio Hendricks (DA) resigned to take a (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) in the provincial legislature. Bornman, then deputy mayor, stood in until the council elected a new mayor. In 2021, the DA won 16 of the 30 seats, which is a majority. The DA has kept that majority.

What the sources said, by date

  1. 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.) Hattingh Bornman is executive mayor of Kouga. Councillor Timothy Jantjes is deputy executive mayor, and Lorraine Maree is speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings).

  2. As of 6 May 2026

    Hattingh Bornman was mayor of Kouga in May 2026.

  3. This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.

    As of 17 Apr 2026

    The DA runs Kouga, and Hattingh Bornman is mayor.

  4. As of 28 Jun 2023

    Kouga mayor Horatio Hendricks (DA) resigned after accepting a seat as a member of the provincial legislature. Deputy mayor Hattingh Bornman stood in until the council elected a new mayor.

  5. As of 9 Nov 2021

    Chris Hattingh Bornman was elected as a DA PR councillor in Kouga in 2021. A PR councillor has a seat that the (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.

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How were the seats split?

Who holds the 30 (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 16 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 16, 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.

  • DA16
  • ANC11
  • EFF1
  • PA1
  • FF+1

Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 16. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour.

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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 Kouga a clean audit (unqualified with no findings) for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.

This means its accounts and its reports on its work were right, and it followed the key laws.

Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026

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Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?

Kouga has 15 (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.

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