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.).
Tumelo Thebe has been mayor since 14 April 2026, and Daily Sun named him as mayor in August 2026. Thebe was elected as an ANC (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) in 2021. No major outlet we checked lists the (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) that voted for him. None lists the parties that govern with him. In 2021, no party won more than half of the 70 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The ANC has 28 seats and MAP16 has 20. In November 2021, 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.) led by MAP16 elected Gilbert Mokotso (MAP16) as mayor. A coalition is a group of parties that run the council together. Later mayors included the ANC's Malekula Melato. In March 2026, a motion of no confidence was brought against Melato. This is a council vote to remove the mayor or speaker. The council then elected Paratlane Motloung (MAP16). But the municipal manager did not recognise that election. The municipal manager is the top official who runs the council's day-to-day work. On 14 April 2026, the council elected Thebe as mayor by 35 votes to 25. Thebe is a former speaker. The speaker is the councillor who chairs council meetings. The vote came after councillors passed a motion of no confidence in Melato.
What the sources said, by date
As of 5 Aug 2026
Tumelo Thebe is mayor of Maluti-a-Phofung.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 30 May 2026
Tumelo Thebe was serving as mayor of Maluti-a-Phofung in May 2026.
As of 15 Apr 2026
Tumelo Thebe was elected mayor of Maluti-a-Phofung on 14 April 2026. Thebe is a former speaker. Thebe got 35 votes. Paratlane Motloung got 25. Before the vote, councillors passed a motion of no confidence in Malekula Melato. Melato is a former mayor.
As of 8 Apr 2026
In April 2026 the municipal manager did not recognise Motloung's election as mayor. The High Court turned down his application. The council has 70 councillors.
As of 27 Mar 2026
Malekula Melato (ANC) was removed as mayor in a motion of no confidence in March 2026. MAP16 councillor Paratlane Motloung was then elected mayor. The councillors who stayed after the ANC walked out elected Motloung.
As of 26 Mar 2026
Malekula Melato, the ANC mayor of Maluti-a-Phofung, lost an urgent application to the High Court to stop a motion of no confidence. The motion was brought by SARKO and supported by the EFF.
As of 23 Nov 2021
Gilbert Mokotso, leader of MAP16, was elected mayor of Maluti-a-Phofung with 33 votes at the first council meeting. The council is run by a coalition of more than four parties. The ANC is not in it.
As of 9 Nov 2021
Tumelo Thebe was elected to the Maluti-a-Phofung council as an ANC councillor in 2021.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 70 (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 36 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.
- ANC28
- Mapsixteen Civic Movement20
- EFF7
- DA5
- Dikwankwetla Party of South Africa3
- African Content Movement2
- 5 other parties5
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 36. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the 5 other parties, with 1 seat each. 3 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 had not finished auditing Maluti a Phofung's 2024-25 accounts by the legal deadline.
So there is no 2024-25 result yet. For 2023-24, it got a disclaimer of opinion.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Maluti a Phofung has 35 (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.