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.
The ANC won 51 of 101 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) in 2021. The 2024/25 annual report has a table of the council. It still shows ANC 51 of 101. Gregory Nthatisi (ANC) has been executive mayor since 2023. This is a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions. The council had elected Papi Mokoena (AASD) as mayor. But a court cancelled the election of Mokoena. So on 25 April 2023, the council elected Nthatisi acting mayor. Acting means standing in for now. The (Metro A big city with one council for the whole city, such as Johannesburg or Cape Town. There are 8. Voters there get 2 ballot papers.) own papers name him executive mayor in 2025 and 2026. In April 2022, Cabinet placed Mangaung under a national intervention. It was under Section 139(7). This means the national government steps in to run the council. The 2024/25 annual report says the intervention still applies.
Apr 2023 to now
Gregory Nthatisi (ANC)Current mayor
Council run by ANC. The council elected him acting mayor on 25 April 2023, by 50 of 93 votes. He became mayor in October 2023. The ANC won 51 of the 101 seats in 2021. That is more than half.
Nov 2021 to Mar 2023
Mxolisi Siyonzana (ANC)
Council run by ANC. He resigned in March 2023, after the ANC decided to move him to other work. The ANC won 51 of the 101 seats in 2021. That is more than half.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 101 (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 51 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 51, 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.
- ANC51
- DA26
- EFF12
- FF+5
- Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats2
- PA2
- 3 other parties3
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 51. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the 3 other parties, with 1 seat each. One party has no colour on record, so it is grey too.
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 recordMangaung lost 10% of the electricity it bought in 2024-25, worth R282 million. Verified
- Council recordMangaung's sewage works were not working, and raw sewage flowed into rivers. Verified
- Council recordAbout 48% of Mangaung's water was lost or not paid for in 2024-25, worth about R496 million. Verified
Housing and landHouses, informal settlements and title deeds.3 checks
- Council recordMangaung planned 264 serviced sites in 2024-25, and the Auditor-General found it delivered 43. Verified
- Council recordIn Mangaung, people long on the housing list were not given houses or were removed from it. Verified
- Council recordMangaung aimed to upgrade 7 informal settlements in 2024-25 and reported 2, but the audit found 1. Verified
Safety and jobsCrime, metro police and work in your area.2 checks
Governance and moneyCorruption, audits and budgets: how your council uses your money.4 checks
- Council recordMangaung got a qualified audit for 2024-25, its fourth in a row. Verified
- Council recordMangaung did not spend R191.73 million of its conditional grants in 2024-25, the Auditor-General found. Verified
- Council recordNational Treasury held back Mangaung's July 2026 equitable share payment for a time. Verified
- Council recordMangaung recorded R1.36 billion in unauthorised spending in 2024-25. 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 Mangaung a qualified audit opinion for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
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
In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at Mangaung is ongoing. It began in April 2022, under section 139(7) of the Constitution.
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: "FRP under implementation" FRP is short for financial recovery plan.
Department of Cooperative Governance, 3 July 2026
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Mangaung in 2024-25, for the ninth 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?
Mangaung has 51 (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.