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.).
We could not confirm who is mayor of Matzikama now. No dated official or news source names the current mayor. IOL (April 2026) lists Matzikama as DA-governed. After the August 2025 by-election (a vote to fill one empty (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.)), the DA and FF Plus hold 8 of the 15 seats. A claimed October 2026 motion of no confidence (a council vote to remove the mayor or speaker) was not found in any major news outlet. In 2021, no (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the 15 seats. The DA won 6. On 29 May 2025, 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 parties that run the council together) removed the DA mayor and elected Monica Bottom (PA). The coalition was made up of the ANC, PA, EFF and GOOD. The Western Cape High Court later overturned that takeover (EWN, August 2025).
What the sources said, by date
As of 21 Apr 2026
IOL reported in April 2026 that Matzikama is one of 11 (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) 'currently under' DA governance. The DA named Richard van Huyssteen as its Matzikama mayoral candidate.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 21 Aug 2025
The DA kept Matzikama ward 7 (Vanrhynsdorp) in an August 2025 by-election. Daily Maverick says this gives the DA, with the FF Plus seat, 8 of the 15 seats. It also says the DA now has enough seats to take back the mayoral chain (the mayor's chain of office). It would take it from the coalition of the PA, ANC, EFF and GOOD.
As of 21 Aug 2025
The Western Cape High Court overturned an attempt by a coalition of the ANC, PA and EFF to take control of the Matzikama council. No party won more than half the seats on that council. The DA then kept its Vanrhynsdorp ward in an August 2025 by-election.
As of 24 Jun 2025
The DA asked the Western Cape High Court to cancel the decisions of the 29 May 2025 Matzikama council meeting. Until that meeting a coalition of the DA and FF Plus governed the council.
As of 29 May 2025
On 29 May 2025 motions of no confidence removed the DA speaker, mayor and deputy mayor of Matzikama. A coalition of the ANC, PA, EFF and GOOD then elected Monica Bottom (PA) as mayor. It also elected Johan Muller (ANC) as speaker (the (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 chairs council meetings).
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 15 (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 8 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.
- DA7
- ANC3
- PA2
- EFF1
- GOOD1
- FF+1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 8. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour.
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 Matzikama 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
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Matzikama has 8 (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)
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