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.).
Ramasimong Tau is mayor of Moqhaka. Tau was elected mayor on 7 May 2026, replacing Motloheloa Mokatsane. Mokatsane stepped down in April 2026 after the ANC told him to. Tau was elected as an ANC (Ward councillor A person chosen by the voters of one ward to speak for that area on the council. You vote for them by name.) (a (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) for one local area) in 2021. Nthabiseng Magengenene was elected speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). No official or news source we checked names the (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) that govern with the ANC. In 2021, no party won more than half of the 44 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The ANC won 22 of them.
What the sources said, by date
As of 21 May 2026
OFM wrote an article on changes to Free State council leaders that the ANC ordered. OFM reported that Ramasimong Tau was elected as the new mayor of Moqhaka. Tau replaced Motloheloa Ellis Mokatsane, who stepped down in April.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 9 May 2026
On 7 May 2026 Moqhaka held a special council meeting. There, Ramasimong Tau was elected mayor. Tau replaced Motloheloa Ellis Mokatsane, who stepped down in April. Reports say the ANC provincial leaders told some mayors to step down. The reports say Mokatsane was one of them.
As of 7 May 2026
Ramasimong Tau was elected mayor of Moqhaka at a special council meeting on 7 May 2026. Nthabiseng Magengenene was elected speaker, with all votes in favour.
As of 22 Apr 2026
Moqhaka mayor Motloheloa Mokatsane and speaker Selloane Khiba resigned in April 2026. A council meeting was called for 22 April 2026 to elect new leaders.
As of 1 Nov 2025
Motloheloa Ellis Mokatsane was mayor of Moqhaka Local Municipality in November 2025. The speaker was Selloane Victoria Khiba.
As of 18 Sep 2025
IOL reported an ANC letter saying Toy Mokatsane, mayor of Moqhaka, had not handed in a resignation as the party told him to. The ANC letter said he refused and was suspended.
As of 22 Aug 2025
In August 2025 the ANC in the Free State spoke about these councils. It said it would redeploy their mayors, speakers and chief whips. To redeploy is to move someone to a different post. A chief whip is the councillor who keeps a party's members voting together. The councils are Mafube, Moqhaka, Letsemeng, Nketoana, Nala, Masilonyana and Lejweleputswa.
As of 24 Jul 2025
(Parliament South Africa's national law-makers, in Cape Town. It has two parts, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.) made a list for Moqhaka Local Municipality in July 2025. This was during a joint oversight visit (a visit to check on the council). It listed 'Mayor - Cllr Mokatsane' and 'Speaker - Cllr Khiba'.
As of 9 Nov 2021
Ramasimong Tau was elected to the Moqhaka council in 2021. Tau was the ANC ward councillor for (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) 1.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 44 (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 23 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.
- ANC22
- DA10
- EFF5
- Moqhaka Community Forum3
- FF+3
- Power of Africans Unity1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 23. 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 Moqhaka 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
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Moqhaka in 2024-25, for the 10th 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?
Moqhaka has 22 (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.