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.).
The council's website now names Jan van der Ross as executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions) of Oudtshoorn. The page has no date. Van der Ross 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. We found no major news outlet on the current make-up of the (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 (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) that run the council together). In February 2026, a motion of no confidence in the former mayor, Johan Allers (FF Plus), passed 11 to 6. A motion of no confidence is a council vote to remove the mayor or speaker. In 2024 the DA had lost the mayor's post to a coalition of the ANC, FF Plus and smaller parties, and Allers became mayor. The PA won a second (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) from the ANC in March 2026. After that, the DA is the largest party with 7 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). In 2021, no party won more than half of the 25 seats.
What the sources said, by date
On the council's website, no date shown
Jan van der Ross is executive mayor of Oudtshoorn.
As of 26 Mar 2026
The PA won Ward 5 from the ANC in a March 2026 by-election (a vote to fill one empty ward seat). After that, the DA is the largest party on the 25-seat Oudtshoorn council with seven seats. The ANC has six, the PA and FF Plus have three each, and Icosa has two.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 20 Feb 2026
A motion of no confidence in Oudtshoorn mayor Johan Allers passed by 11 votes to 6 in February 2026.
As of 25 Aug 2024
In 2024 the DA lost power in Oudtshoorn to a new coalition of the ANC and FF Plus with smaller regional parties.
As of 9 Nov 2021
Jan van der Ross 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.) (Ward 11) for Oudtshoorn in 2021.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 25 (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 13 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
- ANC6
- PA3
- FF+3
- Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa2
- Advieskantoor1
- 3 other parties3
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 13. 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. 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 Oudtshoorn a clean audit (unqualified with no findings) for 2024-25. That is better than in 2023-24, when it got an unqualified opinion with findings.
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?
Oudtshoorn has 13 (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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