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.).
Willem Harmse of the ANC has been mayor since 1 September 2023. The 2024/25 draft annual report (Feb 2026) still lists him as mayor. It lists Goitsemodimo Halter of the EFF 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). It also lists EFF and F4SD members on the executive committee. That is the group of councillors who help run the council. We found no news source that says which (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) govern together. In 2021, the ANC won 10 of the 19 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). It lost its majority when the EFF won Ward 3 in April 2022. After that, the ANC had 9 seats and the EFF had 5.
What the sources said, by date
As of 11 Feb 2026
The council had 19 councillors: ANC 9, EFF 5, DA 2, F4SD 1, PSDF 1 and FF+ 1, according to the draft 2024/25 annual report. Willem Harmse of the ANC, Ward 5, was mayor. Goitsemodimo Halter of the EFF was speaker. Halter was a PR councillor (a seat a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes). The report lists an executive committee of Harmse, Janki of the EFF and Pitso of the F4SD.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 30 Jun 2024
W Harmse was mayor from 1 September 2023, after TB Afrika, who is listed for 1 July to 31 August 2023. Before that, W Harmse was speaker, up to 31 August 2023. This is from the audited financial statements (the accounts, checked by auditors) for the year to 30 June 2024.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 19 (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 10 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.
- ANC9
- EFF5
- DA2
- Forum 4 Service Delivery1
- Phokwane Service Delivery Forum1
- FF+1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 10. 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 Phokwane 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 Phokwane is ongoing. It began in July 2020, under section 139(5) of the Constitution.
This means the province stepped in because the council was in a serious money crisis. The council must follow a plan to fix its finances (a financial recovery plan).
Department of Cooperative Governance, 3 July 2026
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Phokwane has 10 (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.