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 ANC's Makoro John Mpe is the executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions). The Citizen (August 2026) names Mpe as the current mayor. Mpe delivered the State of the City Address on 8 May 2026. In 2021, the ANC won 56 of the 90 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). That is more than half. By our count of by-election results, up to June 2026, the ANC now has 57 of the 90 seats.
What the sources said, by date
As of 1 Aug 2026
The Citizen names Makoro John Mpe as the ANC's current Polokwane mayor. Mpe is one of four people competing to be the ANC's mayoral candidate ahead of the 4 November 2026 elections.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 8 May 2026
Polokwane Executive Mayor Cllr John Mpe delivered the State of the City Address on 8 May 2026.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 90 (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 46 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 57, 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.
- ANC57
- EFF20
- DA7
- FF+2
- Abantu Batho Congress1
- ACDP1
- 2 other parties2
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 46. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the 2 other parties, with 1 seat each. One party has no colour on record, so it is 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 Polokwane an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
This means its accounts were right, but the Auditor-General found other problems, such as broken laws or weak reports on its work.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Polokwane has 45 (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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